Island Life Magazine Ltd October/ November 2012 | Page 71

ANTIQUES

The tale of the elephant!
Unlike many occupations, the life of an
auctioneer is always unpredictable. Although
much of the workload is routine valuations of
furniture, silver, jewellery etc., you never know
what each day will bring.
A gentleman went into the Hose Rhodes

Dickson office in Brading a few weeks ago
and said he had an elephant for sale. Rex
Gully, auctioneer in charge of the Fine Art
department, immediately thought of a Steiff
vintage toy. To his surprise the vendor had
an example of Victorian taxidermy, a full size
animal that had been a star attraction at the
Brading Waxworks.
In order to deliver the elephant to the
Brading Auction Rooms, the vendor had
to demolish the exhibition room. Luckily,
the whole waxworks site is now being
redeveloped, but the builders did have a quite
a shock on discovering a jumbo in their midst.
Other unusual items sold by Hose Rhodes
Dickson include a Victorian padded cell

from the days when the treatment of people
with mental disorders left a lot to be desired.
And then there was the time when, just
before Christmas, two life size models of
Father Christmas were sold. This completely
confused the younger members of HRD’s
clientele who were sure mummy and daddy
had told them there was only one Santa.
When Rex Gully next greets someone
at the valuation counter, who knows what
they will bring out of their carrier bag! If you
have something that requires an expert
appraisal, visit the auction rooms at Brading
on a valuation morning or telephone the
friendly staff to arrange a home visit on 01983
402222.

Rex Gully • Auctioneer & Valuer • 01983 402222 • www.hose-rhodes-dickson.co.uk

www.visitislandlife.com

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