Items available through auction belonging to the private collection of the late Michael Baggott. A Victorian novelty silver Jester pepper pot dating from 1868. Estimate of £1,000-£1,500. (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)
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A late BBC Flog It! star and antiques expert’s private collection of silver has sold for more than double of estimate at auction.
Michael Baggott, who passed in January earlier this year, was known for his keen eye on the metal.
He specialised in early spoons, boxes, provincial and continental silver alongside doing general valuations on the hit TV show.
Over 500 pieces from the late 17th century, with 450 exclusively silver, are being sold across three online auctions.
Michael Baggott. (Jam Press/Copyright the Baggot family archive)
The carefully curated collection comes from all across the UK, from Liverpool, York, Chester, Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen.
And part one of the antiques expert’s collection – including 150 lots – sold for £125,000; more than double the £60,000 estimate, reports Need To Know.
A rare George III York silver tontine chamberstick and snuffer, by the most revered York Silversmiths of the Late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Century, Hampston and Prince, sold for £8,190 against an estimate of £1,000-£1,5000 (lot 712). (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)
A rare George III York silver tontine chamberstick and snuffer was expected to fetch up to £1,500 – but it sold for £8,190.
There was a “fierce” bidding war for one of the rarest known pieces of York silver – a Victorian provincial ceremonial spade – which is engraved with an armorial and inscribed: ‘This spade was presented to the Lady Mayoress of York, Mrs W. Fox Clarke, on the occasion of her planting a tree in St. George’s Field in commemorating the marriage of H.R.H the Prince of Wales with Princess Alexandra of Denmark, March 10th 1863.’
Items available through auction belonging to the private collection of the late Michael Baggott. A Victorian novelty silver Jester pepper pot dating from 1868. Estimate of £1,000-£1,500. (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)
It sold for £4,032 against an estimate of £1,500.
Other items snapped up include a rectangular Victorian ‘castle-top’ vinaigrette, estimated at £500, but sold for £2,142.
A George III provincial silver caddy spoon was flogged alongside a George IV Fiddle pattern caddy spoon for £819 and a George IV silver-gilt sideboard dish went for £5,040.
Finally, a George IV silver-mounted naval snuff box was won for an impressive £5,170, against a valuation of £800.
Items available through auction belonging to the private collection of the late Michael Baggott. A Victorian novelty silver Jester pepper pot dating from 1868. Estimate of £1,000-£1,500. (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)
“We have been so thrilled with the interest in Michael’s sale from worldwide collectors and every lot in today’s sale was sold,” Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at auctioneers Woolley and Wallis, said.
“[…] The public view was very well-attended and everyone was extremely impressed with the variety and quality of his collection.”
Michael joined the show in 2004 and was popular with viewers because of his honest approach – and sense of humour.
A Victorian provincial ceremonial spade with Royal engraving and the maker’s mark of John Bell – sold for £4,032 against an estimate of £1,000-£1,5000 (lot 713). (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)
After 1,000 episodes and 17 years, the show came to an end.
The Birmingham-born expert died at the age of 51 due to a heart attack.
The rest of the collection, which is believed to be the most comprehensive collection of silver assayed in York ever to come onto the open market, went to auction yesterday (16 July).
A George IV silver-gilt sideboard dish by the renowned Birmingham silversmith Edward Thomason (c. 1769-1849) sold for £5,040 against an estimate £2,000-£3,000 (lot 831). (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)Items available through auction belonging to the private collection of the late Michael Baggott. A Victorian novelty silver Jester pepper pot dating from 1868. Estimate of £1,000-£1,500. (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)Items available through auction belonging to the private collection of the late Michael Baggott. A Victorian novelty silver Jester pepper pot dating from 1868. Estimate of £1,000-£1,500. (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)Silver spoons were a penchant of Baggotts and one particular example popular in the sale was a George III provincial silver caddy spoon, by Hampston and Prince, York, dating from c.1795. It features a shell bowl and Onslow pattern handle. It was sold alongside a George IV provincial silver Fiddle pattern caddy spoon, by Cattle and North, York in 1828. The pair sold for £819 against an estimate of £150-£200 (lot 684). (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)A Victorian provincial ceremonial spade with Royal engraving and the maker’s mark of John Bell – sold for £4,032 against an estimate of £1,000-£1,5000 (lot 713). (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)A rectangular Victorian silver engraved ‘Castle-top’ vinaigrette features Witley Court in Worcestershire. It was produced by Nathaniel Mills of Birmingham in 1843. Silver vinaigrettes were first created in around 1770, with them first being worn by both men and women as pendants. They were small boxes used to hold and diffuse a fragrant scent, often aromatic vinegar, to mask unpleasant odours. Highly popular in the 18th and 19th centuries among the upper classes, they contained a sponge soaked in a fragrant liquid. The sponge would be held under the nose to inhale the scent, offering a temporary escape from foul smells, or to revive someone who had fainted! This rare example sold for £2,142 against an estimate of £300-£500 (lot 753). (Jam Press/Copyright Woolley & Wallis)
