A WOMAN preparing to downsize and donate goods to a charity shop is now £2,800 better off, after one of the items she was preparing to giveaway became the star turn at a new auction house.
The late husband of the Finchampstead woman had been a collector of pictures in the 1970s and 80s and, as part of this, amassed a range of paintings and prints.
The woman admits that some of these she liked and others not so much. One of the items she didn’t particularly rate was a Lowry print and she had earmarked it to be sent to a charity shop.
However, auctioneer Pascal McNamara spotted the print when he visited the woman and, despite Lowry prints being mass produced, he realised there was more to the painting than met the eye.
He noticed the low edition number and pencil signature in the corner and, on researching the print’s history, it turned out to be edition 45 of 75 of Lowry’s Punch and Judy painting.
The limited edition was then placed into the inaugural sale run by Wokingham Auctions and went for an astonishing £2,800.
Mr McNamara said: “Lowry prints are hugely mass produced; garden centres sell them for £20, so 99% per cent of what’s out there is of little value. However, if you come across an original Lowry oil, you’re talking a six figure sum.”
Wokingham Auctions was recently launched by Mr McNamara, a well-known presence in the area having managed Martin & Pole in the town for three years moving from Woodward Auctions in Cork.
Sales are planned at the Hilton St Anne’s Manor Hotel in London Road, Wokingham throughout the year.
McNamara added he has one eye to the younger end of the market, such as first or second-time home buyers, a key message is to ‘find your signature piece’ encouraging homemakers to seek out an antique or vintage item to set off their contemporary living space.
“Younger people, some who may have never visited an auction room, are amazed to discover the fantastic value to be found at sales, especially furniture, picking up hand-crafted solid mahogany with oodles of character,” he said. “We always tell them it’s a risk-free transaction as if they move house or redecorate in the future, they can always re-enter the item to auction and recover their original outlay and even make a profit.”
The next sale is planned for Monday, August 15. For more details, click here.
