Amazing antique collection

A vast an untidy hoard of antiques squirrelled away by eccentric John Vosper - whose customers included Princess Anne and the late Princess Margaret - had not seen the light of day for at least eighteen years.

Experts were amazed by the variety, quality and potential value of the secret collection, which had gathered dust in his home in Minchinhampton, Stroud, Glos, since his retirement in the late 1980's.

Now the huge array of clocks, oil lamps, books, china, glassware, silver, medals, postcards and furniture has been catalogued and will be sold on December 11th at an auction expected to raise tens of thousands of pounds.

There are 457 lots up for sale.

"It's an eagerly awaited sale and it will contain antiques, collectables and curios to appeal to every taste," said a spokesman for Simon Chorley auctioneers of Prinknash, nr Gloucester.

"The collection, comprising the remainder of his dealer's stock, has not seen the light of day for some 18 years since being squirreled away in the attic of his house.

"The auctioneers had to fight their way through piles of clocks, brass and oil lamps as they catalogued the sale in what looked like a scene from Steptoe and Son.

"Many of the items would have come from house clearance or sales by the auctioneers Bruton Knowles in the late 1970s and 1980s and would have been picked up inexpensively.

"Since that time, Victorian furniture has fallen in price but other areas like medals and postcards have seen huge growth.

"Many of the items still have old lot labels attached and a large quantity of old house sale catalogues were found in drawers and boxes.

"This is testament to the huge number of sales that John attended during the heyday of the house sale in the 1970s and 1980s."

Simon Chorley, who knew Mr Vosper well, said "The antique world lost one of its greatest characters when John died, aged 86, after a short illness on September 8th.

"In the last half of the 20th Century he attended thousands of sales throughout Gloucestershire and the surrounding counties.

"Tens of thousands of people visited Vosper's antique shop, Priory Antiques, in Minchinhamptonâ??s market square and it boasted royalty among its attendees.

"In the Seventies the late Princess Margaret, spent some time in the emporium and Princess Anne also visited the Vospers establishment.

"Along with his brothers Eric and Jim, both of whom he survived, the three were always live wires at any auction they attended. Whether arriving in the pickup or the van, they went away having laden it to the gunnels with antique furniture, silver, glass, medals, scrap metal, log piles and bags of coal.

"Vosperâ??s mannerisms and humour were his trade mark. In the early 70â??s, at sale after sale, he would try to start the bidding on lots at 5 shillings; to which the auctioneer Cecil Brutonâ??s reply was 'Hasnâ??t decimal currency reached Minchinhampton?'

"The Bruton family and many others had huge respect for the Vosper family. Mr Cecil Bruton believed him to be one of the most honest people he had ever met.

"We were astonished by what we found in his attic after his death - it was like an Aladdin's Cave."

One of the highlights of next month's sale, he said, will be an impressive lidded trophy won in 1913 by Captain Percy E Lambert - one of the best known motor racing drivers of his era.

Lambert was the first person to cover 100 miles in an hour which he achieved at Brooklands on 15 February 1915 in his 4.5 litre side valve Talbot.

"Highlights from the sale include a vast collection of Royal commemoratives, Lot 155 includes a beaker commemorating the Coronation of George V also marked J Bruton Esq., Mayor of Gloucester.

"This is offered with a large quantity of other mugs at £40-60.

"There are many books of local interest to Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds. One incredibly interesting example is Lot 22, an 1890 book by J D Robertson â??Dialect of Gloucestershireâ??, a glossary of the local dialect, most of which has long since fallen out of use.

"Full of amusing and unusual trivia, we learn that in the Hundred of Berkeley, a â??Gubbarnâ?? is a pit in which rubbish or filth has accumulated. At £20-30 it seems good value!

"The silver selection is strong with several trophy cups of good weight. One for the Cotswold Hunt point-to-point in 1923, won by J Preston Jonesâ?? horse â??Ask Mammaâ?? may well find a local buyer with an interest in horse racing.

"Of more wide interest and the star of the show is Lot 195, the impressive lidded trophy won by Captain Percy E Lambert in 1913, one of the best known motor racing drivers of his era.

"Lambert was the first person to cover 100 miles in an hour which he achieved at Brooklands on 15 February 1915 in his 4.5 litre side valve Talbot.

"This record was soon broken and Lambert promised his fiancée that he would give up his pursuit of records after one last attempt. On 21 October 1913 while on track to reclaim the record a tyre disintegrated causing the car to crash and roll.

"He died en-route to hospital and is buried at Brompton cemetery. The epitaph on his headstone reads, â??A modest friend, a fine gentleman and a thorough sportsman/The first man to cover 100 miles in one hour/Killed by accident at Brooklands Motor Racing Track whilst attempting further recordsâ??.

"This lot is particularly poignant in that it was won after he broke the 100mph record and before his untimely death.

"It is the 2nd prize for the Brooklands 13th 100mph Short Handicap, 4 August 1913, just months before the fatal accident.

"With the current interest in motor racing after Lewis Hamiltonâ??s Formula 1 success, the auctioneers feel it is a safe bet at £500-700.

"The postcards section is large and varied with the West of England and the local area strongly represented.

"Many of the cards date from the pre-1910 era. Lot 289 has a particularly interesting variety of local views including Minchinhampton, Nailsworth, Stroud, Painswick, Uley, Dursley, Tewkesbury, Upton-on-Severn, Bristol and more.

"A great archive for a local historian, it is expected to fetch £150-200.

"In the era that John was collecting, World War I medals could be picked up for a song.

"Now the same medals are highly sought after by collectors, the sale includes many examples to different ranks and regiments. Lot 267 is an interesting group to 6043 Private C Hodges of the Gloucestershire Regiment.

"He was awarded the Queenâ??s South Africa Medal for his service in the Boer war, the medal has bars for South Africa 1902, Orange Free State and Cape Colony.

"He then served in WWI and was awarded the 1914 (Mons) Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The 1914 Star was for service in France or Belgium between 5 August and midnight 22/23 November 1914.

"It was generally awarded to the â??Old Contemptiblesâ??, the pre-war regular army who formed the British Expeditionary Force and then took part in the retreat from Mons.

"The group of three is sometimes irreverently referred to as â??Pip, Squeak and Wilfredâ?? and this one is offered with its miniatures at £200-300.

"Leading the clocks is a longcase, Lot 425, by J Lewis of Minchinhampton at £500-700.

"Clocks by local makers are always popular and this one ticks all the boxes. Lot 336 is a barograph by Ross of London, this was purchased from the Summerfield sale back in 1989/1990.

"John Vosper asked auctioneer Simon Chorley to pick something unusual out for him to buy and this was the eventual purchase. This time around it carries expectations of £250-300.

Public Viewing of the collection is on 9th December between 10am-7pm and 10th December from 10am-4pm.