A 17th Century piece of English pottery caused a sensation at the Fine Art & Antiques Auction Sale held at Gildings, Roman Way, Market Harborough. It came under the hammer for £12,000 – far in excess of the presale estimate.

It was an English slipware posset pot (Lot 53), probably late 17th Century, of trailed foliate and abstract design, in olive green and brown on ochre, domed lid with an urn finial, twin handles, 23cm high.

Auctioneer Mark Gilding, who shared the rostrum for the day’s sale with his father, John, said: "Although it had extensive damage, it attracted tremendous interest because of its rarity. It is very unusual for a piece of this age to have its lid still. It would have been used for highly spiced drinks. It was a really exciting moment in a major catalogue sale with bids coming thick and fast from the room, the internet and on the telephone."

"It was brought into one of our valuation days by a local couple, who had no real expectations for it in view of its condition, so they were delighted with the outcome."

"Medals and ivories proved popular too on the day, especially those fresh to the market which the vast majority were and these made very good prices. So we are always pleased to see these at our valuation days in Market Harborough or Leicester and to give free advice to people perhaps thinking of selling all types of items."

A number of other widely varied lots also achieved high prices on the day, often in excess of their estimates, including medals and ivories.

Lot 53	Lot 280	Lot 452

Among them was Lot 280 £4,600 – a Victorian campaign group of three medals – to Colonel E D H Vibart 15th Bl Cavy; Indian Mutiny Medal (Lieut E D U. Vibart 5th BENGA N I, ADJT 1st MAHA Horse) with Lucknow and Delhi bars. Afghan War Medal (MAJ E D H. Vibart 15th BEN: CAV), India General Service Medal, with H\zra 1888 bar; with miniatures.

A brass cased carriage clock (Lot 452) made £4,500 – by Paul Garnier, Paris, with ‘one-piece’ case, the front glass sliding upwards "watered-silk" engine turned silver dial signed P Garnier, "Chaff-cutter" escapement, striking on a bell on the hour and half hour, the back plate engraved "PAUL GARNIER HER DU ROI, PARIS" – 13cm (5") with handle down, width 8.5cm (3.5").

Lot 229	Lot 242	Lot 395

An Arts & Crafts circular brass plaque (Lot 229) fetched £2,400 by John Pearson, fruit tree design within a foliate border, engraved "J Pearson 1892" 5/6" 53cm (21") diameter; Emanuel Bowen and Thomas Bowen "Atlas Anglicanus, Or a Complete Sett of the Maps of the Counties of South Britain; Divided into Their Respective Hundreds, Wapentakes, Wards, Rapes, Lathes, etc, (Lot 242) £2,300 – (NB) the maps all hand-coloured and collated alphabetically rather than numerically, (binding lost, some staining and tears) 44 maps, possibly the general map of Yorkshire missing; and Lot 395 £2,100 – an original book illustration by Denys Watkins Pitchford "Dodder Meets Sir Herne" – oil on board 20 x 15cm (8 x 6") Footnote: Original artwork for the colour illustration of Watkins Pitchford book published under the pseudonym B.B. "The Little Grey Men: A Story for the Young in Heart" 1942. Provenance: Purchased from the artist.

Jewellery continued to attract buyers. An Art Deco platinum and diamond single stone ring (Lot 154) went for £1,950, with stepped diamond shoulders, estimated 0.90ct; an 18ct hallmarked gold diamond solitaire ring (Lot 150) £1,400 – the stone approximately 1.65ct; and an 18ct hallmarked gold dress ring (Lot 149) £1,200 – set with an oval sapphire, surrounded by eight diamonds.

Lot 154	Lot 150	Lot 149

Ivory was in demand too. A large Japanese carved Okimono (Lot 196) at £1,900 made well above estimate, so did Lot 194 – a carved ivory box £1,850. The Okimono was modelled as a farmer, Meiji period, standing carrying a heavy basket with a scythe, double gourd bottle and bag, two-character mark (left hand missing) 21cm (8.25"), while the box, probably Dieppe, late 19th Century, was straight sided form carved with figures playing a board game and figures smoking, the end panel with an old woman taking snuff and an old man with a pipe, flat lid, fruiting vine outlines, 15cm (7.5").

