I Told You That Someone Would Get A Bargain

I just got the cheque from local auctioneers Abbotts of Campsea Ashe - £247.74. I'm not complaining as I knew that putting some of the stuff that was cluttering the garage into a general sale was taking a risk and they were extremely efficient in getting a cheque to me just a few days after the sale. The Victorian wire planters sold for £100 which was about what I expected despite buying them years ago from an antique dealer for £250 - we know that the dealers have to make a profit and we enjoyed having them in the conservatory for many years.

But the £40 that we got for this Victorian fireplace was a bit of a shock. This was a hell of a bargain for someone as it is a genuine antique complete with patent design registration mark for the 1870s and cost us over £300. When you take into account the charges, the £30 we got was probably not much more than its scrap value. As I said, I'm not complaining, we needed to clear things out, we gambled and we lost. Mind you with prices like this I'm tempted to visit the auction as a buyer and restart the eBay selling that I enjoyed so much from 1999 for seven or eight years. I've still got all the reference books and think I'm still enough of an expert on antique pottery and porcelain to spot a bargain.

It's a good job that Bonhams in London came good with the sale of the Japanese stuff last month. Their cheque took a bit longer to come but it's now cleared and will pay for the new car.

We're heading off for Gatwick tonight as we've a flight to Spain to catch early in the morning. Our niece is getting married on the Costa Del Sol on Saturday so it's two days in the sun and a chance to see the family briefly before heading back to Framlingham on Sunday. How times have changed from our own wedding in the glamorous Chatham Registry Office and the reception in Rainham Scout Hut - the cheese sandwiches and sausage rolls were delicious and it was genuinely one of the happiest days of my life.