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.
Sworders London are very excited to be initiating the first in a busy calendar of external valuation days held at the wonderful Primrose Hill Community Library.
25 March 2026
We’re delighted to announce that Beatrice Campi will be working with us as a consultant, advising and supporting our Indian and Islamic Art Department.
25 March 2026
In anticipation of our upcoming auction 'The Glass Sale', we shine a spotlight on one of Britain’s most accomplished contemporary glass engravers, Katharine Coleman MBE.
20 March 2026