SalvoNEWS: York stone record set at Gaze

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

York stone record set at Gaze

Gaze, Architectural and Garden Antiques, Diss Norfolk
4 April 2009

'Garden things are doing the best,' said Carl Willows of Gaze auction rooms at the recent Architectural and Antiques sale. The 1132 lot auction took place on a beautiful Spring day to Mr Willow's disgust as he openly prefers the rain and says that it brings with it more trade. Thankfully he was wrong on this occasion as it was 'a great sale'.

Mr Willows said, "It was a nice sale with a good mixture of trade and private buyers many of whom were willing to spend. We reached a new record for York Stone paving as it fetched £110 per square yard. A good quantity of 16th/17th Century oak floor boards approx 15sq yards sold well for £2200. The nicest sandstone trough I have seen in a long time reached £1500. A four poster bed which had been up for auction three times finally sold on the third attempt, and it will be nice to have that out of the way. Perhaps one of the most surprising results of the day was that a well weathered composition frog sold for £600. It was a pleasant little thing but that was well above expectations so obviously someone had their heart set on it.

On the other hand a Coalbrookdale nasturtium pattern garden bench only managed to reach a disappointing £1400. Ecclesiastical monuments did not sell very well. Fireplaces and cast iron inserts were slow, not that there was anything of fantastic merit but we expected better. Similarly the revolving summer house from Thelveton Hall, Norfolk only fetched £480, even though it was missing its track we still expected it to do better.

Modern pieces fared well a bronze study of a striding gorilla sold to a lady bidder for £1700, after the sale I thought I should have enquired if it was a present for a partner!! A circular zinc top table on pine and cast iron base sold for a respectable £520. It was a nice table and this is the type of modern piece I like having in the sale."