Bonhams will be hoping that strong recent results for George III-period English furniture will continue at its Period Design sale on July 10, with a pair of George III card tables set to lead the way.
The late period mahogany and satinwood tables are among several items up for auction from The Shelleys hotel, the former Sussex, UK home of Romantic poet Percy Shelley.
 Entry-level George III furniture - a market set to rise? |
The D-shaped cross banded tables have an estimate of £5,000. The auction will be a good test of the entry-level portion of the George III market. The top-end is in undeniable good health: a mid to late 18th century John Cobb serpentine commode beat its estimate by 46% at auction with a £175,250 showing at Bonhams last month.
"The furniture market has become a trophy market," Peter Horwood, a furniture expert at Christie's, recently told Apollo magazine.
"People are more inclined to have one really good piece as a talking point than a 19th century dining room."
Bonhams' head of period design, Charlie Thomas, is one man hoping that buyers on more modest budgets will be inspired by events at the top end.
"It is rare for such a well-known collection to come on the market - especially one that includes so many beautiful pieces of furniture and decoration," he says.
"There are some exquisite pieces in the sale and we are expecting a great deal of interest."
A French stained mid 18th century horn and gilt bronze mounted timepiece will also feature with a £3,500 high estimate, while a Regency period mahogany fusee bracket clock has a £1,800 valuation.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a superb range of top-end Georgian period English furniture here, and an exquisite Victorian card table of our own.
