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The Dodo bone, image courtesy Christie’s images Ltd., 2013 (Click to enlarge).  UPDATE: IT MADE £8,125.

A Dodo bone crops up at Christie’s Travel, Science and Natural History sale at South Kensington on April 24. The fragment of a femur is believed to be the first dodo bone to come to auction since 1934. First recorded by Dutch sailors in 1598 on Mauritius the dodo was driven to extinction in the late 17th century. This femur bone was almost certainly excavated in 1865 at Mare aux Songes, in the South-East of Mauritius during the famous dig by George Clark (1807-1873), a natural history enthusiast. Comprising over 260 lots, the auction features curiosities of natural history, globes, scientific instruments, rare books and maps, paintings and works of art from the ages of exploration.

Seahorse ‘Registration’ sheet (click on image to enlarge).

Seahorse ‘Registration’ sheet (click to enlarge).

AN extraordinary range of stamps from The British Postal Museum & Archive will come up at Sotheby’s in London on July 11. The auction will comprise material duplicate to the archive collection. Stamps from ‘Registration’ or ‘Imprimatur’ sheets are among the most highly prized items among stamp collectors. Only two of these special sheets were ever produced for each stamp in this sale. The BPMA is to retain the original sheet which, due to its protected status, will never be sold; Sotheby’s will present for sale elements of the duplicate Registration sheets. No other examples of these items will be made available. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for collectors.
In the July sale collectors will have a choice of selected issues from the reigns of King George V (Seahorse issues), King Edward VIII and King George VI (definitive issues). A total of 191 lots is estimated to bring in excess of £5 million. A second sale takes place in February 2014. Proceeds go to the new home of the archive at Calthorpe House at London’s Mount Pleasant due to open in early 2016.
Richard Ashton, Sotheby’s Worldwide Philatelic Consultant, said: “Now in my 50th year as a professional philatelist, I have never seen such an important sale of its type. Many are the only examples of their kind ever to come on to the market. Quite aside from their rarity, these extraordinary stamps are also of great beauty – engraved to the highest standard by leading masters of the day. There are magnificent sheets of the ‘Seahorse’ stamps of King George V, and important blocks with Registration Certificates on the reverse of the reigns of King Edward VIII and King George VI. Collectors will never again have such an opportunity to purchase such rare and beautiful items.”

The rare white porcelain Meissen Monkey. (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £818,500

Another view of the Meissen Monkey. (Click on image to enlarge).

AN exceptionally rare white Meissen monkey modeled around 1732 by Johann Joachim Kändler is a highlight at Sotheby’s in London on May 1. Depicted taking snuff, the monkey was commissioned by Augustus II, the Strong, Prince Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, and displayed in his porcelain menagerie at the famous Japanese Palace in Dresden.
Estimated at £200,000-400,000 it is the highlight of the sale of the Meissen Collection of Sir Gawaine and Lady Baillie. Only two other examples are known – one in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the other in the Dresden State Art Collections.

The Meissen Collection of Sir Gawaine and Lady Baillie represents one of the most extensive groups of
18th century Meissen animals and birds ever to appear at auction. Comprising over 140 different
figures, almost all of which were created at Meissen during the 1730s and 1740s by the legendary
Johann Joachim Kändler, the collection was started in the 1930s by the Anglo-American heiress
Olive, Lady Baillie (grand-daughter of William Whitney), who bought many of the pieces for her
home, Leeds Castle in Kent and Lowndes House, London. She passed her love for Meissen on to
her son, Sir Gawaine Baillie, Bt., who with his wife Margot, built it into one of the most extensive
Meissen menageries in private hands.

UPDATE: THE Meissen Monkey sold for £818,500. The Baillie Collection comprising around 140 works, made £4.03  million.

This original Elvis Presley acetate recording made 64,000 at Whyte’s in Dublin.

ELVIS Presley had another hit at Whyte’s sale of pop and rock memorabilia in Dublin on March 24.  An original acetate record of That’s All Right (Mama) – the song that began it all in 1954 – sold for 64,000.  Bidding began at 44,000 and there were bidders in the room and on-line.  The record went to an on-line bidder.  It was the top lot at an auction which included items from The Beatles, Buddy Holly,Marilyn Monroe, Thin Lizzie, Van Morrison, U2 and Rory Gallagher

Antique rings and necklaces with sapphires, rubies and emeralds will feature in the sale at O’Reilly’s of Francis St., Dublin on March 27. The catalogue is on-line. Here is a small selection (you can click on any image to enlarge it).

AN ANTIQUE AMETHYST NECKLACE (1,600-1,800).

AN ANTIQUE DIAMOND AND SAPPHIRE CLUSTER RINg (6,000-8,000).

A RUBY AND DIAMOND CLUSTER RING (2,800-3,400).

N ANTIQUE DIAMOND STAR BROOCH (2,600 – 2,800).

THE original 1954 acetate disc recorded by Elvis Presley. (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE: IT MADE 64,000.

THE original 1954 acetate recording of Elvis Presley’s ‘That’s All Right (Mama)’ – the song that started the King on the road to fame – comes up at Whyte’s Rock and Pop Memorabilia auction in Dublin on March 24. It is estimated at 50,000-70,000. The story behind the song is history. In 1954 a young and unknown Presley walked into the offices of Sun Records and the Memphis Recording Service in Tennessee owned by Sam Phillips. He sang a fast version of ‘That’s All Right (Mama)’ by Arthur Crudup. It was recorded by Philips on an acetate record and sent to a local radio station disc jockey who agreed to play it. Elvis hit the airwaves for the first time. The station was inundated with phone calls and reportedly had to play it over 14 times during the show. The rest is music history. The acetate is lot 62 at Whyte’s.
The sale includes a watch gifted by Elvis to his manager Colonel Parker (lot 88, estimate €8,000-€10,000), one of Presley’s famous “Taking Care of Business” pendants gifted only to those in his close circle (lot 85, estimate €5,000-€7,000) and a customised Mathey-Tissot watch which Elvis gifted to family and friends.

The medals of Sir George Margrath at Bonhams. (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE: THESE MADE £14,400.

A group of four medals awarded to Nelson’s personal surgeon, Tyrone born Sir George Magrath, come at Bonhams in Knightsbridge on March 27. George Magrath was born in Co. Tyrone in 1775 and began his naval career as Surgeon’s 3rd Mate to H.M.S. Theseus in 1794. He served close on three years on Theseus and spent time in the West Indies, where he contracted Yellow Fever, which led to the loss of vision in his left eye.

In spite of this handicap, he was promoted to Surgeon and after four months recuperation, he joined H.M.S. Adamant.  He was personally selected by Nelson as Flag Medical Officer for H.M.S. Victory in 1803.  The following year there was an outbreak of yellow fever in Gibraltar, killing almost 6,000 people. Nelson left Margrath in charge of the Naval Hospital and sailed on to his date with destiny at Trafalgar.  The medals including the Order of the Bath are estimated at £9,000-12,000.