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    • Posts Tagged ‘Victor Mee’

    FROM A PROCLAMATION TO NUNS ON THE RUN

    Saturday, September 27th, 2025

    A Rolls Royce Corniche at Victor Mee’s sale in Tipperary. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    An original copy of the Irish Proclamation in Castlecomer, a Sheik’s Rolls Royce at New Inn in Co. Tipperary, art in Dublin and a reminder of nuns on the run – what is not to like among the auction offerings in Ireland this week.

    An original copy of the Proclamation,  first, limited and signed editions by Irish and international authors, a collection of Seamus Heaney material, rare maps, fine bindings and the earliest extant programme for the 1913 All Ireland senior hurling final are all included in Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collectors sale in Castlecomer on October 1 and 2.

    An original copy of The Proclamation at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE 90,000 AT HAMMER

    More than 1,200 lots, headed by the Proclamation with an estimate of €100,000-€150,000, will come under the hammer. Rarities include an 18 carat gold medal presented in 1846 to Timothy O’Brien of Johnston Mooney and O’Brien for his continued exertions in the manufacture of bread from Indian corn (Trevelyan’s corn) (€15,000-€20,000).  A scribal manuscript of Keating’s History of Ireland, transcribed for the use of Edward Denny of Tralee Castle, is similarly estimated.  The  antiquarian and local history library of the late Tony Bocking of Kinsale is included.  The sale will be at the Avalon House Hotel and the auction is on view at Fonsie Mealy’s next Monday and Tuesday. The catalogue is online.

    A Rolls Royce in a convent auction recalls the group of elderly Poor Clare nuns who made international headlines in 1990 after selling their convent in Bruges and moving to a life of luxury in the South of France.  Alas, Victor Mee’s sale of contents from the Convent of Mercy at New Inn in Co. Tipperary, which includes both a Rolls and a Bentley, will feature lots from other clients too.

    The Hooper built Rolls Royce Corniche in the sale was once owned by Sheik Abdelaziz bin Ahmed Al Thani. Lot 914 and estimated at €60,000-€120,000. A 1992 Bentley is more modestly estimated at €6,000-€12,000. The wide ranging collection on offer will include antique furniture, collectibles, Irish art, clocks, lighting, kitchen equipment, carpets and rugs among 1,200 lots. 

    A 19th century Killarney work table at Victor Mee. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    There will be much interest in a Killarney wood work table (€5,000-€8,000), a specimen marble chess table (€5,000-€8,000), an Irish Georgian breakfront bookcase (€3,500-€5,500) and a 19th century French clock garniture (€2,000-€4,000).  Artists Edwin Hayes, Louis le Brocquy, Peter Curling, Cecil Maguire and Graham Knuttel will feature along with an Adoration of the Christ Child, a 19th century Italian work after Corregio.  A sandstone two tier fountain is estimated at €2,000-€3,000 and there is some garden sculpture. The auction on September 28 is both online and in room, the sale on September 29 will be online only. 

    An All-Ireland hurling final programme from 1913, the first final at Jones Road, at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE €11,000 at hammer

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    RARITY AND CELEBRITY ADD VALUE TO MEMORABILIA MARKET

    Saturday, August 16th, 2025

    An original c1900 enamel Fry’s Chocolate ad UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    A Fry’s Five Boys c1900 advertisement at Victor Mee’s next auction underlines how rarity and celebrity add value in a memorabilia market which continues to grow strongly in Ireland.

    This particular enamel sign is rare. It harks back to days when chocolate – taken in moderation and highly prized – was a special treat for children. The enamel sign, which depicts five boys expressing desperation, pacification, expectation, acclamation and finally realization that it’s Fry’s chocolate, leads the online August sale of 930 lots by Victor Mee on August 19 and 20. The estimate is €4,000-€6,000.

    An embossed copper figure of a fiddle player from Slattery’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 300 AT HAMMER

    Copper figures of musicians on painted boards from Slattery’s of Capel St. in Dublin are of interest.  This pub venue and early house licensed since 1821, steeped in music, history and character, has long been a gathering place for market traders, musicians and storytellers. Slattery’s is a much loved hub of Irish culture and traditional music known for performances by everyone from Christy Moore, Donal Lunny and Seamus Ennis to the Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Kate Nash and Townes van Zandt.

