Antiques experts hope to find forgotten treasures

A leading auction house is urging people to dust down their forgotten treasures for a free valuation at a special one-day event in Ireland.

Experts from Christie’s are hoping to give amateur collectors the surprise of their life by putting a price tag on a bargain painting or forgotten heirloom.

The Antiques Roadshow-style fair follows last week’s sale of a vase in London for more than £32,000 (€37,350) that the owner bought for £1 (€1.17) at a car boot sale.

Claire Bailey-Coombs, Head of Irish Sale at Christie’s, said she was hoping something similar will come out of the valuations in Dublin on Wednesday.

“Ideally, there will be a few gems out there that will come as a surprise to their owners,” she said.

“We always want to say to someone: ’Do you realise what you have got?’ and ’Are you sitting comfortably because we’re going to give you a nice surprise when we tell you what it is worth?”’

All art objects are welcome but Christie’s are particularly interested in seeing paintings and jewellery with specialists on hand throughout the day at the Sherry Fitzgerald offices in Ballsbridge.

There is no fee for the valuation and no obligation to sell but owners can put valuable works forward for the auction house’s Irish Sale next May.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to come and show their paintings and jewellery to our specialists,” said Ms Bailey-Coombs.

“It’s also a perfect opportunity for us to sit down and a have a chat and meet people, because so often our correspondence is over the phone or by email.

“Our experts will be there and will be happy to see people all day, so come along.”

Last Wednesday, a vase by French designer Rene Lalique bought by a woman for £1 at a car boot sale in Dumfries, Scotland, fetched €37,890 at auction.

The anonymous Scottish woman asked Christie’s to sell the piece after it was identified on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow as Lalique’s Feuilles Fougeres, dating from 1929.

Joy McCall, a Christie’s art expert, who handled the sale, said the lucky owner was thrilled as she watched the auction unfold in the salesroom.

“She had contemplated throwing the vase away as it was not to her taste, having actually purchased it for just for the plant which was potted inside it,” she said.

“Fortunately she was persuaded to have it valued and discovered that she in fact possessed a hidden treasure.”