A SIZEABLE group of buyers gathered in the room to compete against bidders near and far who had registered to participate online at Greenslade Taylor Hunt’s recent quarterly collectors sale.

An encouragingly buoyant trade ensued, with a selling rate of 95 per cent and a hammer total that more than doubled initial expectations at The Octagon Salerooms, East Reach, Taunton.

International interest was aroused by a collection of Chinese photograph albums of privately taken and professionally published images documenting town and country life in the early 20th century. Arranged into three lots, they were purchased for a combined £8,400.

A spectacular Chinese embroidered silk court robe, elaborately woven with gold dragons against a vivid blue ground, also garnered plenty of pre-sale attention, and via the internet for £3,500.

A trio of phone bidders battled for ownership of a diminutive but charming early 19th century grodnertal painted wood doll, which fetched £2,600.

These sales are eclectic by design but the catalogues are arranged thematically for the benefit of those browsing for specific items.

A strong trade was seen across all sections typified by a collection of coins, at £3,200; a Gretsch Chet Atkins Nashville guitar, at £1,300; four boxes of magic lantern slides, at £2,000; and a beautiful, scratch-built model of a gypsy caravan, which secured £1,350.

A collection of cider and other mugs, some damaged, still made £1,500 after they had been carefully sorted into separate lots, while three glass Shell petrol pump globes, spotted at the back of a local garage and covered in dust, were bought for more than £1,100.

As pandemic restrictions have gradually eased, the auctioneers have been delighted to be able to fully re-open its Octagon Saleroom to the public.

The company’s free valuation service has resumed by appointment, Monday to Friday.

Entries are already being accepted for the firm’s next specialist collectors’ sale, on Thursday, December 2. If you have items that you would like to include contact the auctioneers on 01823 332525, at antiques.saleroom@gth.net or by visiting the saleroom at East Reach, Taunton, for a free, no-obligation valuation.