A pair of 19th century library globes will lead Bonhams' October 8 sale of items from the Decorator Source - an antiques store based in Tewksbury in the UK.
The globes are selling as a single lot and are estimated to make between £12,000-18,000 ($19,000-29,000) at the London sale.
The globes stand 18 inches tall and feature a mahogany base comprising three stiff-leaf clasped and hipped legs that end in brass cappings. One globe is papered with terrestrial gores, the other features celestial depictions.
 The £18,000-estimated pair. Library globes hold their value due, in part, to their rarity |
Another library globe carries an estimate of £6,000-8,000 ($9,600-13,000) and likely dates from the 18th century. The gore that it is papered with depicts the voyages of Captain Cook.
In the past, library globes have achieved significant sums at auction. In 2005 a pair of large globes, standing at around 5ft, sold at Sotheby's New York for $632,000 - an impressive increase of 251% on their $180,000 high estimate.
A pair of smaller globes, also standing at 18 inches, sold for $62,500 against a $40,000 estimate at Skinner in 2009.
Colin Gee, the store's proprietor, told the Western Daily Press, a local newspaper: "Globes have always been extremely valuable. In the past, only the wealthiest houses would have been able to own a globe, meaning a limited number were created. Their rarity means that they hold their great value today."
The sale features a variety of lots sourced from private homes abroad, including an 18th century Aubusson verdure tapestry, depicting a wooded lake with a chateau in the distance. It carries a valuation of £6,000-8,000 ($9,600-13,000).
Aubusson tapestries traditionally perform well at auction, with a similar landscape achieving a sale price of £23,900 ($38,022) at Sotheby's in London in 2002.
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