Local history sells at auction

Which came first: the auction sale or the collector? It may be of interest to historians that, early on, it was only when there were more than two collectors at the auction that the auctioneer arrived, shortly followed by the dealer.

The ability for auction sales to offer myriad items to a multitude of potential buyers has always been an exciting prospect to all those involved. Mainstream television and new technology has further increased the attraction of auctions. So it was no surprise that historians turned collectors at the Golding Young and Thomas Mawer November auction.

Among the 1,200 lots offered were a number of local interest. In the postcard section three were numerous original, early twentieth century, black and white photographic cards showing the Louth disaster of 1920, the Lincoln typhoid outbreak in 1904 and the Bassingham Fete of 1912, fetching £48, £95 and £80 respectively. The star lot for the historians was an album of original photographs for the Lincoln firm William Foster and Co which showed the company’s development and production of the first tanks for the First World War. The album certainly attracted a lot of interest with many collectors and historians taking the opportunity to view in person rather than rely solely on the internet. At the auction, competition started in the room with three disappointed under-bidders dropping out early against the internet bidders who were also successfully outbid by a local collector whose bid of £4600 finally saw off late competition. Historically the sale could be described as quite a battle.

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