What Turns Up at a Valuation Day


July 2026

Throughout the year, we travel all around Yorkshire for our valuation days and no two are ever quite the same. At our recent events, we have had the pleasure of uncovering some truly remarkable items, each with its own story to tell. From a pocket watch that sold for £8,200 to the smallest English dictionary in the world, from Victorian militaria to a Mouseman pair of bookends, the variety never fails to surprise us.

Join us as we explore some of the most recent notable lots consigned at these events.

Small But Mighty
We will start small. Very small. A 19th century volume titled The Smallest English Dictionary in the World, published by David Bryce & Son of Glasgow, complete with its own magnifying glass and measuring just 4cm, sold for £50. A tiny object with an outsized charm and a reminder that the most interesting things are not always the biggest.

From the Mantelpiece
Vases and decorative ceramics turned up in some pleasing variety. A pair of Chinese famille rose vases, painted with traditional motifs, sold for £700. A Moorcroft Clematis pattern baluster vase on a dark blue ground sold for £95. A pair of Doulton Lambeth vases, painted with white flowers and signed by Mary Aitken in 1878, sold for £180. Three very different makers, three very different stories and all found at valuation events across Yorkshire.

Pictures With a Past
Art provided some of the most varied and characterful results of all. Alexander Harwood's ship's portrait of the SS Greyhound, watercolour and gouache signed and dated 1911, sold for £320. Simon Palmer's Transform, a signed watercolour, sold for £1,400. Julian Trevelyan's etching and aquatint Bulldozer, numbered 11/52, sold for £1,000. Cecil Rochfort D'Oyly John's oil on canvas Mougins near Cannes, South of France, sold for £950. Four very different visions of the world and all brought in by vendors who simply wondered what they might be worth.

Time Well Kept
Watches and pocket watches have a habit of performing well at auction, and this selection was no exception. A Victorian 18ct gold centre seconds chronograph pocket watch by W. Homere of Liverpool, hallmarked Chester 1866, sold for £3,000. An Accurist ladies 9ct white gold manual wind wristwatch on an integral bracelet, London 1969, sold for £800. A Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date, boxed with guarantee card dated 2013, sold for £8,200. A Victorian 18ct gold open face keyless lever pocket watch, hallmarked Chester 1899, sold for £2,800.

Worn and Treasured
Gold necklaces and coin pendants arrived in quietly impressive variety. A 9ct gold belcher and bar link chain necklace sold for £1,300. A Queen Victoria 1893 gold full sovereign, mounted in a gold pierced pendant on a Singapore link chain, sold for £1,100. A George III 1788 gold spade guinea with an 18ct gold mount on a faceted belcher link chain sold for £1,100. A 19th century gold emerald necklace with seven closed back emeralds and a Gem and Pearl Laboratory report sold for £2,500. Pieces worn and treasured for generations, and still commanding strong prices today.

The Collector's Eye
Coins and medallions brought in a strong and varied group of results. The Churchill Centenary Trust Medal Collection, a complete set of 24 silver proof medallions struck by John Pinches and housed in a leatherette display album, sold for £750. Seven Royal Canadian Mint 1976 Montreal Olympics silver proof four coin sets sold for £1,000. A collection of Great British pre-1920 and pre-1947 silver coins, housed in a ring binder folder, sold for £1,300. A South Africa 1980 one ounce fine gold Krugerrand sold for £2,700.

Service and Sacrifice
Militaria arrived with real historical weight. A French 1837 pattern officer's sword with pierced brass hilt and leather scabbard sold for £120. A Queen Victoria Afghanistan campaign medal, awarded to Private P. Cane of the 8th Hussars, sold for £130. A WWII German 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class with ribbon sold for £100. A King George VI British Empire Medal, awarded to Miss Elsie S. Smedley and in its original Royal Mint case, sold for £90. Each a small piece of history and each finding a new owner who recognised that.

Crafted in Wood
Wooden pieces rounded off the valuation day results with characteristic warmth. An early Victorian rosewood and mother of pearl inlaid sewing, jewellery and writing casket sold for £460. A pair of Mouseman oak bookends, carved with the mouse signature of Robert Thompson's Kilburn workshop, sold for £460. Brian Wiltshire's carved wooden sculpture Waves in Relief, signed and dated 1969, sold for £420.

You Never Know What Might Turn Up


That is the thing about a valuation day. People arrive with objects they have lived alongside for years, often with no idea what they are worth and sometimes they leave with a very pleasant surprise. If you have something at home that you have always wondered about, we would love to hear from you, contact us today for a free valuation.
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