Latest news with #HansonAuctioneers
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bedfordshire Tudor ring goes up for auction
A rare 500-year-old "love ring" with a poetic inscription has been unearthed in a field. The Tudor posy ring, found in Bedfordshire, is expected to make thousands of pounds when it goes up for auction in inscription reads "Thou now ill / not always".Bargain Hunt expert Charles Hanson, from Hanson Auctioneers, said the unusual wording was "especially intriguing". Mystery surrounds the identity of the person who presented a loved one with this triple-banded gold posy ring five centuries one knows why it was inscribed or the reason why the possession ended up in a an expert on the TV show Bargain Hunt, said rings of this type were "often exchanged as tokens of love or betrothal, and this one is especially intriguing due to its unusual inscription".He added that the motto, engraved in clear Roman capitals, could be interpreted as "thou not sick, not always thus", which "may be a reference to a change of heart or a vow of enduring love through difficult times."These mottoes often reflected deeply personal, emotional messages between lovers." The auction house described the scrolling foliage and petal-like motif decorations on the piece as a "highly unusual style".It believed the "exceptionally crisp engraving" and the style of lettering, predating italic script, suggested the ring was made between 1530 and 1560. Hanson said: "To think this ring was crafted nearly a century before Oliver Cromwell is remarkable."It was likely lost in the mid-16th century and remained preserved beneath the earth for nearly 500 years."Its survival in such immaculate condition - untouched by plough or damage - makes it all the more extraordinary."The posy ring is expected to fetch between £4,000 and £5,000 when it goes under the hammer at a Hansons' sale in rings - taking their name from the French word "poesie", meaning poetry - often had inscriptions drawn from scriptures or romantic verses. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Guardian
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Best of the best': Robbie Williams buys Eric Morecambe's glasses for £20,000
Robbie Williams has said he bought Eric Morecambe's glasses for £20,000 at auction as the comedian was an 'uncle of sorts' whose 'spirit has been salve for my soul'. The singer said he cried 'happy, childlike tears' after winning the bidding war last month with a final offer far exceeding the £2,000 to £4,000 estimate. The imitation tortoiseshell glasses by Metzler, said to be synonymous with Morecambe's sharp wit and comedic persona, were sold alongside his Barling briar pipe and two black-and-white photographs of him wearing the spectacles. A lifetime of showbiz memorabilia and personal items from the comic's former home went on sale in January, almost 10 months after the death of his widow, Joan, aged 97. The identity of the mystery buyer had remained a secret until Williams revealed the five-figure purchase in an Instagram post. Alongside two pictures of Williams with the glasses and pipe, the former Take That member said he had treated himself to the items before his 51st birthday on Thursday and after undergoing months of promotion work for his semi-autobiographical film, Better Man. This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Williams said he had appointed Mike, a member of his team who handles his digital presence, to be 'chief bidder' as he was in Los Angeles about to board a plane as the auction got under way. He said their determination to secure the lot raised to a 'primal competitive and irrational' level, joking that he and his wife, Ayda, were willing to spend their children's inheritance on the bid. Williams said he cried 'happy, childlike tears' when they won. 'You see, I guess we all need friends-we-never-meet from off the telly. Eric has always been mine. An uncle of sorts,' he wrote. 'To the very core of me, Eric Morecambe's spirit has been salve for my soul. How Eric made me feel is how I want to make people feel. What a gift to be able to create such joy and have that joy be present just by thinking of them.' He said he would consult the comic's glasses when he had questions and hoped to 'maybe get some answers'. The singer added: 'Eric, you were and are the very best of the very best. That sunshine you asked for, you gave to me,' before signing off the post with 'Your fan, Robert x'. Hanson Auctioneers offered Morecambe's belongings in 700 lots on 10 and 11 January, more than 40 years after the comic died of a heart attack, aged 58, in 1984.
Sky News
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Robbie Williams explains why he paid £20k for Eric Morecambe's glasses
Robbie Williams has said he bought Eric Morecambe's glasses and pipe because he has always seen the comedian as an "uncle of sorts". The singer said he cried "happy, childlike tears" after submitting the top bid last month with a final offer of £20,000. This far exceeded the £2,000 to £4,000 estimate. In an Instagram post featuring photos of Williams using the glasses and pipe, he said he treated himself to the items ahead of his 51st birthday. The Angels singer recalled appointing Mike, a member of his team who handles his digital presence, to be "chief bidder" as he was in Los Angeles about to board a plane as the auction got under way. "As it happens, I got to watch the lot being auctioned live. My iPhone and Mike's iPhone acting like walkie-talkies," he wrote. "'What should I do Ayd's?' I nervously kept asking my wife. 'Keep bidding' Ayda says with the steely determination of someone bursting through an electronics store door on Black Friday. "'Keep going Mike' I say. This vignette of conversation would repeat itself several times over the next 10 minutes." Once he won the bidding war, Williams said he cried "happy, childlike tears". "You see, I guess we all need friends-we-never-meet from off the telly. Eric has always been mine. An uncle of sorts," he wrote. "To the very core of me, Eric Morecambe's spirit has been salve for my soul. How Eric made me feel is how I want to make people feel. "What a gift to be able to create such joy and have that joy be present just by thinking of them." The imitation tortoiseshell glasses by Metzler, said to be synonymous with Morecambe's sharp wit and comedic persona, were sold alongside his Barling briar pipe and two black-and-white photographs of him with the spectacles. Hanson Auctioneers offered Morecambe's belongings in 700 lots on January 10 and 11, more than 40 years after the comic died of a heart attack aged 58 in 1984.
