Rarity and celebrity add value in the memorabilia market

Victor Mee auction will stir memories, writes Des O'Sullivan

An original c1900 enamel Fry's Chocolate ad at Victor Mee.

A Fry’s Five Boys c1900 advertisement at Victor Mee’s next auction underlines how rarity and celebrity add value in a memorabilia market which continues to grow strongly in Ireland.

This particular enamel sign is rare. It harks back to days when chocolate — taken in moderation and highly prized — was a special treat for children. 

The enamel sign, which depicts five boys expressing desperation, pacification, expectation, acclamation and finally realisation that it’s Fry’s chocolate, leads the online August sale of 930 lots by Victor Mee next Tuesday and Wednesday. 

The estimate is €4,000-€6,000.

A framed advertising mirror for Bendigo Tobaccos.

Copper figures of musicians on painted boards from Slattery’s of Capel St. in Dublin are of interest. 

This pub venue and early house licensed since 1821, steeped in music, history and character, has long been a gathering place for market traders, musicians and storytellers. 

Slattery’s is a much-loved hub of Irish culture and traditional music known for performances by everyone from Christy Moore, Donal Lunny and Seamus Ennis to the Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Kate Nash and Townes van Zandt.

The unique embossed figures of a fiddle player, a button accordionist, a bodhrán player, a pip player and a tin whistler, a banjo player and a flute player are estimated at €300-€600 each.

With hand-drawn illustration by Brian McCormack and copper work by John A Brennan they are redolent of the cultural atmosphere which Slattery’s is renowned for.

A Youghal Choral Society poster from 1952.

An Old Irish Reindeer Whisky Kiloh and Co Cork framed showcard is estimated at €1,200-€1,800 and the auction kicks off with an Allman’s of Bandon Old Irish Whisky advertising sign (€50-€80). 

A Beamish Stout light-up box for a counter dating to the 1970’s has an estimate of €50-€100.

A framed advertising mirror for Bendigo Tobaccos produced for W & M Taylor Ltd., Dublin and manufactured by A & H Pemberton of Liverpool has an estimate of €3,000-€5,000. 

In Art Nouveau style, it features hand gilded and reverse painted lettering in rich red, gold and cobalt blue and few examples survive in such well preserved condition. 

An original Will’s Woodbine Cigarettes enamel sign, 150 cm x 92 cm, in well-preserved condition is the sort of lot that is sought after by collectors. The estimate is €300-€500.

An embossed copper figure of a fiddle player from Slattery's.

Sales like this serve to remind us of how quickly things move on and can stir many memories. Lot 159, for instance, is a framed February 1952 poster for A Royal Jester by Youghal Choral Society at the Town Hall (€40-€80). The catalogue is online.