Bobby Dazzlers guaranteed as David Dickinson heads to the Cotswolds

TV presenter David Dickinson will be heading to the Cotswolds later this month – and bringing a haul of ‘bobby dazzlers’ with him.

The treasures will be offered for auction at the sale rooms of Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester on Friday, January 27, as part of The Duke’s ITV show Dickinson’s Real Deal.

Back in December hundreds of antiques owners packed into Newport’s Christchurch Centre to have their valuables examined by antiques dealers.

A lucky few received cash offers from the dealers, while Moore Allen’s auctioneer Philip Allwood’s job was to persuade them they could get a better price at auction.

The Duke, as always, was on hand to act as mediator and throw in one of his famous catchphrases: ‘bobby dazzlers’ for something of exceptional quality, or ‘cheap as chips’ for a bargain.

The highlight of both the auction and the TV show is likely to be a 19th century Chinese centre table with circular cloisonné top decorated with an imperial five toed dragon surrounded by carp.

Measuring nearly a metre in diameter, the table carries an estimate of £3,000 to £5,000, and auctioneers are expecting particular interest from the buoyant Chinese collectors market.

The table takes pride of place in an extensive Oriental section, which includes Chinese and Japanese porcelain, cloisonné, and bronze ware.

Among the standout lots are a pair of circa 1900 Cantonese vases with an estimate of £300 to £500, and an 18th century ginger jar decorated with a river scene and pagoda (estimate £300 to £500).

Back to the bobby dazzlers, and staying with ceramics, a large collection of Royal Doulton Flambé, which will be sold over 15 lots, should collectively achieve between £1,500 and £2,000.

Among the best lots are a 23.5cm tall fox with an estimate of £100 to £150, and a 34.5cm long stalking tiger, which should achieve between £150 and £200.

Meanwhile, a collection of 1970s Troika Pottery by potters including Linda Thomas, Alison Brigden, Sue Lowe, Louise Jinks, Penny Broadribb, Avril Bennet, and George Perrott is expected to attract bids of £300 to £500.

And a rare late 18th / early 19th century Whieldon type cream ware glazed pottery figure of a young pan on horseback with two panniers carries a £150 to £250 estimate.

In the pictures section, a limited edition, signed and dated print of Bullfight with Bull and Picador by Pablo Picasso should make £300 to £500, while two large circa 1748 engravings taken from a book and framed, one showing the muscles of the human body, the second the bones, should make £100 to £150.

In the books section, a first edition of Ian Fleming’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963) complete with dust jacket should attract bids of £150 to £250, while a copy of Ludwig Haymann’s Die Olympischen Spiele 1936 is expected to achieve £100 to £150.

The souvenir of the 1936 Olympics – hosted by Adolf Hitler, who threatened to ban Jews and black athletes from competing – contains 100 stereographic images by Heinrich Hoffmann, official photographer for the Nazi party, and the glasses with which to view the images in 3D. The pictures are a varied mix of sporting action shots, behind-the-scenes portraits, and Nazi propaganda.

The 28 lots of bobby dazzlers also include a 19th century long cased clock (estimate £100 to £150), a circa 1940 Russian military Shasqua sword with bronze mounts bearing the Russian star, hammer and sickle, and CCCP emblems (estimate £500 to £700) and an early 20th century Japanese Wakizashi sword with carved bone handle Tsuba and scabbard decorated with figures (estimate £200 to £300).

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