A collapsible silk top hat - perfect for a Victorian night at the opera, or a 20th century magic trick - comes for sale on July 20.
Our Homes & Interiors sale on Tuesday 20 July includes the novelty hat, made by Gibus of 10 Chandles Street, Trafalgar Square alongside a presentation wand given to a member of the Magic Circle with a guide of £80-120.
Antoine Gibus was a Parisian hatmaker who, during the early 19th century, had solved a problem with which wearers of the top hat were well acquainted. Rather than seek a place to hang one’s silk topper, he created a hat, using a system of steel springs, that could be collapsed flat!
The wand, with silver mounts and a presentation inscription to John Holt, Esq M.M.C. 1963 has a terminal enamelled with the signs of the zodiac. It comes in a silk lined case for John Finches, London.
A collection of Chinese silver assembled by a family who lived in Shanghai in the early 20th century comes for sale at Sworders in November. The group of typical ‘export’ wares owned by the vendor’s grandparents who lived in ‘the Paris of the East’ had been stored in a trunk since the end of The Second World War.
19 October 2021
Next week's auction of Design offers two archetypal side chairs from a truly unique Italian designer - Carlo Bugatti - whose life was filled with talent and tragedy.
14 October 2021
An autograph book with a story so evocative of the British music scene in the early 1960s comes for sale in our Design auction this month. The notebook includes the signatures of three of The Beatles, together with those of Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Dave Clark Five, Cliff Richard, and Helen Shapiro.
5 October 2021
Stansted Auction Rooms
T: 01279 817778 | E: auctions@sworder.co.uk
Opening Times: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
Hertford
T: 01992 583508 | E: hertford@sworder.co.uk
Opening Times: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
London
T: 0203 971 2500 | E: london@sworder.co.uk
Opening Times: Monday-Friday 10am–5pm
Late opening accommodated upon request
Kent
T: 01732 757675 | E: kent@sworder.co.uk
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