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A menu from the luncheon marking the launch of Titanic at the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast on May 31, 1911 will be sold at Bonhams on September 26. It is from the lunch for Harland and Wolfe shipyard officials and guests. Lord Pirrie, chairman of Harland and Wolfe, entertained Bruce Ismay, chairman and md of White Star Line and other VIP guests at the shipyard. The press had a separate meal also at the Grand Central Hotel.
The 12 course lunch included eggs stuffed with foie gras, turtle soup, fried sole, York Ham, Sussex Capon and asparagus washed down with vintage claret and champagne. It also featured a favourite palate cleanser of the day – Ponche at la Romaine – a thick punch made from lemon water ice, meringue, champagne and rum. This was on the menu in First Class on the Titanic on April 14, 1912, the evening it sank. It comes under the hammer at Bonhams Marine Sale in Knightsbridge and is estimated at £10,000-15,000.  UPDATE: IT MADE £12,500 INCLUDING PREMIUM.

The heroic age of Antarctic Exploration will resurface at Christie’s in South Kensington on October 9.  Poignant memorials of the lives of Scott, Shackleton and others synonymous with the Antarctic will feature in a dedicated Polar Section of the sale.  It will commemorate the centenary of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition.  The auction will feature historical items relating to the Discovery (1901-1904), Nimrod (1907-1909), Terra Nova (1910-1913), and Endurance (1914-1916) expeditions.

Captain Scott’s marching compass used to navigate on both Discovery and Terra Nova expeditions is expected to fetch between £15,000 and £20,000. It was returned to his widow following the final and fatal journey to the South Pole on the Terra Nova expedition. The charismatic Co. Kildare born Anglo-Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton, known as The Boss, sledged with Scott on the Discovery expedition. The sledging harness from his Nimrod expedition which brought him to within 97 miles of the South Pole is expected to make between £15,000-£20,000.

UPDATE: THE photograph on the far left made £3,000, the photograph of Scott made £1,188.  Scott’s marching compass sold for £37,250 and Shackleton’s sledging harness made £17,500.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 2, 2012).

Viewing gets underway today for a sale of early Irish and English silver which will come under the hammer at Keighery’s  silver sale in Waterford on Monday, September 17.  The sale of 400 lots at the City Auction Rooms, Georges Quay, Waterford will include Georgian Irish silver, gold rings, watches, medals, glass and 80 lots of pictures and prints.  The catalogue is on-line. Here is a small selection:

Water Jug by Paul Storr, 1807. 33oz (3,500-5,500).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,400

An Irish silver water pot by Robert Calderwood 1748. 28oz. (3,000-4,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,900

A pair of 13′” silver candlesticks – John Chapman, London 1768. (3,000-4,000). UPDATE: THESE MADE 2,600

Sporting memorabilia features large at Mealy’s collectors’ sale.  The auction of rare books and collectors’ items with more than 1,200 lots in total takes place at Mealy’s  in Castlecomer on September 26 and 27. Rare books come under the hammer on September 26, collectible items and sporting memorabilia will feature on the following day.   Here are some examples from the collectors’ sale.

1914 all-Ireland Football Medal by H. & H. (Hopkins & Hopkins) inscribed All-Ireland – Football C’ship won by Kerry 1914 (2,000 – 3,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 800

“The First Oval Ball In Croke Park” – American Football in Aid of the Irish Red Cross Society, Croke Park, November 21, 1953, (70-90). UPDATE: THIS MADE 30

Early Croke Park Exhibition 1924 – Rodeo & The G.A.A., Dublin’s Rodeo, direct from Wembley Stadium, London to Croke Park, August 18 to 24, 1924 (80-100).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 30

Rare Match Ticket for Bloody Sunday Great Challenge Match (Football) at Croke Park, on November 21, 1920 (1,200-1,600).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,900

Ireland V. Wales 1948 – 1979 – I.R.F.U. & W.R.U., (away & Home), a collection of approx. 15 Match Programmes and an Official Match Ticket for Ireland’s First Grand Slam 13.4.1948 at Ravenhill (estimate 60-90). UPDATE: THIS MADE 45.

Bond catalogue cover © 1962-2012 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation. All rights reserved

Bond’s Aston Martin is estimated at £100,000-150,000, image courtesy of Christie’s.  UPDATE: It made £241,250

GLOBAL James Bond day, marking the 50th anniversary of the release of the film Dr. No, will be on October 5, 2012.  A day long series of events for 007 fans everywhere will include a charity auction at Christie’s in London and a survey to discover the favourite Bond film country by country. 50 Years of James Bond – The Auction offers fans an opportunity to acquire a piece of Bond memorabilia direct from the archives of EON Productions. Forty lots will be offered at an online- only auction from September 28 to October 8 with 10 further lots to highlight an invitation-only auction at Christie’s South Kensington on October 5.  The sale is led by a 2008 Aston Martin 6 Litre V12 DBS 2-Door Coupe used by Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace. The estimate is £100,000-150,000 and proceeds will benefit Barnardo’s.  There will be memorabilia from every Bond film ever made. Lots will be on view at Christie’s, South Kensington from September 29.

UPDATE: The auction realised a total of £752,050.  The top lot was an Aston Martin DBS used by Daniel Craig as James Bond in Quantum Of Solace. It made £241,250. An Automatic Seamaster Professional “Planet Ocean” wristwatch, by Omega, worn by Daniel Craig as James Bond, made  £157,250.  A surprise additional lot, the orchestral score for the theme song Skyfall, signed on the cover by Adele and co-writer Paul Epworth, sold for £13,750.

The London Sale at Christie’s brought in an above estimate  £1,442,813 on September 3.  The auction, at which Christie’s celebrated an extraordinary year for London, offered collectors the chance  to acquire pieces of the city’s iconic imagery and history from paintings, prints, photographs and posters, through to rock and roll, Royal, Olympic and political memorabilia.

Nicolas Martineau, Director, Head of Sale and Auctioneer commented: “There has been a real buzz in and around London this summer, and it has been a pleasure to join in the excitement by staging such a special auction celebrating the art and icons of the capital. Showcasing London’s rich history through the objects and works of art on offer, Christie’s The London Sale exhibition ran for six weeks, welcoming over 16,000 visitors including local residents and tourists from around the world. The packed saleroom and the results from the auction are testament to the popularity and fondness felt for the city of London by all who visit.”