In May our speaker was Stephen Lester, an auctioneer, and 42 members enjoyed his talk on his “Experiences of a Provincial Auctioneer”. Firstly he dispelled a few myths about going to a public auction. Contrary to popular belief, pulling your ear or rubbing your nose will not end up with you having purchased a rare antique! Some bidders do use signs like that, but only when it has been previously arranged with the auctioneer; most people just raise their catalogue to indicate their interest in a particular lot. He has had some spectacular ‘finds’ when going to inspect sale items at a private house. One lady was clearing her house as she was moving to somewhere smaller; after getting an idea of the value of her goods and chattels she mentioned that she had a little bottle that had been in her family for a while. It turned out to be a Fabergé glue pot worth £10,000! At another house he found a very old and tatty writing desk in the attic, which turned out to be one of only 7 items made from an elm tree on the site of the battle of Waterloo; this was worth £36,000 once it had been restored. So the moral is, check before you throw things away!
Our next get together is on 25th June when Henry Brickwood will talk to us about “Beautiful Gardens to Visit”. Visitors are welcome at a cost of £3.50.
Details of all our meetings and speakers can be found on the diary on the home page of the Winstred 100 website. If you would like any further information about P.A.W.S. please ring any of the following committee members: Alice Holmes 01206 735510, Jane Banks 01206 735004 or Jane Anderson 01206 735505.
