Antique Silver Drama

Hear Geoffrey tell this story.

Please turn up the sound on your PC

Click the picture to listen

I remember quite clearly in 1970 in my large antique shop on Richmond Hill Bournemouth attending to a very nice middle aged lady.

She was very well dressed and spent time admiring all the fine antiques I then had in stock. When I approached her to ascertain if she wanted to purchase, she sadly informed me that her husband had recently died. She said she would regularly donated £20,000 to her favourite charity. However it appeared the her deceased husband spent all his great wealth purchasing very early silver English items made in the 17^th & 18^th century and she no longer had the funds for her donation.

She mentioned that her husband gave her anything she ever wanted and she thought he was quite comfortably off. But the silly man was obsessed with purchasing early English silver and now there was not enough money to support her charities. Apparently her husband had some pieces dating back to Charles I and had spent his whole life collecting, often going all over the world to buy to acquire items.

Now all she had were six large crates full of the beastly things.

I comforted the good lady and told her that old silver was very rare and expensive. I said that I would help her to get the top price if she wanted to dispose of them. I also mentioned a figure of at least £500,000 if her descriptions were accurate.

She told me that it was difficult to believe, but agreed for me to be her agent and I was to sell the items for her on a commission. As it was a Saturday afternoon, I suggested that we go straight away for me to view the crates and value the contents.

She sadly told me she was tired. When I suggested a visit on the Sunday she informed that she always spent Sundays in Church. We finally made an appointment for 9 a.m. Monday morning to give her time to unpack the crates.

It was my intention to arrange the silver sale for her in Sotheby’s or Christie’s auction rooms, which in my opinion would get her the best price. In the meanwhile I would advance her the £20.000 she needed for her charity.

She still looked a little sad and unbelieving but off she went, saying to me "see you Monday at 9 a.m."

I knew that this would be a very important commission deal for me and I was determined to get her the really top prices and remove her financial fears.

Sharp at 9 a.m. on Monday I turned up at the address she had given to me in Talbot Woods and I rang the bell for fifteen Minutes, but there was no reply. So I left a note in the letter box letting her know that I had, as promised, called to see the silver.

An hour later I returned to her house to try once again to see her and again there was no reply, so I left a second note with my address on and wrote that I had called twice and would she get in touch? I then returned to my shop on Richmond Hill quite puzzled that I could get no reply to my call.

I was in the shop for about ten minutes, when a reporter came in and asked me if I had left a note in a house in Talbot Woods. When I replied in the affirmative, he told me that the lady of the house had committed suicide on Sunday night, and that the police had been informed.

I read in a Fine Art newspaper, some months later, that a collection of early period English Silver, had made over £1.500,000 and it was advertised as the silver Sale of the Year, I am sure that it was from that sadly troubled lady.