Lot 196	Lot 194	Lot 202

A Dieppe carved ivory Silenus Term candlestick (Lot 202) sold for £1,600 – labelled J Poisson, the half figure supporting a cherub, with a basket of fruiting vines on his head, circular base, labelled J Poisson, Ivorier, 10 Rue de L’Ancne, Poissonnerie a Dieppe, 26cm (10.25"); a pair of European carved ivory candlesticks (Lot 203) £1,400 – urn -shaped sconces, ovoid shafts with rams heads and beading, foliate base sections, each on a circular foot (damaged with losses) 21.5cm (8.5"); and Lot 199 – a pair of small Japanese turned ivory candlesticks – also £1,400 – painted in inlaid decoration of flowers and foliage and predominantly gilt pallet with mother of pearl 14cm (5.5").

Lot 203	Lot 199	Lot 172

There was interest in brass and silver items too. A brass sundial by John Grundy of Bosworth (Lot 172) achieved £1,700 – 18th Century, engraved – "John Grundy, England, Boswoth al Philomall" – 30cm (11.75") diameter; a Victorian four-piece silver tea and coffee set (Lot 110) £1,550 – by Robert Hennell, London, 1871, George III design, comprising straight sided teapot with serpentine outlines, bright-cut engraved foliate decoration with swags and banding, ivory finial and handle, 14cm (5.5") on a stand, raised on four talon and ball feet, coffee pot of tapering straight sided form, blank oval cartouches, ivory handle and finial, 24cm (9.5"), two-handled sugar bowl and milk jug, 74 ozs gross – total 5 items; and a Victorian style silver four-piece tea and coffee set (Lot 83) £1,200 – by Charles Boyton & Sons, Sheffield 1973, lobed form, comprising a teapot, a compressed bowl, foliate finial, raised on four splayed feet, 17cm (6.75"), a pear-shaped coffee pot, 23cm (9"), together with a two-handled sugar bowl and milk jug, 77oz gross.

Lot 110	Lot 83	Lot 412

Pictures also maintained their appeal to buyers. "The Spoils of the Heathen, The Victors of Lapanto presenting their trophies to the Infanta Isabella" an oil on canvas by Robert Alexander Hillingford (Lot 412) fetched £1,600 – monogrammed – 51 x 76cm (20 x 30"); with a similar price £1,600 paid for another oil on canvas (Lot 389) "Old Deptford Shipyard" by T Luny, 55 x 96cm (22 x 38"); James John Hill’s oil on canvas (Lot 413) Young Beauty, carrying a terrier, signed and dated 1864, £1,400, the canvas torn, 61 x 51cm (24 x 20"); Lot 378 also £1,400 – English School, early 19th Century, The Kings Own Light Dragoons, military equestrian portrait, inscribed "The Third Light Dragoons" – watercolour with gouache – 20 x 15cm (8 x 6") – footnote: offered with transcript of a letter from John Paget, Private Three Light Dragoons to Mrs James Sharp, Birstall, Leicestershire, and Lot 401 £1,350 – English School mid-18th Century, Boy with a terrier, half-length, oil on relined canvas, 76 x 61cm (30 x 24").

Lot 389	Lot 413	Lot 378

Lot 401	Lot 17	Lot 179

A large Royal Doulton character jug "Hatless" Drake (Lot 17) made £1,500 – designed by Harry Fenton, 1941 (6"); a Chinese blue and white baluster-shaped jar (Lot 46) £1,400 – probably 19th Century, decorated with flowering prunus on a cracked ice ground, 27cm with a carved wood leaf formed domed lid 38cm (15") overall, and another Chinese baluster-shaped jar with flowering prunus on a cracked ice ground, carved wood lid, 44cm (17.5").

A pair of cut-glass ten-light chandeliers (Lot 179) realised £1,200, probably Bohemian 20th Century, with facetted festoons and pendants from the drip pans, electric candle fitments, 76cm drop (30").