Lots to buy as pottery goes under hammer

7:00pm Monday 16th April 2007

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THE largest number of items of Poole Pottery ever to be sold in one place are to go under the hammer in Wareham.

Cottees Auctions Ltd is offering more than 600 pieces, from museum-standard works from the 1900s, to the latest range at a dedicated sale on Saturday, April 28.

The world-famous pottery was closed in December last year with massive debts. It has since been bought by Lifestyle, which is seeking new premises within the town.

Sales of goods in the weeks after the shock closure saw hundreds of shoppers queuing for hours to get their hands on the exclusive designs.

The auction in Wareham is expected to be similarly popular. One of the hottest lots is likely to be a model of the galleon, The Harry Page, which has become an iconic image of Poole Pottery, used in advertising campaigns, articles and books.

The free-standing ship, designed by Harold Stabler in the 1920s, is expected to fetch up to £1,600.

Also in demand will be the 1960s Delphis range, particularly studio pieces designed and decorated by Tony Morris. His 1960s' abstract-style plate could sell for £1,000. Later examples will also be on sale with a guide price of £350 to £450.

The sale also features the large private collection of Paul and Amanda Harris, compiled between 1945 and 2005. Many of the early items originally came from the Poole Pottery museum following its dispersal.

There will also be plenty of vases, jampots, plates and dishes all decorated with the traditional Poole Pottery flowers as well as the later abstract patterns of the 1960s.

And among the more unusual lots are the two giant size fibreglass dolphins which once adorned the gates of the factory on the Quay at Poole. They are estimated at £100 to £200.

Auctioneer John Condie said Cottees holds two Poole Pottery auctions every year, but this one had raised much more interest than usual.

"We are expecting higher prices," he added. "There is a buzz about the pottery at the moment. A lot of people are talking about it."

The sale will be on view at the Market, East Street, Wareham on Friday, April 27, from 10am to 7pm and on the morning of the sale from 9am, for the auction at 10.30am.