WITH only three sale dates until Christmas, auctioneers at Moore Allen & Innocent are preparing to help antiques collectors make the most of the season.

Going under the hammer on Friday, November 11, is a collection of Christmas tree decorations by the likes of Georg Jensen, Swarovski, Orrefors, and Villeroy & Boch.

Danish silversmiths Georg Jensen release a unique Christmas tree decoration every year. The designs are available in gold-plated or silver-plated brass. Included in the lot are boxed examples of the Three Kings from 1996, the Christmas Pig from 2003, and the Snowscape from 2004.

The lot also contains three boxed annual edition snowflakes by Austrian glassmaker Swarovski – 1997, 2000, and 2001 – along with an annual edition crystal bauble from 1998 from Swedish glassworks Orrefors, and three tree decorations from German ceramicist Villeroy & Boch.

A bid of between £150 and £200 should secure the lot… and make for a classy, sparkly tree.

For the Christmas table, the silverwares section contains tablewares both historic and modern to wow dinner guests.

A circa 1886 claret jug by John Grinsell & Sons of London, in hobnail cut glass mounted with hammered silver, should attract bids of between £100 and £150.

A silver-plated entrées dish decorated with seashells is expected to achieve £30 to £50, as are a pair of circa 1898 sweetmeats dishes in pierced Sheffield silver with love heart motif.

An amusing modern pair of salts in the form of a frog pulling a snail shell mounted by a beetle, accompanied by a Garrard & Co salt cruet in the form of a frog, should make £50 to £80.

And a Park Green pepper mill from the Peter Piper range, made in silver by Whitehill Silver & Plate Co in 1989 in a tribute to the classic Peugeot design (the French firm has been making pepper mills for longer than it has been making cars) is expected to achieve £50 to £80.

Finally, taking pride of place in the centre of someone’s Christmas table this year will be a Victorian silver plate turkey platter and meat dome, made by J H Potter of Sheffield.

The dome, with pumpkin finial, is embossed with a dragon and the Latin inscription Labor omnia vincit – work conquers all – no doubt a reminder to the family that the hard graft of the head of the household bought them the turkey platter, and the bird sitting on it.

A bid of £150 to £200 should secure the lot.

For a full auction catalogue, log on to www.mooreallen.co.uk