Leading the autumn Fine & Decorative sale is a magnificent rare pair of extinct taxidermy New Zealand Huia birds dating to the late 19th century.  Last sighted in 1907, specimens of these striking songbirds are rarely seen on the market and displays showcasing both a male and female bird are even harder to come by.

Consigned by a British private vendor and estimated at £40,000-60,000, these eye-catching, large examples, with deep metallic, bluish-black plumage, orange wattles and long white-tipped tail feathers are in very good condition and represent a rare opportunity to acquire a fine example of an extinct species.

Lot 56: A pair of rare extinct taxidermy New Zealand Huia birds

Estimate: £40,000 - £60,000

The sale also showcases a notable group of French 19th century ormolu-mounted furniture and works of art by some of the great craftsmen of the period including François Linke and Paul Sormani, (lots 334 and 352), alongside a beautiful monogrammed Louis Vuitton wardrobe trunk dating to the golden age of transatlantic travel on the great ocean liners in the 1920s.

Lot 133: A Louis Vuitton monogrammed canvas wardrobe trunk, c.1925

Estimate: £4,000 - £6,000

Further highlights in the auction are six lots of British royal interest, including a slice of fruit cake from the wedding reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the marriage of Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten, (Duke of Edinburgh), dated 20 November 1947 (lot 117); four pieces of limited edition glassware by Thomas Goode & Co Ltd, one commemorating the coronation of Edward VIII, which never occurred due to his abdication (lots 113-116); and an exhibition catalogue signed by HM King Charles III with a personal dedication to the English portrait and landscape painter Derek Hill (lot 118).

Much of the furniture, works of art, ceramics and textiles are sold with enticing history and provenance, for example, a Wedgwood dinner service owned by the Swiss chef and restauranteur Anton Mosimann (lot 200); a Sèvres blue and green-ground part déjeuner, c.1759, from North Mymms Park, Hertfordshire; and 15th century textiles from the esteemed Carmen Thyssen Collection (lots 95-98).

Lot 177: A Sèvres blue and green-ground part déjeuner, c.1759

Estimate: £5,000 - £7,000