Tribal art, a set of Beatles autographs, a muzzle loading Victorian gun and diamond jewellery were among the varied items assessed at a charity antiques valuation event at Berriew for Hope House children’s hospice on Saturday.
Four experts from Shrewsbury-based fine art auction house Halls attended the event at Glansevern Hall Gardens, hosted by the property’s owners, Caroline and Mark Owen. A total of £201 was raised for Hope House.
A steady stream of people braved heavy rain showers during the day to have their treasures valued. They included Ewen Macloed from Welshpool who brought a Liberian death mask and said it was part of a collection he was looking after for a friend who had lived and worked in West Africa for more than 20 years.
Halls’ fine art director Jeremy Lamond is to carry out further research on the mask and a muzzle loading Victorian sporting gun with interchangeable rifle and shotgun barrels, which is owned by a Newtown area man.
He valued a George III cavalry sabre at up to £300 and a Royal Doulton pointer dog at up to £120. He said the event had been successful and he and his team were looking forward to making home visits to view a variety of collections in the coming weeks.
Silver, jewellery, watches and coins specialist Derek Ainsworth valued a diamond necklace and matching earrings at up to £6,000 and also saw an OBE awarded to a Shrewsbury man for his experiments with poisonous gases during the First World War, which he valued at around £200.
Senior auctioneer and valuer Andrew Beeston valued a set of Beatles autographs at around £2,000. “The autographs were signed in 1963 by the Beatles at Shrewsbury Music Hall before they became famous,” he said. “They belong to a local woman whose boyfriend got them for her.”
James Forster, head of Halls’ pictures department, viewed a number paintings and prints including a watercolour by Keeley Halswelle (1832–1891) of reed cutting on the Thames, which he valued at up to £400.
Glansevern Hall Gardens were open for a reduced fee of £5, including a donation to Hope House.