    The unique embossed figures of a fiddle player, a button accordionist, a bodhran player, a pip player and a tin whistler, a banjo player and a flute player are estimated at €300-€600 each.  With hand drawn illustration by Brian McCormack and copper work by John A Brennan they are redolent of the cultural atmosphere which  Slattery’s is renowned for. 

    An Old Irish Reindeer Whisky Kiloh and Co. Cork framed showcard is estimated at €1,200-€1,800 and the auction kicks off with an Allman’s of Bandon Old Irish Whisky advertising sign (€50-€80). A Beamish Stout light up box for a counter dating to the 1970’s has an estimate of €50-€100.

    A framed advertising mirror for Bendigo Tobaccos UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,200 AT HAMMER

    A framed advertising mirror for Bendigo Tobaccos produced for W & M Taylor Ltd., Dublin and manufactured by A & H Pemberton of Liverpool has an estimate of €3,000-€5,000. In Art Nouveau style it features hand gilded and reverse painted lettering in rich red, gold and cobalt blue and few examples survive in such well preserved condition.  An original Will’s Woodbine Cigarettes enamel sign, 150 cm x 92 cm, in well preserved condition is the sort of lot that is sought after by collectors.  The estimate is €300-€500.

    Sales like this serve to remind us of how quickly things move on and can stir many memories.  Lot  159, for instance, is a framed February 1952 poster for A Royal Jester by Youghal Choral Society at the Town Hall (€40-€80).  The catalogue is online.

    A Youghal Choral Society poster from 1952. UPDATE: THIS MADE 35 AT HAMMER

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    CHOICES BETWEEN HOME AND GARDEN AT ADAMS AND VICTOR MEE

    Saturday, June 7th, 2025

    A Regency oval beaded mirror at James Adam. UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,200 AT HAMMER

    Home or garden?  The choice is yours at two appetising sales next week, the At Home online sale at Adams in Dublin on June 11 and the two day summer garden sale by Victor Mee in Cavan on the evenings of next June 10 and 11.

    Top lots at Adams range from Playing in the sand, a lovely summer scene by Dorothea Sharp (1874-1955) (€4,000-€6,000) through a Louis Quinze ormolu mounted longcase clock (€3,000-€5,000), an Irish Regency oval beaded wall mirror (€3,000-€5,000) and a Milkmaid pattern Irish silver tea set (€2,500-€3,500).

    A wrought iron glasshouse in Victorian style complete with modern accoutrements like remote control glass and automated vents (€18,000-€22,000) leads the offerings at Victor Mee.   Lifesize bronze sculptures of a horse and jockey and a galloping horse are estimated at €10,000-€20,000 each, while bronze effect statues on pedestals of The Four Seasons, a bronze fountain with Mercury and a pair of 19th century wrought iron entrance gates are all estimated at €8,000-€12,000.

    A bleached timber library table at Adams. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    One of the more unusual At Home lots – for use when away – is a complete set of early 20th century 40 nautical signal flags. Originally drafted in 1855 the code is an international system of signals used by ships to convey important information on safety and navigation. The flags are in a fitted timber case with brass carrying handles and estimated at €400-€600.

    With more than 500 lots the last At Home sale before the summer covers multiple objects for the home from a pair of brass framed circular hall lanterns to an Edwardian club fender and a pair of 19th century Sitzendorf porcelain wall sconces.  There are lots of chairs like sofas and Chesterfields, a set of eight Windsor style  oak and elmwood kitchen chairs, a pair of French 19th century two seater settees, a pair of red leather wingback armchairs, a George II walnut armchair, a pair of library armchairs, green leather button back chairs, a sent of c1820’s provincial Irish dining chairs along with Victorian and Edwardian dining chair sets. 

    Among the artworks on offer are two botanical watercolours by Wendy Walsh and Cattle Watering by Thomas Sydney Cooper.  A  pair of giltwood and marble figural console tables, a bleached timber library table, Georgian and Regency dining tables, side tables and card tables feature along with collectibles like silver, clock sets and a Baccarat three light candelabra.

    An obelisk gifted by the Chinese government at Victor Mee. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    At Victor Mee’s sale you will find exceptional urns and planters, a private collection of antique stone troughs and an obelisk gifted by the Chinese government to the Hely Hutchinson family at Knocklofty House in Clonmel.  The two day sale features over 850 lots of garden statuary, furniture and architectural features.

