Lawrences auction house in Crewkerne has lots for sale!

At least you need all that if you want to get as big and successful as Lawrences auction house which has been operating in Crewkerne since 1964.

In that half century it's built up an enviable reputation and that, says Helen Carless, chairman and managing director and chairman of The Society of Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, is down in large part to trust - what she calls the 'halo effect'.

That trust comes from the wealth of knowledge of its 12 or 13 experts who catalogue the thousands of lots that come through the doors.

Mrs Carless said: "It's not a very complicated or sophisticated business.

"In general terms the role of an auction house is to get the vendor and buyers to come.

"That is basically what an auction house does.

"What makes the difference is the strength of its expertise.

"Someone has got to decide its worth going into a fine art sale, that is becoming more important as more people buy 'mail order'.

"They don't come and view the object so it is increasingly important that you highlight it so the right person comes along and secondly that you don't get it wrong.

"You need to be prepared to invest in experts, which we have."

And luckily for everyone involved its seems to be paying off.

Surprisingly there is no direct route into becoming an expert - they just teach themselves, said Mrs Carless.

In her capacity as chairman of SOFAA she is bringing in training films this year for a foundation and certificate level to address at least basic standards.

The training will only be available to members of SAFAA or employees of reputable auctioneers.

The important thing, said Mrs Carless, is to keep standards up and she's planning on sharing the training with all staff members at Lawrences for that very reason.

Lawrences is one of the only auction houses in the country that has a weekly general sale with between 650 and 1000 lots and that's made possible because of the sheer size of the premises.

New this year is the ability to bid on line for the top lots in the general sale and at the quarterly four or five day specialist sales for jewellery, ceramics, silver, paintings and furniture. Twice a year there are sales of books and militaria.

This year those categories will be joined by textiles and British clothing, which, according to Mrs Carless are growing markets.

These specialist sales can see 2,500 come under the hammer and if the experts are doing their job they recognise valuable items put into the general sale and boost them to the specialist events.

Like the two small Japanese netsukes of a bird and of a boy which have just sold for £4,270 [image 1296]; and a jade boulder carving for £5,360.[image 1301]. These had each been spotted in the firm's general saleroom and selected for the specialised sale where they attracted worldwide interest.

For the 45 staff employed, either full or part time, these specialist sales are the highlights.

And having visited one at the end of January it's easy to see why.

There are treasures in literally every nook and cranny of the enormous premises, up the stairways, in the reception hall - and they all have to be shifted around by staff - and believe me some of looked unfeasibly huge and heavy to move without a JCB.

Lawrences might employ 45 people but it could be so many more judging by the number of people who'd like to work there.

And that's in part the same as what has millions tuning into to shows like the Antiques Roadshow.

It's the stories that make the heart race - not the lots that sell for the most money or fetch over what is already a high estimate - it's the stories like the silver spoon in the recent specialist sale.

Ounce for ounce, the spoon proved to be the top draw. It was made in 1683 and sold at a `Frost Fair` on the frozen River Thames.

Lawrences’ specialist Alex Butcher said: “During the harsh winter from December 1682 to early February 1683, the ice was considered thick enough to support a crowd in late January.

"Booths, traders and stallholders sold all manner of objects that could be mementoes of a Frost Fair and a merchant selling an engraved spoon as a commemorative souvenir would have been kept busy."

The owners, from Somerset, had expected that it could be worth about £100 but its rarity and fine condition saw it sell for £14,000.

Or the time when a man drove into the parking lot with a huge canvas rolled up in his trailer as an afterthought on his way to the dump. It was so large they could only see it in the car park and despite its condition it turned out to be a painting of Sir Edward Banfield and sold for £150,000.

"That's what makes your heart race." said Mrs Carless.

Something else that sets Lawrences apart, said Mrs Carless, is its glossy catalogue.

She made a conscious decision years ago to keep it, combine all the sales categories and swallow the cost in favour of its benefits.

Although much of today's marketing is done through social media it is still a very tangible - and permanent - record of the sales.

Sellers love it and it attracts others who see how well Lawrences does its marketing and it is a powerful tool, said Mrs Carless.

She said: "These catalogues are more for the vendors either the ones currently selling or prospective ones - it's the halo effect - Lawrences do it well so when people think of selling they see how we do it and come to us."

And judging by the success of its first specialist sale of the year at the end of January it's working.

The £1 million sale saw records broken all over the shop floor - too numerous to mention from diamonds to pearls, amber, furniture, painting, ceramics and beyond.

Some of those records were good news for the west Dorset vendor of ten lots of furniture by Oliver Morel, furniture maker, teacher and farmer (1916- 2003).

(image auction morel)

Expert Simon Jones said: “Morel made his furniture in the Arts and Crafts tradition of exemplary craftsmanship with superb materials and a simple honesty of design.

"Consigned for sale by a west Dorset Vendor who had known Morel personally, the sale included 10 items of his furniture. The highlight was a large collectors cabinet, Morel’s last large commission."

Feverish bidding saw the cabinet make £18,300, an auction record for him.

The whole collection made just under £40,000 on the day.

Sometimes auctioneers get involved in estate clearance - such as Cefntilla, the Welsh seat of the Lords Raglan since the 1860s.

Everyone had to go and that included quite a miscellany from a sleigh, a governess cart, a stone trough as well as the more expected valuables, such as an English pearlware stirrup cup in the form of a fox mask which sold for£1,460, well ahead of expectations [image 1258].

Other records were broken in the paintings' sale - a pair of 1930s views of Hong Kong by Eizo Kato made £5,600 , the second highest price ever recorded for a pair of his pictures.

From the Anderson family collection at Limington House near Yeovil two views of Raby Castle by Joseph Miller, by descent in the family of Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Cleveland, made more than £8,000, a record price for the artist.

A Scottish family portrait of James Erskine, Lord Alva and his family by Francis Lindo dated from 1761presented in its original frame made a new record price of £16,470.

Not bad for a few days' work!