The Paddy Mummery Collections offered by Onslows in three parts this winter
Oct. 30, 2007
DORSET, England—For the next two months Onslows will continue to disperse the large and varied Paddy Mummery Collection. Absentee and live Internet bidding will be offered at www.LiveAuctioneers.com where those interested may also view the fully illustrated auction catalog.
Under the hammer Nov. 27 is part two of the Maritime Collection. Highlights of the section include a collection of fascinating ephemera from the long closed offices of the Union-Castle Steamship. Notable amongst Board Room Minute Books are correspondence and ships logs including the Shipbuilder's specifications for the "Warwick Castle" and "Windsor Castle." The sale also includes Clan Line Earnings Book No 5, March 1940 to June 1948, with entries including shipments of crated Spitfires and Hurricanes to India, and "one dog and four canaries for Natal". One of the most emotive items in the sale is a beautifully cast brass pennant of the White Star Line. Most likely removed from a ship's Lifeboat, it is stamped "4" and could have possibly even come from the "Titanic." It is estimated to sell for between £700 and £1000. Another unusual item from the seven hundred lots under offer is a fine contemporary sailor's model of the HMS "Exeter" made famous by the Battle of the River Plate and the "Graf Spee". A pair of bronze chain links from minesweeper HMS "Northcoates" sunk in 1944 are priced at £40-£50. A fine pair of Bassett-Lowke waterline models of the RMS "Mauretania" and "Majestic" are expected to sell for £300-500.
Dec. 12 will be the sale of part two of the extraordinary collection of walking sticks and canes. Paddy began collecting these just after the war and the collection now numbers some 3,000 examples. The sale will include sticks as diverse as a cane with hidden drinks flask, antique sword sticks, swagger sticks, rustic, natural wood forms, animal and caricature types and ethnic carved sticks. Estimates vary from £100-150 for a fine cane to £50-100 for a collection of ten various gents sticks.
The Internet-only portion of the auction Dec. 18 will include Paddy's collection of medals, badges, lapels and commoratives. These are a most interesting group and deserve lotting individually allowing collectors to buy the single rare item that has escaped them for so long. Choice morsels here include a silver enamel Gold Coast Police hat badge, a Palestine Police plate spoon, a brass Royal Automobile Club 1907 cap badge, an enamel NDL (Nord Deutscher Lloyd) lapel brooch and enamel brass Imperial International Exhibition London 1909 brooch. Estimates range from £5 to £100.
To preview the fully illustrated catalog please visit www.LiveAuctioneers.com
