Thousands of pounds of vintage wine and spirits sold at auction

THOUSANDS of pounds worth of vintage wines and spirits changed hands at an auction in the Cotswolds last month.

For connoisseurs, the traditional pre-Christmas wine and toys sale is one of the highlights of the auction calendar – and this year's event did not disappoint.

Perfect for hogmanay, a single bottle of Talisker whisky – eight years old when it was bottled in the 1970s – achieved the biggest single lot price in the section, with the hammer falling at £400: a shade over £13 per pub measure.

The label of the bottle featured the 'TD' logo of Scottish Malt Distillers' subsidiary Dailuaine-Talisker Distillers Ltd and proclaimed itself The Golden Spirit of the Isle of Skye.

Also in the spirits section, a single bottle of Croizet Bonaparte Fine Champagne Cognac 1914 achieved £300, while 12 bottles of Harvey's Grande Champagne Cognac Frapin Vintage 1943, landed 1963, were offered as single bottle lots, each making between £150 and £180.

In wines, a single bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 1986 achieved £260, while a single bottle of Grand Vin de Chateau Latour Premiere Grand Cru Classé Pauillac 1988 sold for £220.

Top of the 'pops' were a single bottle of Moët & Chandon Dry Imperial 1966, which sold for £220, a single bottle of Moët & Chandon Dom Pérignon 1985, which achieved £190, and a single bottle of Moët & Chandon 1973, which made £120.

Over in the toys section, a box of various dolls including two 1964 Action Man figures was the stand-out lot, achieving £700 against a modest £50 to £80 estimate.

A Mamod 'The Mamod Steam Railway' set with locomotive, log carriage, open-top wagon, fuel tablets, and track sold for £170, while a Bing clockwork 4-4-0 locomotive and tender, finished in LMS livery, achieved £100.

A 20th century dapple painted rocking horse by J Highet romped home at £420 against an estimate of £100 to £150, and a circa 1900 painted wooden dolls' house in the Georgian style achieved £160 against an estimate of £50 to £80.

Elsewhere in the sale, a massive collection of first day covers, commemorative covers, and commemorative coins was sold in various boxed lots, each with an estimate of £100 to £150.

Stand-out lots included a box of first day covers marking royal celebrations, including the Coronation of Elizabeth II and and Golden Jubilee gold proof set, which achieved £900, a box of first day covers including a Victoria Cross 50p coin first day cover, which achieved £580, and two boxes of modern commemorative proof coinage, which each achieved £500.

The accolade of top price of the day, however, was reserved for an 18-carat white gold heart-shaped solitaire diamond ring, the single stone weighing approximately two carats, which achieved £1,350.

The first auction of 2018 will be held on Friday, January 12, while the popular bi-annual sporting sale returns on Friday, February 2. Catalogues are available online at mooreallen.co.uk