    There is a focus too on animal garden statuary with an emphasis on native irish wildlife. This is an area of collection which the team at Victor Mee has noted is growing in popularity as animal sculptures are increasingly used to add character and whimsy to Irish gardens. Among the offerings are hares dancing, a lifesize bronze sheep, bronze pigs, a cast iron red squirrel and a pair of boxing hares.   More exotic creatures include a bronze elephant with a Dali style decoration and a bronze velociraptor.  As always there is a good selection of antique and vintage outdoor furniture.  Catalogues for both sales are online.

    A raptor for your garden at Victor Mee. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,350 AT HAMMER

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    AUCTIONS OF THE SACRED AND PROFANE COMING UP

    Saturday, May 10th, 2025

    19th century  pitch pine bookcase at Victor Mee’s sale of contents from the St. Louis Convent in Monaghan. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,400 AT HAMMER

    A once off selection of antique furniture, lighting, religious art and ecclesiastical brass will come under the hammer at Victor Mee’s live online sale of contents from the St. Louis Convent in Monaghan and other clients on May 13 and 14 at 6 pm on both days.  A selection of one off pieces is led by a large 19th century six door bookcase with a realistic estimate of just €800-€1,200.  A 19th century pitch pine bookcase, another very large piece, has an estimate of €600-€1,200. At the other end of the sale is a striking pair of 1970’s leather club chairs by Bart van Bekhoven (€800-€1,200).  Oak refectory tables and a French gilded six branch chandelier are among the standout lots.

    Pub mirrors are highly collectible and Aidan Foley will offer a number of them at his online sale next on May 12 and 13 at 6 pm on each day. A rare Watts Tyrconnell Pure Pot Still Whiskey mirror and a large Jameson Whiskey mirror lead the pack.  There are concert posters of Limerick interest featuring U2 and The Pogues at The Savoy and a large selection of hotel furniture.   The catalogue is online and the auction is on view until Monday at the old Cleeves Toffee factory in Limerick. 

    UPDATE: THE SALE BY VICTOR MEE HAS BEEN PUT BACK TO MAY 20-21.

    A large Jameson Whiskey mirror at Aidan Foley’s sale. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

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    COLLECTIBLES LEAD THE CHARGE AT UPCOMING AUCTIONS IN IRELAND

    Saturday, April 26th, 2025

    Mahogany and brass mounted country house letter box at Adams. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,700 AT HAMMER

    Lots and lots of all types of lot will come under the hammer in Ireland next week with rare collectibles leading the charge.

    With everything from a mahogany and brass mounted country house letter box that would not be out of place at Downton Abbey to a vintage alligator Gladstone bag the annual library collection sale at James Adam in Dublin on April 29 offers a selection of 344 lots with something of interest to most of us.

    An old AA road sign at Victor Mee. UPDATE: THIS MADE 330 AT HAMMER

    Vintage road signs are popular collectibles and feature at several sales.  There is bound to be local interest in an old AA mileage sign for Blarney and Cork at Victor Mee’s sale at Belturbet on April 29 and 30.  The online only auction offers advertising materials and a mix of nostalgic items. Among them are enough Irish carnival and fairground pieces from Warrenpoint in Co. Down and Buncrana in Co. Donegal to keep any keen restorer busy for months.

    A vintage Italian bar at de Veres. UPDATE: THIS MADE €1,800 at hammer

    A 1970’s vintage chrome and gilt Italian bar is not something you come across everyday.  This one, complete with tinted mirror front and stainless steel counter, is at de Veres timed online design auction which runs until April 29.  The auction is a mix of classic design pieces by Eileen Gray, Arne Jacobsen, Gianfranco Frattini and Gianni Versace and art by John Shinnors, Albert Irvin, Cecil King, Tony O’Malley, Felim Egan and Mark Francis.

    A full length portrait photograph of Michael Collins with moustache on a balcony in London will create interest at Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collectors sale in Castlecomer on April 30 and May 1.  More than 700 widely varied lots will come under the hammer here over two days.  These range from rare sporting memorabilia like Kerry’s first All Ireland football championship winners medal from 1903 to a limited edition illustrated volume of The Vatican Frescoes of Michelangelo and a scarce limited edition copy of Squarings, Twelve Poems by Seamus Heaney with four lithographic prints by Felim Egan signed by both author and artist.

