HIGHLIGHTS OF SEPTEMBER 2011'S QUARTERLY SELECT AUCTION

Rosebery's Quarterly Select Auction on 13th and 14th September contained a cornucopia of beautiful and unusual items and proved a great success with the bidders in the saleroom, online and on the telephone lines.

Lot 861: A Victorian jade and gold mounted walking cane, 19th Century

Achieved: £7,500

As a walking cane this lot was pedestrian. As buyers realised that the handle was, in fact, a good quality, carved jade Moghul dagger handle, bidding went through the roof. This was further proof, if proof were needed, of the strength of the market for good Indian pieces at the moment. This is thought to be a record price for a dagger handle of this type.

Lot 700: 14 Morris and Company stained glass window designs. Pen, ink and watercolour.

Achieved: £6,400

Morris and Company designs are rare and to have a set of 14 is exceptionally unusual, making this a highly desirable lot.

Lot 508: An impressive, contemporary ruby and diamond collar necklace and matching ear clips, c. 1985

Achieved: £58,000

Proving that top-notch quality will always sell well, this stunning 18-carat suite was snapped up by a private buyer in the saleroom.

Lot 1254: An Ispahan rug, late 20th century, 229x146cm

Achieved: £4,600

Despite being no more than 50 years old, this rug achieved a high price thanks to its particularly fine weave, attractive colours and the decoration of exotic birds perched among flowers.

Lot 1053: A miniature prisoner of war style carved bone ship

Achieved: £2,250

These items are usually much larger, making this tiny miniature (15cm wide) a rarity. Because of this, despite its damage, it was hugely popular with collectors of prisoner of war memorabilia.

Lot 874: A Balkan rat-tail flintlock, holster pistol, 18th Century/19th Century

Achieved: £1,900

Interest in good Islamic militaria is at an all time high. Such items rarely come up for auction in the UK and competition was high amongst bidders both in the room and online.

Lot 263: A matched set of three Continental 800 standard silver canape trays, 20th century

Achieved: £1,050

British 925 silver is reaching such high prices that even Continental standard 800 silver is also comparatively high. This lot of good quality, attractive trays is a prime example.

Lot 1387: An early 20th Century French marble and painted linen press with variegated white marble and enclosing six birds eye maple trays

Achieved: £1,050

Proving that antiques really are green, female buyers vied for this linen press, an ideal storage unit for shoes or handbags rather than the sheets and tablecloths it was originally designed to hold.

Lot 645: A gilded plaster cubist style head, signed Georges Tesson, French, early 20th century

Achieved: £3,600

This artist is best known for his cubist-style paintings of figures and it is rare for one of his sculptures to come onto the market. It was also in pristine condition, which is unusual for a plaster sculpture. Bidders in the room and on the phone heavily contested the work. It was eventually sold to an international bidder over the phone.

Lot 584: William Wyllie, The sea scouts rowing out to HMS Victory, etching

Achieved: £420

British prints were very popular. Every one exceeded its high estimate. In addition to this Wyllie, Lot 787 by William Washington made £440 against a £150-£200 estimate; Lot 782 by Henry Moore made £440 against a £300-£400 estimate and Lot 788 by Robin Tanner made £440 against a £200-£300 estimate.