Latest news with #RichardWintertonAuctioneers
Fox News
28-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Rare diamond brooch found hiding in jewelry box delivers 'special moment'
A pricey diamond brooch was found hiding in plain sight within an innocuous box of jewelry when the box was brought in for a routine valuation. Most of the items were worth little more than about $270. The brooch, however, turned out to be an Art Deco treasure — which later sold at auction for about $3,100, news agency SWNS reported. Lisa Spence, head of jewelry at Richard Winterton Auctioneers, in Lichfield, Staffordshire, in the United Kingdom, spotted the valuable item as she sifted through the large collection. "We always check everything as a matter of course," said Spence, as SWNS reported. "It's especially important," she added, "to look through larger jewelry collections with care and attention, as you never know what might be lurking in there." Spence had barely begun examining the trove when something caught her trained eye, said SWNS. With a quick glance through her magnifying glass, she realized this wasn't just another trinket tucked among the costume pieces. "You never know what might be lurking in there." She said, "It became clear we were dealing with a gorgeous rectangular diamond-set brooch with a central oval-cut diamond at around 1.20ct." "This bright diamond was surrounded by about 1.80 ct of equally lovely old-cut and single-cut diamonds," she added. Not only were the diamonds exceptional, but the brooch's pin and safety clasp were still intact and in remarkably good condition, making the find even more valuable, said SWNS. "It's always a special moment when you can make someone's day with a happy surprise valuation," said Spence, "and this was no exception." When the brooch eventually went under the hammer at the Lichfield Auction Center, it fetched more than $3,100, a sale that marked more than just a lucky discovery. "It's always a special moment when you can make someone's day … This was no exception." Auctioneers revealed that the successful bid contributed to a record-breaking quarter, per SWNS. Managing director and auctioneer Richard Winterton said, "It was wonderful to see our jewelry, gold, silver and coins department break all records." He said hammer prices totaled over $676,000 in the first quarter of 2025. "It's a massive achievement and a huge testament to the hard work, dedication and attention to detail which the team put in," said Winterton. He continued, "An interesting example of attention to detail was down to our eagle-eyed head of jewelry."
BBC News
24-03-2025
- BBC News
Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen's prayer book sells for £240 at auction
A prayer book that once belonged to notorious killer Dr Crippen who poisoned and dismembered his wife before burying her remains beneath their home has been sold at leather-bound book, signed by Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen, who was hanged in 1910 for killing his wife Cora, sold for £240 at the Staffordshire American homeopath claimed Cora, a music hall singer, had left him, but police later found her boneless torso hidden under their cellar grisly case scandalised Edwardian London and is one of the most infamous of the 20th Century. Cora's disappearance subsequently captured the imagination of writers and dramatists, not least because Crippen went to the gallows protesting his innocence, and it has been suggested he was wrongly attempt by a descendant to secure a posthumous pardon for him in 2009 failed, after the Criminal Cases Review Commission refused to send the case to the Court of Appeal. It is alleged the doctor had the book of common prayer in prison before his was estimated the lot could reach between £250 and £350, however Crippen's prescription books have previously failed to sell at sale of the prayer book was handled Richard Winterton Auctioneers at Lichfield Auction Centre.
BBC News
22-03-2025
- BBC News
Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen's prayer book to be auctioned
A prayer book that once belonged a notorious murderer who poisoned and dismembered his wife before burying her remains under their home is to go under the leather-bound book is signed by Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen, who was hanged in 1910 for killing his wife American homeopath claimed Cora, a music hall singer, had left him, but police later found her boneless torso hidden under their auction will be held by Richard Winterton Auctioneers at Lichfield Auction Centre in Staffordshire on 24 March. The grisly case scandalised Edwardian London and is one of the most infamous of the 20th remains, which were said to contain traces of a toxin, were identified through a scar on her stomach, though her head, limbs and skeleton were never discovered. Crippen was apprehended at sea by Scotland Yard detectives, who pursued him when he fled to Canada with his mistress, Ethel Le the pair's subsequent trial, Le Neve was acquitted but the doctor was found guilty in just 27 minutes and hanged at Pentonville Prison on 23 November 1910. Cora's disappearance has captured the imagination of writers and dramatists over the years, not least because Crippen went to the gallows protesting his innocence, and it has been suggested he was wrongly attempt by a descendant to secure a posthumous pardon for him in 2009 failed, after the Criminal Cases Review Commission refused to send the case to the Court of Appeal. It is alleged the doctor had the book of common prayer, currently owned by a Staffordshire collector, in prison before his is estimated the lot will reach between £250 and £350, however Crippen's prescription books have previously failed to sell at auction."This prayer book is a chilling artefact of one of Britain's most notorious crimes," said auctioneer Richard Winterton."Much has been written about the case since it happened 115 years ago and it has inspired countless films, plays and TV programmes."
