Tarvin Online Logo Link

Flog It

1st June 2016 @ 6:06am – by Lyn Barry, Tarvin WI Press Officer
Back home  »  News  »  Flog It
flog it posterflog it picture 4jpgflog it picture 5jpgflog it pictureflog it picture 1flog it picture 2jpgflog it picture 3jpgflog it picture 6

Tarvin W.I. held a special 'Posh Frocks' evening for the 'Flog It' event at this month's meeting on Wednesday 25th May, 2016 in the Tarvin Community Centre main hall.

The ladies arrived looking very elegant, some clutching mysterious looking parcels and soon
everyone was seated at specially decorated tables laden with a superb supper and conversation was soon buzzing. The bar was open, raffle tickets were selling quickly and when it was time to start the meeting the President, Irene Wilkinson warmly welcomed everyone. All members, friends, guest members from Ashton Hayes, Christleton, Duddon, Peckforton & Beeston sang Jerusalem. As it was a special evening business was kept to the minimum and the guest speaker soon took to the floor.

If you are a fan of T.V. shows such as Antiques Roadshow, you may have appreciated this evening's guest speaker, Peter Ashburner who is the Fine Art Director at Wright Marshall. Peter who is at their Knutsford salesroom has also appeared on a number of T.V. shows and is one of Wright Marshall's many specialists. Indeed, it seems that Auction House visits are becoming more popular with the public since the advent of such T.V. shows. Peter took us into the fascinating world of antiques and showed us one of a number of gavels he uses at auctions. He described the fast pace of auctioning around 160 Lots per hour, the great atmosphere and excitement which sometimes encourages people to spend more than they intended when bidding because they don't always have time to think about it. Occasionally, Peter discovers a rare find, often to the delight of someone who has no idea of the value of the piece. The message throughout the evening was that be careful what you discard when throwing things out because something of little value to you might be the real thing to someone else. Ugly things often fetch good money. It was surprising that what were once common articles, if still in good condition but now rare, can sell. Peter told us about the kind of articles that hold their value and the kind that are no longer easy to sell because of fluctuations with current fashions, particular amongst the younger generation. He explained how two articles can look identical and yet something small like a difference in colour between two toys can have an impact on the difference in price. Another example is the stamp detail on the bottom of pottery can sometimes differ in value from ££ to ££££ due to a change of batch. He talked about the differences between the value of silver plate and solid silver and what to look for when buying at auctions. In addition to the pieces that Peter had brought with him for his talk he also assessed a number of items brought by some members. Those items not discussed during his humorous talk were quietly assessed with members later and some were pleasantly surprised. His wealth of knowledge and expertise captivated his audience. No doubt many will have gone home thinking its time to visit the attic. It was a thoroughly delightful evening and it has certainly sparked some interest with some members who are intending to visit one of the new quarterly Boutique auctions held at Wright Marshall as a taster for things to come. Finally, the evening drew to a close and it became time to say goodnight to a successful evening.

Date of next meeting is on Wednesday 29th June at 7.30 pm in the Edna Rose room at Tarvin Community Centre where new members and visitors are always welcome to come and join us.

The Speaker's topic is "My Quilting Journey" – Patch Work Quilts with Susan Debarro

Ed: Click on the photographs to learn more.

Get In Touch

TarvinOnline is powered by our active community.

Please send us your news and views.

Village Map

© 2024 TarvinOnline