Charity shop buys could prove a great investment
Plates and jewellery bought from charity shops can be worth a lot of money, as viewers of STV's The Hour found when antiques expert Anita Manning valued their bargain buys. Maureen Allison had brought in a plate that she got from a second hand shop in Kirkcaldy. “The plate was covered in grease and when I took a wee bit of the grease off I saw the pattern and really liked it,” Maureen said. “When I got home and washed it I realised it was a Wemyss plate.” Wemyss is one of the most famous potteries in the world and the plate is a wee bit unusual. Anita said: “Usually the background of Wemyss is white or cream but the background used here is black. “Black was used briefly in the late 1800s, and this is quite a rare plate by one of the best decorators in the Wemyss factory. I would value it at £500.” 
Maureen also had a collectible beetroot jar valued at £15. She is planning to hold onto both items. Elizabeth Prentice had some enamel jewellery that she bought from a charity shop: “I liked the colour and had always liked enamel, and it only cost me £3.” The jewellery set consisted of a necklet, a bracelet, a pair of earrings and two brooches. Anita said: “This is a Scandinavian 20th century design. It’s Danish and is worth about £450.” Elizabeth also brought in a vase: “This is also a 20th century Scandinavian design, Swedish this time from the factory of Gustav Berg,” said Anita. “The range is called Argenta and it has overlaid sterling silver on the flower on the front.” She valued the vase at £120. Source: STV website
Memorabilia from seasons 1-6 of long running fantasy show LOST to be auctioned in LA this weekend
Characters from ABC's 'LOST'
Los Angeles based Auction house ‘Profiles in History’ is putting over a thousand props from ABC’s “Lost” up for sale this weekend (August 21-22) Show keepsakes such as the passports of the characters, the Oceanic Airlines tickets, John Locke’s wheelchair, Hurley’s winning lotto ticket, Sun’s wedding ring, Ana Lucia’s LAPD ID card, Charlie’s DS ring, and the Dharma Initiative canned goods among many others are set to hit the auction block. Producers of the show are understood to have cooperated with the auction. Profiles in History owner Joseph Maddalena has been quoted by the Daily Mail as saying, “This [auction] will have every iconic item from all six seasons – up to the last episode.” “This will be a watershed event, the most iconic TV show to ever sell its property. One of the reasons they [the producers] are doing this is that they want to give something back to the fans, who are so into the show.”
Just some of the items of LOST memorabilia to be sold at the forthcoming auction in LA
Source: Profiles in History
The Beatles go to Goodwood
What you get for your moneyNot literally but a famous piece of their history is being sold at auction there.
On the 15th August 2010 an old but very famous piano from London's Abbey Road Studios will be auctioned off in the Goodwood memorabilia auction at the vintage festival in Chichester The piano was housed at the London Abbey Road Studios between 1964 and 1980 and during its time there it was used to record some of the most memorable tracks that the Beatles are known for including Tomorrow Never Knows and Paperback Writer Later it was also used in studio three by Pink Floyd to record the well known Dark Side of the Moon. The piano has seen better days and is covered with coffee stains and cigarette burns. Regardless of that if you do wish to go along and buy it make sure you bring your cheque book because the estimate's start at £100,000 with the top estimate being £150,000
Jewels from the ‘most famous love story of the 20th century’ to be auctioned at Sotheby’s
Wallis Simpson: Time Magazine's Woman of the Year, 1936
Twenty pieces from the love affair of Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII are for sale after 23 Years Twenty‐three years after the legendary auction of the "Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor" - still the most valuable single‐owner jewellery collection ever sold - Sotheby's will offer twenty pieces for sale in London on 30 November 2010. The sale will include some renowned examples illustrating both the exquisite taste of the famous couple and memorialising key events in their historic relationship. Together the pieces are estimated to fetch in the region of £3 million. Speaking of the sale, David Bennett, Chairman of Sotheby's Jewellery in Europe and the Middle East, said: "It is an extraordinary honour to bring once again to sale these jewels worn by a woman who was a leader of fashion and the epitome of elegance and sophistication for her generation and beyond. "The offering comprises not only incomparable examples of the genius of Cartier in collaboration with the Windsors, but also pieces whose inscriptions tell the story of perhaps the greatest love story of the 20th century, the romance that led Edward VIII to abdicate the throne of Great Britain." The Windsors and the House of Cartier Throughout the Prince of Wales's courtship of Wallis Warfield Simpson, during his brief period on the throne, as well as during their married life, the couple commissioned exquisite jewels from the great European jewellery houses. The sale will comprise a comprehensive array of pieces commissioned from Cartier, one of the most favoured jewellers of the Duke and Duchess. With the Duke's encouragement, the creative genius Jeanne Toussaint, Cartier's High Jewellery Director, produced some of her most extraordinary work, among them a realistic onyx and diamond panther bracelet designed in 1952 - perhaps the finest among her three‐dimensional "great cats" jewels. A further testament to the admiration of the Duke and the Duchess for Jeanne Toussaint's avant‐garde designs is found in a splendid flamingo brooch, ablaze with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, citrines and diamonds, bought by the Duchess in 1940. Through the 1987 sale, this brooch caught the imagination of the world and became the emblem of the sale. The Story in the Inscriptions While representing important examples of the art and creativity of the 20th century as well as the style of the Windsors, the jewels also give an insight into the life of the famous couple and many pieces in the sale are dated and bear inscriptions of an intimate nature. Among these are a delightful heart-shaped emerald, ruby and diamond brooch by Cartier applied with the initials W.E. (Wallis, Edward) commissioned by the Duke in 1957 to mark their 20th wedding anniversary. Another jewel of great personal significance is seen in the Duchess of Windsor's favourite diamond bracelet by Cartier which supports nine gem‐set Latin crosses, each representing special moments of her life during the years 1934‐44. One cross was inscribed for the marriage ("Our Marriage Cross Wallis 3‐V‐37 David"); another was a reminder of an assassination attempt against the King ("God save the King for Wallis 16.VII.36"). Other inscribed pieces include a diamond dress suite made by Cartier in 1935, engraved with the initials W and E and the inscription "Hold Tight" - a phrase often employed by the Duke and the Duchess in their correspondence before their marriage. In 1935 the Duchess gave the Duke an 18‐carat gold and gem‐set cigarette case by Cartier inscribed with "David from Wallis Christmas 1935" and engraved with a map of Europe and North Africa with routes applied in enamel to show their various holidays together and a gemstone set at the various meaningful locations. In addition to the Cartier creations, the selection will present a gold mesh, ruby, turquoise and diamond purse by Van Cleef & Arpels and a series of silver items and medals, once property of Edward, the Prince of Wales. Source: Paul Fraser Collectibles