Sheffield Auction, 14th September 2002

Of the 28 Carriage Prints listed, just one failed to realise a three-figure sum, and even then "Culzean Castle" sold for £90, so it nearly made it. In fact, "Atlantic Coast Express" came very close to being the first four-figure carriage print. There was the usual stunning array of Cast Iron, the writer's attention was taken by several items. These were: the SER "Good Friday" notice, in essence an instrument used to prevent the company's private roads and paths from becoming public rights of way, by no means a unique notice but still the only one so far noted with the company's heading; the M&GN "Drinking alcoholic beverages forbidden in this waiting room", certainly not encountered by me before; the GW&Mid fire buckets notice, I once saw one at Shirehampton station many years ago - perhaps it is the same one; and trespass notices from the East Kent and the Dublin Wicklow & Wexford railways. Sadly, following our joint successes at the June SRA, our Winchcombe luck did not hold out as far as the trespass from the Waterford & Central Ireland was concerned, we were quite simply outbid!

Among the mouthwatering Clocks, the tastiest morsel, and the best-seller, was an extraordinary "casebound" watch, beautifully inscribed "Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway Co". Best selling Enamel was a very fine "Cambrian and Corris Rlys. Tickets Issued Here...." etc. with a classic story. The railwayana dealer was having his car mended at a local garage in West Wales, when the mechanic says "I've got an old railway sign in the shed....." Other notable enamels were the BR(W) black & white "Station" direction sign, a BR(E) notice re-padlocking bicycles and, dare I say it, a rather underpriced Mersey Railway signal box door notice. Not many items under the Hardware heading, but a couple of them were of note, a wonderful etched glass shield crest of the GNR, complete with the Jolly Fisherman, and another Mersey item, a cast iron roof spandrel bearing the initial "MTR", or "Mersey Tunnel Railway". Lamps, though not great in number, were not without interest. Many of the handlamps were plated with place names, always a good selling point, in this case there were examples from the CLC (Manchester), NBR (Bangour Junc.), L&YR (Briggus) and GNR (Wainfleet). The platform lamp from Wolferton, complete with gilded crown and Royal coats-of-arms was quite a catch.

Locomotive Cabside Numberplates included an early and a late GWR "Castle" and an early GWR "Star", all of them commanding similar sums. A SR brass smokebox roundel embossed "SOUTHERN 1947", an extremely scarce locomotive embellishment, did well at more than £15,000, and the "Night Scotsman" Headboard likewise at £4,000. A dazzling array of Nameplates included my own favourite "Knight of the Thistle". "Pronghorn" perhaps suffered from not being the most evocative of names, although "Natal Colony" didn't do so bad for an old 'un. "Sir William A Stanier FRS" brought in a cool £54,000, enough to buy a pair of "Knights". I wonder what WAS himself would have thought! Smokebox Plates from yet another "Castle" and a "Jubilee", together with a "P" Class from the other end of the spectrum were the stars of their type. Worksplates, though numerous, seemed to lack the usual few "gems", though the two GCR Gortons, the Sharp Stewart 4599/00 and the GWR brass tender plate were very nice.

The L&NWR Horse Brass took everyone by surprise at £1,050, as did the Northampton & Banbury Junction Button! "These are the new nameplates", expounded the Auctioneer, as he commenced the first batch of Posters. He is quite right in his theory that it is not the age, or the company which sells posters, but the image. The quad-royal BR/MacBrayne's "Scotland - The Western Highlands and Islands" was the first poster of the sale and at £1,000 the best-seller. Another notable was Cuneo's "Monessie Gorge". A great variety of Signalling Instruments was on offer, GN&LNW Tyer one-wire three-position sequence block and bell on backing board from John O'Gaunt signal box was top scorer at £1,075. Of Tableware, significant interest was paid to two very nice glasses, one from "The Highland Railway Company's Station Hotel Inverness", the other etched "Lynton and Blackmoor Refreshment Rooms", from the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. Amongst the usual exotic silverplate nibbles dishes, cake stands and sugar shakers was probably the most practical drinking utensil of all time. This was a GWR quart tankard!

Collectors of Totems will have certainly benefited from the recent publications - The Book of British Railways Station Totems by Dave Brennand and Richard Furness and our own Totems & Targets 2002 by Chris and Julian Rider, dealing with the history and markets of these objects, giving as they do a full and rounded history of the subject. This interest has inevitably had an effect on the prices, as shown in this sale. Another effect of the increased interest is an unprecedented number of previously un-auctioned names now entering the fray. Six Mile Bottom, Frinton-on-Sea, Clare, Knockando and Chislet Colliery Halt all fall within this group. The black and white Hayes & Harlington, although sold several times, owes its price to the scarcity of its type.

Thus passed another Sheffield, another landmark. I once questioned the lack of diversity among the classifications of lots at Sheffield, as indeed did others. I can no longer level this criticism! A good show, Ian, just a pity you didn't sell me the W&CIR trespass!