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LONDON AUCTION HOUSE Bonham’s have just held one of their most unusual annual auctions. The Gentleman’s Library Sale traditionally features collectables and furniture which one could imagine sitting comfortably in one’s private library/smoking room/19th century private gentleman’s club.
But who on earth buys Winston Churchill’s upper denture plate (it sold for stg£19,200)? Or a collection of 1920s glass eyes?
The first six pics in the following slideshow show some of the items which went under the hammer at Bonham’s on Wednesday this week. The rest are items which sold in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Gentleman’s Library auction at Bonham’s. This, apparently, is what counts as hot stuff for the discerning (most likely, British) gentleman collector:
(All pictures from Press Association Images)
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Brilliant idea.
True, but the retailers ain’t gonna like it!
Can I bring my heart? Someone broke it…
Sounds a bit like the Mens’ Sheds idea, the more of these things that spring up the better IMO. People have got used to the throwaway society but there is great satisfaction to be had from repairing things.
Can I bring irish water ?
Idiot
Why would you want to fix that ?
Not exactly the type of cafe from Amsterdam I was hoping for but its a start.
This is a great idea and frankly one that should be adopted countrywide. I would love to learn new skills that would give many old items a new lease of life . We really need to move away from the throwaway culture. When I could afford it I always tried to buy better quality items that are repairable . I am a big fan of upcycling too and would love more techniques on that. The attitude of maintains and repairing and caring for what you own us the ONLY good thing to come out of this recession I think .
Me too, Catherine. I’d rather buy good quality secondhand than bad quality new.
Excellent idea, Fixing stuff when it broke or mending the odd rip in your clothes ( patching your jeans before it became fashionable not to) was taken for granted in my youth. Even taking things apart before they broke, ya know just in case it did break in the future.
A little excess money tends to negate the necessity which of course is the mother of all invention.
A great idea for those people that just need a kickstart to get going,I learned to do repairs many moons ago when I bought my first car,a late sixties Morris minor that had pop up indicators that got stuck, I not only do a lot of my own repairs but also like a lot of DIY addicts learned to recycle and invent new solutions to problems, thereby saving large amounts of dosh in the process, it’s neither compulsory nor is it desirable to pay through the nose for everything, there are alternatives but you do need a good tool kit.
It’s a good idea, would you have to sign a disclaimer that if you got a shock from a broken lamp etc that you wouldn’t sue otherwise I could see the council shutting it down.
I’m not sure they would advocate a lay person doing electrical repairs . You need to be RECI certified for to attempt those.
Well, how did it go?
have your say