Smiths of Newent Auction House

News & Views - (18)

Page

of 2

Coins Hit a High Note!

9th Jun 2023 by Rita Kearsey

Smiths of Newent’s forthcoming two day auction is on the 22nd and 23rd of June and includes a good range of interesting antiques and collectables as well as a specialist section for coins, notes and medallions. The fully illustrated catalogue will go online on the 16th of June with viewing on the 20th and 21st of June 10am-5pm and on the morning of the sales 9am-10am.

Diamonds Provide Placebo Cure

9th Jun 2023 by Rita Kearsey

I can’t deny that it has been a very tricky month for me as I tripped over and took a dive at the saleroom’s hard concrete floor three weeks ago. Not only did I manage to smash the two large vases I was carrying to a ‘safer location’, but I fractured my right shoulder. Unfortunately, this has not only been quite painful, but it has also been a huge inconvenience for my work, especially since I am right-handed and I currently cannot drive. Luckily for me my family, friends and work colleagues have been incredibly kind - driving me to work and back as well as around my appointments and even writing my notes for me.

Little Badge Makes a Big Impression

1st Nov 2022 by Rita Kearsey

As an auctioneer people often ask me if I enjoy selling on the rostrum and the answer is of course ‘Yes I do, I love it’. The enjoyment and excitement grows depending on how well the sale is going and our most recent sale certainly turned out to be a very enjoyable couple of days for me. All the staff at the auction rooms get a real buzz when the sales go particularly well and my poor partner was more than a little overwhelmed when I arrived home late on the Thursday evening resembling a bouncy Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.

Amanda Popham Ceramics and Modern Art Bring Contemporary Theme to our January Antiques Sale

12th Dec 2022 by Rita Kearsey

A contemporary twist to our forthcoming January Sale is a stunning collection of six large studio pottery works by the amazing and much admired ceramic artist Amanda Popham. Her fantastical works seem to be very in demand and really need to be seen in real life to be truly appreciated.

Disgruntled Parrot Reminds Me of Somebody!!

1st Nov 2022 by Rita Kearsey

I fell in love with two items in our August antiques sale which I thought would make good material for my random News Page

Things are Hotting up at Smiths

9th Sep 2022 by Rita Kearsey

As the weather has finally cooled down things have really hotted up at the saleroom and we have been rather overwhelmed with entries for our forthcoming Antiques Sale on the 29th & 30th of September.

Scent of Success

18th Mar 2022 by Rita Kearsey

Our April sale is shaping up very well with a very exciting selection of antiques and collectables on offer as well as a lovely selection of antique and modern jewellery.

Garage Jug Makes £2,400

17th Jan 2022 by Rita Kearsey

A stunning Art Deco Clarice Cliff jug was discovered stored away in a garage when the vendor cleared out her aged Aunt's garage

Little Car Makes Big Price!

17th Jan 2022 by Rita Kearsey

The highest price at our recent January sale was the £8,500 paid for a fascinating little child’s ‘Training Car’ made by Atco in 1938.

One of my Favourite Things

18th Mar 2022 by Rita Kearsey

Despite a number of fantastic four figure results my favourite item in our February sale was a Victorian child’s nursery cup printed with the alphabet in sign language.

Battle to Buy Medal Set

18th Mar 2022 by Rita Kearsey

Smiths Auction Rooms in Newent were absolutely delighted with their sale results from their two antiques auctions on the 17th & 18th of February. During the pandemic prices have soared and it seems that the trend is continuing. A lot of new private buyers have discovered the fun of buying at auctions online, plus dealers are reporting strong sales in their shops – all indicating the sector is seeing a bit of a boom. Even brown furniture and ceramics, which have generally been subdued sectors of the market for many years, seem to be showing good signs of a recovery. With over one thousand internet buyers registered for the sale it was bound to be a very successful day with vendors thrilled with their results.

Chinese vases cause a ripple of excitement

14th Jun 2021 by Rita Kearsey

This last year during the COVID-19 crisis has been extremely difficult for many of us personally. However, it has also been a time for new ideas and brought about interesting changes and some improvements for many businesses. We now find that we do everything by appointment in order that our customers are able to socially distance by being spread out both time wise and space wise. I am not sure if our client’s find this inconvenient, but we have not had any complaints and it makes it much easier for us to regulate the number of people in the saleroom needing attention. It means there are no longer queues of waiting customers at busy times and we can definitely offer a better service in this calmer environment. We have also found that sale dates are not ‘set in stone’ and that, in fact, we can actually now move and change the dates relatively easily to suit the current situation.