I am very bad at auctions – I arrive too late to properly scope out the gems then forget how much my upper limit is when bidding. I know this because I recently spent an hour or two at a General Sale held by Cape’s Dunn, an auctioneers in Manchester where my mother works.
I came away empty handed but still had fun bidding for a medieval ring and a tripod wash basin after fawning over an onyx cigarette box that was almost nice enough to make me contemplate taking up smoking. There were a few trinkets and ornaments and a great set of Carl Zeiss binoculars in a scruffed up leather case.
Cape’s Dunn also hold Fine Art sales and have an amazing treasure trove of jewellery and paintings in the back. My next move: finding an auction house in London with the same incredible furniture prices so I can give Ikea a miss for once.
