We’ve not had a collection of oddities from our local auction house recently as the sales over the summer have been relatively ordinary. But I’ve kept the best from the last two which together with the current sale make an impressive selection of lots, both weird and wonderful. My heart sinks when I read “An interesting lot …”, “A charming …”, “A spectacular …” or “etc.” in a description! And so much just provokes the reaction “Why?”.
As usual each of these items is a single lot and the text exactly as in the auction catalogue.
A calendar illustration in watercolour for the month of August, featuring a ghillie and his laird atop a white fell pony, in the round
Eleven 20th century oils, mainly unframed, including a woman on a bench signed Kamen, two studies of naked men, a small portrait, Anthony and Cleopatra signed Jack Leslie, etc.; together with a framed woodcut, two unframed watercolours, and a reproduction print of an erotic female in two parts
A large chunk of amethyst crystal, decoratively mounted with miniature metal figures of miners, a donkey, and a ladder

A charming brass-framed glazed miniature display cabinet, containing six Volkstedt porcelain figures of gambolling cherubs …
A rare fuel gauge housing from a DH4 Liberty bi-plane, now silver-plated as a photograph frame …
Three decorative wooden cars, a collection of religious items including crosses and figurines, Egyptian figurines, decorative tray, a small quantity of brassware, a stein etc.
A large wicker hamper, a Moet & Chandon top hat ice bucket plus another similar, a Sundridge fishing rod, a red vintage telephone, a wind up gramophone to be restored, a table top spinning wheel and a violin etc.
Ten vintage leather baseball gloves dating from the 1930’s onwards
A large ornate didgeridoo
A wooden inlaid fire screen, a pair of mounted buffalo horns and an oval shaped bevelled glass mirror
Four decorative vintage gnomes – two modelled as planters
A turn of the century mounted servants bell board and a WW2 gas mask
A large solid block of beeswax
Two heavy duty camera cases, two garden ornaments of a hare and a frog, a silver plated photograph frame and golf balls
Miscellanea, including a tambourine, draughtsman’s set, Victorian jigsaw puzzle, Mauchline ware box, anniversary clock, two smoothing irons, dominoes, etc.
Five decorative scatter cushions and three angel doll candle holders
A spectacular modern Indian silver sculpture of Michael Jackson, standing with arms raised on hexagonal base inscribed with his name and dates “1958-2009” picked out in gold, the underside inscribed “Commissioned by Hobd/Ref 0912002/Made in India/House of Billa Dhand/T999”, height 54 cm, presumed 999 pure, approximately 125 ozt, with fitted box
A collection of 21 African carved wood masks in various sizes, together with a pottery seated figure in pre-Columbian style
Three cameras comprising a Zeiss Ikon Cronos, a Kodak Kodan and a Kodak Brownie, an Italian red glazed table lamp and ashtray, a WW1 riding crop, two copper and brass horns, a Picqout ware tea service on tray, an Imari bowl, a metal and leather chess set and board, an AA car badge, a quantity of books and a vintage tape recorder etc.
Two Victorian ladies’ writing [sic] crops, one with gilt-metal dog-head finial, the other silver-mounted
Two large African carved wood figures, one in apparently European clothing, the head indented to form a bowl … the other of a woman with baby
A pair of Yoruba carved wood fertility stools, 39 cm high, and two pairs of Ibeje figures, 35 and 26 cm, the smaller with bead and fibre clothing
A late Victorian Derby porcelain yellow-ground jar gilt with foliage, together with two painted miniature birds, probably in bone with wood stands, and a plastic kangaroo
A magnificent Japanese carved bone sword of impressive size, decorated overall with warriors and formal ornament, Meiji period, 132 cm long
Four 19th Century heavy copper frying pans and a heavy copper saucepan by Smiths Matthews, Bloomsbury, a roll of bits, a 19th Century winder, a quantity of vintage tools including a spoke shave, a canal art watering can and a quantity of new French door handles
Six western cowboy hats including two black felt by Resistol and MHT, two tan suede by Romero and The Outback Hat, and two straw

A Mamod steam-driven Edwardian model fire engine
Two handsome vintage soda siphons one with gold mesh cover, three antique wooden planes, a vintage German mincer, two wood and brass magazine racks and a novelty miniature gramophone
A Novum sewing machine a wood and brass set of scales, a silver plated sugar casket, a Spong mincer and music stand