News

The world of auctioneering is fascinating, or at least we think so, and we hope our 10,000 monthly listeners agree. There are not just gems to be unearthed in terms of items to be bought or sold at auction, but there are also gems of people in the auction industry who deserve to have their stories told and that’s why we started the Gavel and the Gabble podcast. It’s not just about promoting our own auction houses here at Windsor Auctions and our sister auction house Lyme Bay Auctions but we want to shed a light on the industry as a whole and all the subsidiary industries.   We hope to give the public a look behind the curtain at what goes on in the world of auctioneers, as well as highlighting the best of the industry and anyone who has got something interesting to say is welcome to come on. Although, that’s not the only reason we started the podcast, my co-host Simon and I also wanted to have a laugh. We run our auction house slightly unusually with both of us up on the rostrum and in between or during lots we crack some jokes and have a little chit chat, both under the delusional assumption that we’re the funniest people in the room. So, we wanted to share our subpar comedy and passion for the industry with whoever might listen and in doing so the podcast has evolved into much more than we could have expected. For starters, we’ve learned a lot speaking to some hugely interesting and truly knowledgeable industry experts from Paul Laidlaw to Richard Worrall, Isabel Murtough, Michael Baggott and countless others. Prior to starting the Gavel and the Gabble, neither Simon nor I knew many people in the industry, but we’ve come to find that it’s a place where everybody readily supports everybody and people are constantly keen to help. The podcast has also unintentionally but happily made us into industry activists, advocating for more women in the industry, as well as tackling important issues such as changing government laws around fire regulations and the Ivory act. One of the main catalysts we’re hoping that comes from the podcast is attracting more...

The Government has published a consultation on new draft fire regulations for upholstered furniture so we arranged for our in house blogger Cameron Temple to interview and get the viewpoint of Delyth Fetherston-Dilke and Sharon O’Connor.  They were also interviewed on the Gavel and The Gabble podcast it is well worth a listen and available wherever you get your podcasts.   The government want to introduce new regulations that will turn the upholstery industry on its head and we have until October 24 to change this, so we need your help.   Unsurprisingly, big businesses and mass manufacturers will likely breeze past the change in regulations, with the exception of some time-consuming admin, whereas small businesses, who take care over their craft and deliver high quality products, will seriously feel the effects.   To put it as simply as possible, current regulations dictate that a piece of furniture has to pass an open flame test.   This means that the manufacturer has to put a Bunsen burner against it and see how long before it sets fire.   Under the new regulations an upholsterer has to pass the same test, but on each layer of fabric and filling that they use.   For example, let’s say an upholsterer uses one layer of wool, one of cotton, foam, horsehair or any other fabric, then every single layer has to pass the open flame test, which is extremely stringent.   This is where flame retardant chemicals come in.   For an upholsterer to adhere to the governments strict regulations they have to use a lot of flame-retardant chemicals, which are highly toxic.   The chemicals are can cause cancer, infertility and neuro-toxicity in children, which can lead to behavioural problems and reduced IQ.   To make matters worse, a different department of the government has openly acknowledged the toxicity of these chemicals and as such said that all waste furniture, anything at the end of its life when a consumer doesn’t want it anymore, has to be incinerated.   They say that we can’t risk these chemicals going into landfill and then seeping into river systems where they can become harmful to humans and wildlife.   But, from an environmental perspective,...

It has been a very busy few months for the team here at Windsor Auctions when we are not auctioneering, appraising or clearing houses, we are delighted to be supporting various charities and  local organisations. The beginning of June saw us head up in to Windsor Great Park to supply compere’s for the hugely impressive Royal Windsor Flower Show and what an impressive job the team behind the show did. It was a joy to be part of an Auctioneer Harry, backed up by Will had great fun all day and quite a substantial amount of cake as well !! It was lovely to see so many of our customers and thank you so much for coming over to say hi. We would really suggest putting next years event, https://rwrhs.com/flower-show/ in your diary we know that the keen bakers and plant growers on our team will be entering the competitions will be there on the 8th June 2024. We have also been lucky enough to be invited to auctioneer at a number of charity auctions this month and in this difficult times have been overwhelmed by the generosity of those bidding. We sent Harry to Royal Ascot Golf Course at the invitation of Michael Hawkins and Ascot BNI to auction after their busy golf day and a great crowd to raise money for the charity Parenting Special Children Next we sent him to a lovely evening at Windsor Guild Hall to raise money for humanitarian aid charity Embrace Me Foundation who were set up to send aid to Ukraine again a lovely crowd raised thousands in order to send yet more essential ambulances. The highlight of Harry’s evening was auctioning a Brian May of Queen signed guitar and the generosity of the room. We understand from the organisers that they are putting together another even bigger event in September/October this year, watch this space and we will let you know all about it. Next we are sending Harry off to Windsor & Eton Bowling Club which is always a superb evening and a lot of laughs so we will report back. If you are looking for an auctioneer for a charity event we are always happy to help if...

