FROM Croke Park to Lady Di, Irish rugby to The Beatles, Whyte’s Eclectic Collector sale in Dublin on June 13 holds plenty of interest. Rare Irish sporting medals, a collection of 5,000 postcards in 144 lots, three Princess Diana dolls by master maker Paul Crees, film and pop memorabilia including mementoes of The Beatles and the Rolling Stones make a wide ranging mix. There are 531 lots on the catalogue. The first 144 are postcards from a collection formed by Dublin based film producer and director Peter Holder. He began it for the purpose of illustrating period scenes in Ireland for film productions. Examples from Ancient Rome, Britain and America are among 100 lots of coins. There are three Princess Diana dolls by Paul Crees with estimates from 1,000-2,500. Lot 368 is a medal presented to a member of Pierce O’Mahony’s club from Navan for the 1895 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship played on March 15, 1896. It was the first final to be played in Jones’ Road, later Croke Park. The medal, together with a Leinster Football Championship 1895 medal is estimated at 5,000-7,000. There is a collection of autographs spanning the past 70 years of Irish rugby and 65 lots of Rock, Pop and Cinema memorabilia. The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:
UPDATE: The sale grossed €220,000, with 80% of lots sold. 400 bidders registered on line from North America, Europe, Australia, China, Japan, UAE and Qatar. Most of the lots sold in the room, which included dealers and collectors from Ireland, UK and USA.