Jack Dempsey’s title belt and a set of keys from the Titanic are among the collectibles on offer at Christie’s Out of the Ordinary sale in South Kensington, London on September 14. The 250th anniversary edition of this celebration of the unusual and unique comprises over 90 lots. All are now on view at a five week summer exhibition at Christie’s in the weeks leading up to the sale. Jersey based collector David Gainsborough Roberts has spent the last 40 years amassing an extraordinary selection of memorabilia from the worlds of film and entertainment, royalty and politics, sport, and travel and exploration. His collection includes personal possessions of an array of celebrities as diverse as Queen Victoria, Sir Winston Churchill, Lawrence of Arabia, the Duchess of Windsor, William Harrison “Jack” Dempsey and Captain Robert Falcon Scot. Highlights include the Titanic keys(£7,000-10,000); a pair of ear clips owned and worn by the Duchess of Windsor (£8,000-12,000); a silk head scarf and agal owned by Lawrence of Arabia (£3,000-5,000 and £10,000-15,000); and a Stetson presented to Sir Winston Churchill by the City of Calgary (£4,000-6,000).
A further highlight is the Leica Camera Family Tree, an artwork displaying 107 Leica cameras that chart the history of the camera maker from c1923 to 2006 (£350,000-450,000). Here is a small selection:
WILLIAM HARRISON “JACK” DEMPSEY (1895-1983)
A 14K GOLD, DIAMOND AND ENAMEL WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BELT 1919 Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2016 UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £25,000
RMS Titanic – set of four keys on brass fob c1912 (£7,000-10,000) Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2016 UPDATE: THESE SOLD FOR £20,000
There were over 19,000 visitors to the various displays and auctions spanning Decorative Arts, Antiquities, Old Master & British Paintings, Prints and Drawings, Books and Manuscripts and the Exceptional sale at Classic Week at