    There are all sorts of highlights at these sales.  The Dedication of the Temple of Solomon by Franz Ludwig Hermann at Adams is monumental and depicts a fantastical view of the temple. Sacrifices to mark the dedication are said to have included 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep. A painting by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson depicts a crowded harbour with paddle steamers.

    A child’s carousel ride at Victor Mee will evoke many memories along with several antique puppets and a 1970’s tinplate fairground motorcycle.

     A full length portrait photograph of Michael Collins in London by La Fayette at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE €600 AT HAMMER

    A prototype of the Liam McCarthy cup, by tradition the sample maker Edmund Johnston of Grafton St. in Dublin presented to the committee for the Liam McCarthy, is at Fonsie Mealy. In the event a variant was chosen. Choices here include is a first (1955) edition of Moonraker, the third James Bond novel by Ian Fleming; a painting of George Best in action by the British artist Tom Croft, approved by Best and originally intended to be made into a limited edition print run, a plan that was abandoned when Best fell ill;  five volumes of The Georgian Society records of 18th century domestic architecture in Dublin and an official Adidas Argentina team jersey signed by Diego Maradonna.  Treasures abound everywhere….

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    ALL KINDS OF EVERYTHING AT VICTOR MEE SUMMER AUCTION

    Saturday, July 20th, 2024

    Exceptional wrought iron conservatory in the Victorian style. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    The three day auction by Victor Mee next week is the sort of sale where bidders at all price points can let the imagination run riot.  An exceptional wrought iron Victorian style conservatory (€20,000-€30,000) might be just the thing for a buyer with big bucks.  On the other hand a pair of brass electrified wall lights from the Orient Express at just  €100-€200 should be within reach of most buyers. 

    The decorative interiors and garden sale live online on July 23, 24 and 25 at 5.30 pm on each day offers more than 1,300 lots and even includes a collection of rare gold coins and bullion.

    A large Italian carved and patinated wood console table in the Neoclassical style UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD. The Maison Jansen table lamp made 1,500 at hammer

    There is a selection of Italian pieces including two quality carved and patinated wood consoles in the Neoclassical style (€2,000-€4,000 each), a carved demi-lune console table with verde antico marble top (€2,000-€4,000), a selection of framed pressed flowers dated 1913 in patinated wooden frames (€500-€800), a brass cushion mirror (€300-€600), two circular Italian designer gilt wall mirrors (€300-€600) and a pair of Italian patinated pine table lamps (€150-€250).

    Pair of Orient Express electrified wall lights. UPDATE: THESE MADE 400 AT HAMMER

    The sale offers lots of scope to set the imagination free outdoors too, especially useful in a summer like this when the efforts of so many gardeners have been frustrated by the weather.  Statues, fountains, carved lions, bronze animals, terracotta urns in rococo style, wrought iron gazebos with ivy leaf decoration, fire pits, sundials and birdbaths won’t suffer from stormy weather like tender plants do. They add interest in all seasons.  The selection of outdoor stuff in this sale is extensive and ranges in style from ancient to contemporary.

    Anyone for a 19th century Carrara marble carved outdoor bath or a large carved limestone wall fountain?  How about an attractive bronze sculpture of flying ducks in bullrushes or a bronze sculpture of a figure in the style of Henry Moore.  Unusual and distinctive lots like these can be found here, and much more besides.

    An Irish Georgian mahogany and brass door lock. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    An Irish Georgian door lock is always of interest to collectors. A statuary marble fireplace with jasper inlay, a pair of granite gate posts, an Irish Georgian brass grate and a 19th century wrought iron field gate will create much interest among particular categories of bidder.

    There is furniture to appeal to a variety of tastes, from a spiral brass bound peat bucket and military campaign chests to a French painted pine pantry cupboard, an Italian walnut credenza in Art Deco style, a 19th century Swedish painted pine two door cabinet, a folding butlers tray coffee table, an Irish oak settle bench, a Japanese lacquered work table, an Art Nouveau painted pine arch, a Venetian glass and  giltwood chest of drawers, a Killarney wood bible box and a bleached oak kitchen table on turned legs with a single stretcher.

