A WATERCOLOUR painting which was about to be thrown on the tip sold for more than £400 at an auction in Tavistock this month. The painting, by H Sylvester Standard, was spotted by Andrew Lean of auctioneers Ward and Chowen, as he helped a customer unload items for a sale. He persuaded them not to throw it away but place it in this month?s antiques and collectables sale ? where it made a hammer price of £420! An enamelled shop sign which sparked a flurry of interest from phone and internet bidders at the auction earlier this month sold for nearly £500. The sign, in the form of a clock dial advertising Hudson?s Soap, sold at Ward and Chowen?s Antiques and Collectables Sale to a local dealer for £490. Although the entry numbers were lower than usual, the sale still offered a wide mixture of Victorian and Edwardian furniture, ceramics and a variety of interesting collectables. One lot of local historical interest comprised two postcard albums featuring charming images of the villages and sites in the Tavistock area around a hundred years ago, and sold for £220. An oil on canvas woodland scene painted by local artist Arthur Read achieved £300. Entries are now being accepted for Ward and Chowen?s next antiques sale on September 6.
