Auction Antiques
The Antique Village The Old Whiteways Cider Factory, Hele, Devon EX5 4PW
139-271-9826
About Auction House
Auction Antiques launched off the back of decades of experience in buying and selling antiques, vintage and retro, worldwide, to offer another facet of trade from The Antique Village.Auction Previews & News
2 Results
Auction IndustryDavid Bowie’s suit takes the spotlight at auction
An Issey Miyake two piece suit. HELE.- A suit once owned by celebrated singer David Bowie is one of the more star-studded items on offer in a sale of Fine Art, Antiques and Collectables at Auction Antiques on 25th March 2021. The suit is being sold by Jayce Lewis, a musician and lifelong friend of Steve Strange, of 1980's ‘Visage' fame, from whom he inherited it, along with other items from the Steve Strange estate. How did it come to be among items in the Steve Strange estate? A curious backstory reveals how and the suit bears witness to it! Steve Strange acquired the suit in 1982 at the Blitz club in London, a fashionable club that he owned and ran in the 1980s. Jayce Lewis fills us in: “Steve (Strange) told me that he found out that Bowie was going to attend his club one particular night, so they put the regular procedure in place of getting him into the club via a discreet entrance. From there Steve would take Bowie and his entourage into his office where they could all hang out chatting and smoking etc. Apparently, Bowie was not in the best of shapes on the night, so he didn't want to be seen by the press or fans. After being escorted into Steve’s office in the club he sat down in such a slump, that the insides of his cigarette fell out on to his suit and burnt the pocket along with a few other areas. He quickly asked his female assistant, to go and fetch him his bag/suitcase from the car in order for him to change, which she did. Bowie changed into a jacket and trousers, discarding the suit on the floor near the sofa, where it was forgotten about. Later that night Steve spotted the suit and took it home to work out what to do with it, where it remained until his estate was sold, along with all of his other possessions”. The suit, by Issey Miyake, bears the scars of that eventful night and the story is also corroborated by the fact that it…
Auction ResultClocks chime success at auction
A continental automaton singing bird box in the manner of Karl Griesbaum. Estimated to fetch £200-£400 it sold for £1, 600 (Hammer), £2,000 (with BP). HELE.- There was the sound of success at a sale of Antiques, General & Mid-Century Furniture at Auction Antiques in Devon on January 21st, when a series of important automatons unexpectedly went sky high at auction. A continental automaton singing bird box in the manner of Karl Griesbaum, was a charming addition to the sale. It was in rectangular form, the body repousse with scrolling foliage and birds in flight. The box was button controlled to activate the feather singing bird above. Estimated to fetch £200-£400 it sold for £1, 600 (Hammer), £2,000 (with BP). A showcase of the sale was an early 20th century silver and enamel singing bird automaton and clock by Mersmann. The piece was marked 935 WW and featured a decorative oval lid. It sold for a huge £2,800 (Hammer) and £3,500 (with BP), against an estimate of £100-200. A satinwood Congress Chess Timer with twin dials and seconds dials also performed well. Chess clocks comprise of two adjoining clocks with buttons to stop one clock, while starting the other, so that they don’t run concurrently. Chess clocks are used in chess and other two-player games where the players move in turn. Crafted by Jaques & Son, the example in the sale, featured a brass carrying handle on a satinwood plinth base and sold for £3,000 (Hammer) £3,750 (with BP), against an estimate of £80-£120. The newly established Devon-based auction house is working hard to attain items that are accessible to all and are continuing with the successful formula of conducting sales online and on the internet via several platforms. After investment in high-level specialist knowledge, they are hoping to build on their success throughout 2021.