    This is a sale where you can easily find something different to add interest either inside or outside.  The catalogue is online.  Enjoy the hunt.

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    A TOUCAN OR TWO AT VICTOR MEE AUCTION

    Sunday, June 16th, 2024

    Guinness for Strength ad by John Gilroy featuring a sculpted man after Henry Moore. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,000 AT HAMMER

    If you frequented Irish pubs in the rare old times the gleaming advertising mirrors that surrounded you then are valuable collectible items now. In terms of cost at auction they trump objects including original artworks by John Gilroy from a valuable Guinness collection which highlights three days of sales by Victor Mee on June 18, 19 and 20.

    The English artist John Gilroy (1898-1985) who worked with S.H. Benson – Britain’s largest advertising agency – created the iconic toucan and what is now instantly recognisable art for Guinness featuring the zoo keeper and animals enjoying the black stuff.  Such is the global reach of this art that you could safely say that Gilroy was here, there and everywhere as well! His colleagues at Bensons included author Dorothy L Sayers, grand daughter of an emigrant from Tipperary, then a copywriter.  

    A framed Guinness toucan with a paintbrush pencil sketch by John Gilroy. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,000 AT HAMMER

    The collection of David Hughes, a brewer at Park Royal in London for 16 years, features among almost 1,500 lots at Victor Mee’s sale. He is the author of several books about Guinness including Gilroy was Good for Guinness and The Lost Art of Guinness. “After a long time in the business it’s a treat to come across a private collection of the calibre and esteem that David’s collection brags” auctioneer Victor Mee remarked. 

    The collection is still growing so Hughes has reluctantly decided to part with some of it. Framed sketches illustrated and signed by Gilroy including a Guinness for Strength ad featuring a sculpted stone man after Henry Moore, a Guinness Toucan with a paintbrush and pencil sketch, a koala on a branch with a Guinness bottle, a sketch of zoo animals running and a 1953 advertising artwork depicting the Guinness sea lion and an ostrich feature.  Estimates for all these sketches range between €200 and €1,200.

    A ruberoid Guinness penguin is estimated at just €40-€60 and other items from the collection include an ashtray with penguin, a 1920’s round cream plastic calendar, a pottery water jug and a grey stone bulldog.

    Rare early 20th century Cork Distilleries advertising mirror. UPDATE: THIS MADE 9,800 AT HAMMER

    An early 20th century Paddy Pure Pot Still Ten Years Old Irish Whiskey mirror made by the Dublin glass plate company (€5,000-€8,000), a Schweppes table cordial and cider mirror (€4,000-€8,000) and an early 20th century Hignetts reliable cigarettes dispensing cabinet on reverse painted glass (€4,000-€8,000) are the most expensively estimated lots. These are much sought after by publicans, hoteliers and collectors of memorabilia. 

    A number of other mirrors, a Shell advertising pump and an advertising clock with central mirrored panel are among the top lots. The most expensively estimated Hughes lot is a Guinness Time wall metal advertising sign depicting Gilroy figures of a seal, an ostrich and a man (€2,000-€4,000).  Lot 1252 is a rare advertising showcard for Slattery’s Bacon and Hams, Tralee (€400-€600).  The catalogue is online and the sales begin each day at 5.30 pm.

    A Slattery’s Bacon and Hams Tralee advertising showcard. UPDATE: THIS MADE 750 AT HAMMER

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    A GUINNESS COLLECTION AMONG THREE DAYS OF SALES AT VICTOR MEE

    Wednesday, June 12th, 2024

    Guinness Time wall metal advertising sign depicting Gilroy figures of the seal, ostrich and man. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,600 AT HAMMER

    This wall metal Guinness Time image from the David Hughes Collection is lot 1143 at three days of sales by Victor Mee on June 18, 19 and 20. Original artworks from his collection are among the highlights of this pub memorabilia and collectibles sale. He was a brewer at Park Royal and is the author of several books about Guinness. The catalogue is online.

