Auction round up: March’s prize lots

Whether you’re searching for a pre-owned bargain or a rare investment item, there are some interesting lots to bid for at some of the UK’s specialist auction houses this month.

First up is the Antiques & Collectables sale at Fellows in Birmingham, recently named the leading UK regional auctioneer 2017 (by hammer total) by Antiques Trade Gazette. The 5 March auction features a highly collectable 1930s Art Deco figurine from acclaimed Italian ceramic and doll factory Lenci. The earthenware boy comes with an estimate of £2,000-3,000, and Fellows sold its female counterpart in June 2013 for a hammer price of £7,000 – way above its estimate.

Fellows is also holding one of its regular Antique & Modern Jewellery sales on 15 March. Highlights this month include some beautiful Cartier pieces at a range of price points (pictured top), from a ‘Diamants Legers’ necklace (£400-600) and a pair of 18ct gold ‘Tank Francaise’ diamond cufflinks (£1,000-1,500) to a platinum diamond single-stone ring (£10,000-15,000).

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Cheffins, meanwhile, has some quirky jewellery pieces in its monthly Fine Art Sale, being held at its Cambridge saleroom on 7and 8 March. Standout lots include a Victorian gem-set snake necklace (£300-500) and a late Victorian amethyst and seed pearl fringe necklace (£800-1,200). But one of the most interesting – and highest value – lots in the sale is a previously unrecorded painting that has been attributed to the Italian Old Master artist Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as ‘il Guercino’ due to his pronounced squint.

The painting (thought to originate from around 1625-1630) depicts an Italian Mastiff in front of a mountainous landscape, and is an exceptionally rare example of Guercino’s paintings of an individual animal. The painting, which comes with an estimate of £80,000-120,000, has been in a Suffolk country house for the past 167 years and has been previously unknown to scholars.

Just a few miles south of Cheffins is IWM Duxford, the location of H&H’s Motor Car Auction on 21 March. Going under the hammer at this popular sale from the renowned motoring specialist are a number of lovingly restored luxury cars from the 1950s and 1960s, from some of the world’s leading marques. Highlights include a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (£65,000-70,000), a 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider (£45,000-55,000) and a 1967 Jaguar E-Type 4.2 Series 1.5 Roadster (£80,000-90,000), as well as a 1966 Aston Martin DB6 (£170,000-210,000).

Driving a classic car requires one to look the part, and those looking for some fabulous designer accessories from big-name brands should head to Chiswick Auctions on 14 March for its Designer Handbags & Fashion auction, where covetable lots include a Chanel Medium pink tweed Classic 2.55 Flap Handbag (£800-1,200), a Hermes black Ardennes Birkin 35 (£4,000-6,000), and a Burberry brown alligator briefcase (£2,000-3,000).