Smiths Auctions in Newent celebrated the New Year with some spectacular results at their antiques auction on January 2-3.

Many of the highest prices of the first day were seen in the jewellery and silver sections which were incredibly popular and attracted buyers from all over the country and even overseas. One tourist from Singapore travelled to Newent from London to attend the sale and enjoyed her day trip out as well as purchasing several significant items of antique jewellery.

Top price of the sale was taken by a fabulous three stone diamond ring which sold for £5,200 to a buyer in Sussex. Other interesting jewellery results included an unusual green enamel and Asscher cut diamond ring which made £1,700 and an aquamarine and diamond set ring which made £1,650.

Several pieces sold around the £1,500 mark including a classic Victorian diamond star form brooch, an eye catching triple floral cluster ring and a beautiful diamond circular pendant.

An antique gold necklace set with a variety of ‘specimen’ stones was originally part of a long fob chain which had been divided between two sisters. The owner was delighted when it was initially valued at £300/£500 - but it eventually sold for £860 to a Hatton Garden jeweller who specialises in fine antique pieces.

Many other items of jewellery left their estimates ‘far far’ behind as buyers competed hard to ‘win’ their lots. The costume jewellery section also sold exceedingly well - with boxes of costume jewellery flying out at around £80/£100 each and the auctioneer struggling to keep up with the flashing screens for the two online bidding platforms.

Unusual items included a huge silver gilt stag beetle brooch set with diamonds and emeralds which made £560 and a magnificent Victorian ‘woven’ seed pearl brooch which quadrupled its estimate to sell for £400.

The bidding during the silver section was equally frenetic with a silver tea service estimated at £1,000/£1,500 selling for £2,300. Likewise, many smaller silver items soared high above their pre-sale estimates. For example an Asprey’s leather photograph frame with silver mounted corners sold for £150 against a £50/£70 estimate. The sale featured a collection of tiny Georgian vinaigrettes which all doubled or even tripled their estimates.

The star lot of the ceramics section was a rare 19th century Meissen Pagoda figure with a nodding head and hands which made £1,250, despite damage. A Royal Worcester cup, saucer and tea plate painted fruit also attracted significant attention and sold for £480 against a £200/£300 estimate. Two sets of four William de Morgan Arts & Crafts tiles sold for £480 and £430 against similar expectations.

The second day of the sale proved to be no less exciting with a rare and early German ‘cinnamon’ teddy bear selling for £5,200 against a deliberately cautious £600/£800 estimate. The bear was thought to be a Steiff (although he didn’t have the signature button to his ear) and attracted much attention from collectors trying to decide whom the maker might be.

One of the specialists from the popular television series ‘The Repair Shop’ arrived at the saleroom to give him the ‘once over’ but even she was unsure of the attribution. However, she definitely fell in love with his ‘furry good looks’ and gave the staff at Smiths plenty of excellent advice and tips on antique teddy bear identification.

One of the most popular items in the sale turned out to be a Victorian taxidermy dog estimated at just £100/£200 but eventually sold to a Cotswold antiques dealer for £1,400. Other exciting surprises included a first edition of Moonraker by Ian Fleming which made £1,000 and a bronze of a nude by Tom Bowers which made £980. A group of nine early Beatles records sold for £280 whilst a collection of pop and rock records including Pink Floyd, Queen and Supertramp achieved the same result. A selection of antique books on African topography also attracted specialist interest whilst a wide range of other collectables achieved prices far above their estimates.

This all goes to prove that the late winter and early spring season is a surprisingly buoyant period for the antiques trade. Add this to the fact that interior designers are now moving away from ‘cold’ minimalism and urging customers to buy antique and second-hand items to add ‘warmth and feeling’ to their homes.

Smiths are inviting entries for their February antiques sale by appointment. The sale covers a full range of good quality antiques including silver, gold, jewellery, ceramics, furniture, paintings and collectables. This sale also includes a specialist section for coins and banknotes.

Please telephone 01531 821776 or visit www.smithsnewentauctions.com for further information.