News - Rare book is sold for £5 million (Worksop/New York)

A PRECIOUS rare book which once belonged to Worksop landowner the sixth Duke of Portland sold for more than £5 million pounds at an auction in America yesterday.

The four-volume first-edition copy of The Birds of America, by John James Audubon, had been expected to sell for between $7m and $10m US dollars at Christie’s in New York.

In the end it sold for $7,922,500 - the equivalent of £5,149,625.

The book, which featured the Duke of Portland’s own ornate bookplate, was described as ‘the finest colour-plate book ever produced’.

Snapped up by an unnamed American collector, it was one of only 119 copies to have survived.

The Duke owned Welbeck Abbey at Clumber Park near Worksop and was not only a landowner but also a Conservative politician and racehorse breeder and owner. According to records, in 1911 he employed 29 live-in servants - one of whom was a 16-year-old Rotherham-born telegraph boy named George Taylor. The Duke died in 1943.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/rare_book_is_sold_for_5_million_1_4167503

News - Precious book to be sold at auction (Worksop/New York)

A RARE 170-year-old book once owned by a wealthy Worksop landowner is expected to sell for up to £6 million at Christie’s in New York tomorrow.

The copy of The Birds Of America by John James Audubon belonged to the sixth Duke of Portland. It is in four volumes known as the Duke of Portland’s Set and features his own bookplate. The tome has been given a pre-sale estimate of seven to 10 million US dollars - the equivalent of £4.5m to £6.5m.

It is one of only 119 copies of the 19th century book to have survived, and only 11 are held in private collections.

The book, published between 1827 and 1838, contains 435 hand-coloured, etched and aquatint prints, all of American birds - six of which are now extinct. It has been described as ‘the finest colour-plate book ever produced’.

The Duke of Portland lived from 1857 to 1943, and owned Welbeck Abbey near Clumber Park. He was a landowner, Tory politician and racehorse breeder and owner. Two of his horses won the Derby, in 1888 and 1889.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/precious_book_to_be_sold_at_auction_1_4156948?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Article - As interest in razors grows, so does value (Sheffield)

Q: I cannot find any information about my set of seven straight razors, each labeled with the day of the week. Each razor is marked "Wade and Butcher, Sheffield, England" and "Extra Hollow Ground, Improved Tang." The razors are in good condition, but the original box is missing part of the top.

C.R., Tampa

A: Wade and Butcher, the trade name for W & S Butcher Co. of Sheffield, England, is a well-known maker of straight razors. The firm was founded by brothers William and Samuel Butcher around 1820. They later brought aboard Robert Wade, the New York-based importer of Butcher cutlery. The Butcher firm was bought by an American company in 1921. The Sheffield factory was closed in 1959.

Folding straight razors were first marketed by Sheffield cutlers in the late 17th century. Benjamin Huntsmen of Sheffield is given credit for perfecting hollow-ground straight razors with decorated handles around 1750. The straight razor was popular until the early 1950s, when the safety razor became the standard.

Collector interest in straight razors has been limited, with most of the attention focused on occupational shaving mugs, early barber chairs and advertising. But interest seems to have grown in the past 10 years, especially with the advent of the Internet. Occupational shaving mugs, however, still grab the big money.

Your razors were made after 1891, since the tangs and the box are marked "Sheffield, England" rather than only "Sheffield." This set of seven razors is unusual, especially with the original case. It would retail for at least $300.

From: http://www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/2011/oct/09/banewso6-as-interest-in-razors-grows-so-does-value-ar-270306/