AN extraordinary collection of over 2,500 ‘exotic and unique’ antiques, including a 2,500-year-old ancient Egyptian lizard coffin, have been auctioned off at a Frome antiques dealership.
Described of the ‘most incredible collection of bizarre world treasures’, the weird and wonderful items belonged to an antique dealer and lifelong collector who had to move out of his house to store them all.
The items, which include furniture dating back to the 17th century, 15 grandfather clocks, glass, ceramics and silver, were sourced from late antiques dealer the ‘Great’ George Withers and were auctioned at Dore & Rees over three days from 21st to 23rd February. The auction made over £1.2million over the three days and there are still thousands more items to be sold at future auctions.
“It was rather amazing,” explained client development manager at Dore & Rees, Lynn Strover. “The collection included a wide range of items, including the ancient Egyptian lizard coffin from 500BC that was auctioned off for £1,430; this went for a much higher price than the anticipated price of around £200.
“The auction went well, running on into the evening, making a total £1.28m (including fees) over the three days.
“George was an avid collector throughout his life and seemed to be a better collector than he was at selling the items because when he got them, he just used to keep them!
“He was drawn to the uniqueness of each item and due to the volume of items there were, he actually no longer lived in his home and lived with his partner instead; Items were also stored in other locations too.”
The items were found at his home in Bath, with some even being found under the floorboards.
Marc Allum, consultant specialist at Dore & Rees said George was an, “amazing collector who couldn’t let the best things go so he just stacked them up till he filled his house and couldn’t live in it anymore.”
George opened his first shop on London Road, Bath; this was to be the first of many in the Bath area. For a time, he had a stall in Portobello, London, and sold at the antiques fair in Bath Pavilion. In the early 2000s, George moved with his family to Ye Grange in Bathampton, where he displayed many of his treasures. Around 2003, Ye Grange was sold and George moved to Peasedown, where he lived out his remaining days.
With many more items still to be auction off, the next auction will take place on Wednesday 28th February in Wincanton and then back in Frome on Tuesday 26th March. “The auction this month has been the first phase of sales,” explains Lynn. “There are still many more items and we are in the process of unpacking, researching, and cataloguing.”
