We are really busy at the Auction Gallery preparing for our Fine Art sale at the end of March so I thought I would tell you about a couple of my favourite things that are coming up for sale.

The first is a large porcelain tureen, cover and stand made by the 18^th Century factory Caughley.

Caughley or Salopian porcelain as it is sometimes known was founded in 1775 near Broseley in the beautiful Shropshire countryside. The founder was called Thomas Turner who had trained at Worcester porcelain. He soon took on a partner Ambrose Gallimore and they became the earliest known porcelain factory in Shropshire.

They were known for blue transfer printing imitating the Chinese export wares that were very popular at the time. Their wares are very similar to the more expensive Worcester porcelain producing almost identical designs like the Fisherman, Chinese designs and floral arrangements.

They marked their wares in various ways from a blue S, So, Sx or a C in the style of Worcester. In 1783 they open a warehouse in London and employed over 100 people and had three kilns in production. The company attracted aristocratic customers and their designs were influenced by the great Continental factories and gold leaf was used to enhance the porcelain.

Unfortunately, by the mid 1790’s the factory was in decline after the quality of the porcelain had deteriorated and in 1799 the factory was sold to Blakeway, Rose and Co of Coalport fame.

Our tureen is of typical blue and white porcelain and is decorated with flowers, fruit and pine cones and is a beautiful lobed oval shape and carries a pre-sale estimate of £200-300.

My other favourite lot in the sale could not be more different. It was brought into one of our Huddersfield valuation days and it is memorabilia from a television programme called “The Great Egg Race”. The programme ran from 1979-86 and was hosted by Heinz Wolff. The contestants had to create a Heath Robinson style mechanical contraption capable of transporting an egg in a rubber band powered vehicle the furthest distance without breaking it.

The Vendors late father, who was an engineer, won the contest one year and was presented with a large Wedgwood cup and went on to compete in the international championship in Canada.

The lot includes this cup, the egg contraption in an hand built case and three large photographs of it in action. It’s a real unique piece of television history and not something that we are likely to see again. A really difficult thing to value but I have put a presale estimate of £100-150 on it.

The sale takes place on 22nd March so do come down and see if anything takes your fancy.