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The latest offering by Sheffield Railwayana Auctions, on 9th December, witnessed an amazing turn of events. "ROVER", a GWR Broad Gauge nameplate estimated at £18,000-£20,000 before the sale reached an astonishing £38,200 thereby creating a new world record for a nameplate beating the £37,500 paid in SRA's Hendon Auction in October for "King Edward VII". The massed audience of 700-800 hardly had time to catch breath before, 100 Lots later, they were confronted by "CITY OF CARLISLE", a LMS 'Princess Coronation' class Pacific nameplate. Estimated at around £30,000 it soared to £40,200 thereby eclipsing the record less than an hour old. "Mauretania", a Class 40 diesel nameplate, nearly doubled the previous highest figure for its class and was eventually knocked down at £9,900. "Cromwell's Castle", a BR (W) nameplate, made a very creditable £17,100; "Sir Hectimere", a Southern Railway 'King Arthur' £14,200; "The Rufford" a LNER 'Hunt' £18,600, despite not having its current fox embellishment, and "Firth of Clyde" £16,600.
Nameplates, however, were only 12 Lots of a total of 550, and all categories were buoyant. In totems "Peak Forest For Peak Dale" made £1,550; "Hexham" £1,950; "Sutton Coldfield" £1,050; "New Holland Town" £1,150; "Thirsk" £1,050; "Kingswear" £1,400 and "Halifax Town" £1,300. The worksplate from "Cock 0' The North" climbed to £10,600; that from "Great Northern" £5,500. Some eye-catching prices were made for posters including LNER Royal Deeside at £1,550; Cuneo's Forging Ahead at £1,800; LNER Appleby Blast Furnace £1,000; and Cuneo's Royal Albert Bridge at £850. A Southern Railway station sign for "Creekmoor Halt" made £ 1,350; a Cheshire Lines Committee handlamp £800; the smokebox numberplate from "Boadicea" £1,900; a White Star Line china bowl £1,950; George Stephenson's silver watch key £620; and several diesel/electric worksplates exceeded £1,000.
The Auction realised a record £381,274, with only 14 Lots remaining unsold. (2.5%), a figure even more amazing bearing in mind the SRA Auction at Hendon only 5 weeks previously realised £324,926.
Ian Wright
9 December 2000
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