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    ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES AT SALES BY FONSIE MEALY AND VICTOR MEE

    Saturday, May 25th, 2024

    An oversized bronze of a crab at Victor Mee. UPDATE: THIS MADE 10,000 AT HAMMER

    The possibilities seem limitless at two day sales by both Fonsie Mealy in Castlecomer and Victor Mee in Belturbet on May 28 and 29. A 16th century tapestry once in the Rathcormac collection of American actor Hurd Hatfield and the advertising mirrors from the old Clancy’s Bar in Cork city centre give some idea of the breadth and scope of Fonsie Mealy’s two day summer fine art auction with 1,200 lots. 

    You could opt instead for a seven foot tall bronze sculpture of a crab (€8,000 – €12,000) or a wrought iron Victorian style conservatory with remotely controlled windows (€15,000-€25,000) at Victor Mee’s annual summer garden sale.

    Fonsie Mealy will offer art by Montague Dawson, Gerard Dillon, Harry Kernoff, Augustus Burke, Dan O’Neill, Sean Keating and others, quality affordable and decorative furniture, Irish Provincial and Dublin silverware, clocks and jewellery.  Lot 723 in this sale is the Ladbrokes Epsom Gold Cup from 1963 (€3,000-€5,000).  The Choice of Hercules, the Flemish tapestry from the Hatfield collection is estimated at  €10,000-€15,000.  The actor was best known for playing the lead in the Oscar winning 1945 film of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

    Among the feature lots at Victor Mee are the Victorian bandstand from the famed St. Louis Convent in Co. Monaghan, a 19th century Carrara marble bath, a cast iron statue of a pig, a pair of majestic moulded sandstone lions, a sandstone fountain, a statue of boxing hares, a tree trunk bench and an Art Nouveau style stone figure of a lady along with an array of planters and gates, piers, pillar caps, steps and exterior lighting.  Full catalogues for both sales are online.

    A mirror advertising Paddy from Clancy’s Bar in Cork at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,500 AT HAMMER

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    WHISKEY MEMORABILIA AND LITERARY LINK AT VICTOR MEE

    Saturday, February 3rd, 2024
     A rare Sir John Power and Sons Dublin Whiskey mirror  UPDATE: THIS MADE 12,000 AT HAMMER

    The market for collectibles is strong so there are high expectations around an etched framed Sir John Power and Son Dublin Whiskey advertising mirror at Victor Mee’s sale in Belturbet, Co. Cavan and online. This is a rarity in a sale on February 6 and 7 which will include the pub memorabilia collection of Cannons of Castlebar.  The  gilded lettering is by William Cleland of Belfast and there is an original paper label attached.  Such is the demand  for lots of this calibre that the estimate is a cool €8,000-€12,000.  The mirror is lot 100 in an auction with over 1200 lots due to get underway each day at 5.30 pm.

    An Allman’s of Bandon reverse painted glass advertising sign. UPDATE: THIS MADE 500 AT HAMMER

    Not everything is as expensive as this.  But there should be local interest down south in lot 164, an Allman’s of Bandon Fine Old Irish Whisky reverse painted glass advertising sign with an estimate of just €200-€300.  Allman’s produced whisky, Powers adds an “e” to make it whiskey, which is more generally the spelling used in Ireland.  Either way it is good stuff. Lot 625 is a framed political print of the capture of Thomas Kent in Fermoy and it is estimated at just €50-€80.  He was the only person outside of Dublin apart from Roger Casement to be executed for his role in the Easter Rising and the railway station in Cork, formerly Glanmire Road Station, was renamed Kent Station in his honour in 1966 on the 50th anniversary of the Rising.

    A framed politial print of the capture of Thomas Kent in Fermoy  UPDATE: THIS MADE 60 AT HAMMER

    A sale of memorabilia like this underlines the fast pace of change in the world we live in.  Take pub ashtrays.  Once ubiquitous they seemed to be doled out by sales reps for breweries and distilleries and cigarette manufacturers like snuff at a wake.  They  could be found on every bar counter and table until the smoking ban came into effect in Ireland 20 years ago.  Now they turn up at auctions like this and if you are so inclined you can pick one up for €20 to €40. Lot 295 is a 1930’s sign for Hoey’s Court, Dublin the birthplace of Jonathan Swift, which has since been demolished. The estimate is €150-€250.  The catalogue is online.

    A 1930’s sign for Hoey’s Court, birthplace of Jonathan Swift, which has since been demolished. UPDATE: THIS MADE 340 AT HAMMER

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