Well its been a busy month here at Windsor Auctions, apart from our usual day jobs of valuing, appraising items and taking in consignments for auction, our House Clearance and Collection team have been very busy indeed. We did take time for a wander around Henley Decor Fair where they had had to battle the elements to put on a great show, we caught up with some of the dealers who buy and sell with us at Windsor Auctions which is always good fun, and saw how much work Garry Wallis and his team had put in. The next one is due in September so pop it in your diary as there are some great dealers and a really wide range of styles and items on offer. Harry was delighted to have been invited to be on a panel discussion organised by Shine House Tours   to chat about ‘The inside track on sourcing the best vintage & antique pieces’ it was a great couple of hours with fascinating people and great questions and all in aid of Stroud Women’s Refuge a charity who offer support to women and children anywhere in the UK. Stonor Park hosted one of its great  Antique and Vintage Car Boot Fairs and again a stroll through the cars and vans looking for interesting bits meant Emma bumped in to lots of customers from the Auction House, it is always great to see people away from the saleroom, have a catch up and hear what is happening in the market.   Simon and Harry continue to trouble the podcast charts across the globe with their podcast about the industry, with some great interviews already out there and more to follow. They chat not only to auctioneers, but dealers both young and older, an upholsterer, and recently a gentleman who runs one of the fasted growing shipping and delivery services in our sector. You can find the podcast on all platforms and if you like it do subscribe, review and tell your friends (If we don’t say that Producer David gives us a really hard time!!) May 2023 is a busy month in Windsor with all things Coronation very much at the forefront of our lovely...

Diamonds Are Forever  The 1971 Bond movie, Diamond are Forever saw actress Jill St John wear a number of iconic Bond Girl outfits and we are delighted to be be bringing two of these two market on Saturday 26th November. Both items were owned by Assistant Director on the movie, Derek Cracknell and are now being sold by his family, our photos show the dress being worn by both Derek’s wife and his daughter Sarah Cracknell Also appearing in this sale is a Baby Doll nightie also worn by the actress in the movie. For further information guide prices and to book and appointment to view these items on 23rd and 24th November give us a call on 01753 868076 or email sales@windsorauctions.co.uk. 1930’s British Army Boxing Hero Trophies 22nd November Update THIS LOT HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN UNTIL A LATER SALE We are privileged to be bringing an incredible collection of boxing cups, medals and memorabilia to auction on Saturday 26th November. This outstanding collection were all awarded to Sergeant P B Peters of the Irish Guards who was amongst other things Welterweight Champion Army and ISBA 1931-1933 and 1933 Welterweight Champion ABA. Tragically killed in 1938 in an air crash in South Africa along with some of the RAF and South African Air Force Boxing teams that he was training. This collection of silver cups and statues reflect a glittering career fighting for his regiment in the army, he did temporarily leave the Armed Forces in 1933 after winning the ABA title but found non military life not to his liking which is when the RAF came offering him a role as coach which is how he found himself in South Africa touring with the boxing teams. He is buried in Voortrekkerhugie and many tributes were written at the time of his untimely death by many in his...

Charity Sale for the RNLI The end of July saw us send auctioneer Harry down to Lyme Regis to assist our sister auction house Lyme Bay Auctions with their charity sale in the boat house. It was a fun 40 minutes auctioneering the usual range of local donations, and as ever we would urge anyone who has a few pounds spare to support this excellent organisation. Our End of July Sale We were delighted to offer a large selection of Porsche die casts, last seen approximate ten years ago at the Porsche museum, the forty or so lots were hotly contested and achieved great prices for our client. At Home Appraisals We are, happily, always busy but have seen a large rise in the number of at home appraisals of items for auction. Quite often customers ring and they have a large number of items for appraisal that packing up and bringing in for appraisal is frankly inconvenient and not practical. Therefore we offer a free at home appraisal, our valuers are quite often found perched at customers dining or kitchen tables looking through items for customer. If you want to take advantage of this service please give us a call on 01753 868076 The Gavel and The Gabble Podcast We are delighted with the reception our latest endeavour, our podcast, has received. A not too serious look at everything auctions, antiques, house clearances etc. It sees Harry and Simon chat through their weeks and answer questions from listeners and customers.   You should listen to the next episode if you want to hear how Harry was recently sent to the Headmistress’ office!! Links for Spotify and Apple Podcast are here.  Clearing the Frognal Estate This month saw our team start to clear the convent at the Marist school, previously the Frognal Estate with items coming up for sale in the next few weeks. The Frognal Estate was Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower’s HQ during WWII and we were still able to see his bathroom where no doubt he soaked in the tub whilst planning the campaign. Our Next Sale Due to the Bank Holiday weekend we have moved the date of our next sale to Saturday 20th August from 10.30 am ...