Rare speedboat model discovered at Barmouth antiques valuation event

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The valuers from Halls with supporters from Barmouth RNLI at the antiques valuation event held at Dragon Theatre.

A rare Sutcliffe Models Bluebird II Speedboat, made in tribute to British water and land speed record break Donald Campbell, was discovered at a charity antiques valuation event in Barmouth on Friday.

 

The model, contained within its original box was valued at up to £150 by Jeremy Lamond, fine art director at Halls in Shrewsbury, who took a team of valuers to the Dragon Theatre for a valuation event to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s lifeboat in Barmouth.

 

Valerie Vine of Barmouth received a valuation of up to £100 from Halls’ fine art director Jeremy Lamond for a Paddington Bear which was gifted to her 45 year ago while working as a nanny in London.
Valerie Vine of Barmouth received a valuation of up to £100 from Halls’ fine art director Jeremy Lamond for a Paddington Bear which was gifted to her 45 year ago while working as a nanny in London.

Bluebird II, which is highly sought after by collectors, was produced by Sutcliffe Models from 1958, but the model was not endorsed by Campbell, who died when his powerboat crashed during a world water speed record attempt on Coniston Water on January 4, 1967.

 

He broke eight records in the 1950s and ‘60s and remains the only person to set both world land and water speed records in the same year, 1964.

 

Mr Lamond said the speedboat model, which came from a local property, would be included in Halls’ next toys auction in Shrewsbury on November 18.

 

In addition to the speedboat, he saw an 1810 Flintlock dueling pistol, which he valued at up to £1,000, a Staffordshire pottery portrait figure of Jumbo the elephant, at up to £600, a slightly damaged Moorcroft Florian ware vase, French bronze of Venus by Victor Paillard (fl 1830-’66) and a Chinese cinnabar lacquer vase, at up to £500 each and a pair of Meissen plates at up to £300.

 

It was a busy day for all three valuers, who helped raise around £350 for the RNLI. A charge of £2 was made for the first item valued and £1 for each item thereafter.

 

Maryanne Lineker-Mobberley, Halls’ head of the silver and jewellery department, viewed a diamond tennis bracelet at up to £3,000, a Victorian diamond set bangle and an emerald and diamond set bracelet at £1,200 each and a selection of William Comyns silver, including a pair of short candlesticks and a presentation perfume bottle at up to £600 each.

 

James Forster, head of Halls’ pictures department, saw a range of paintings, including an interesting watercolour by Franz Wilhelm Schiertz (1813-’87) of the Arctic Circle 1883.

 

Wendy Pontesford, chairman of Barmouth RNLI fundraising committee, thanked the valuers from Halls and members of the public for supporting the successful valuation event and Dragon Theatre for hosting it.

 

Mr Lamond said the company would be returning to Barmouth and surrounding area in the coming weeks to make house visits to view collections and items of furniture that were too big to bring to the valuation event. Anyone living in the area who wishes to have a collection valued is asked to contact Halls on 01743 450700 to make an appointment with a valuer.