Important Auction Sale 15th September

[Tony Summerfield]

I can update my previous post already as Sarah Lawrance from Seven Stories has just phoned me. They did very well at the sale and got all the manuscripts that they wanted and most of the other things that they were bidding on !

[Ming]

That is fantastic news, hope they can get the Society to see them as soon as possible!

[Timmy-the-dog]

I think it's great that so many of the wonderful items at this sale went to Seven Stories and will now be available to all (visited in April - what a super museum) - even if they did outbid me on all 9 items I bid on
woof woof

[Anita Bensoussane]

I believe Seven Stories got virtually everything they bid for, including most of the typescripts and Gillian’s diary...Seven Stories will now start planning an Enid Blyton exhibition....I went to Ilkley with my heart absolutely set on the little oak wooden table. As can be seen from the picture in the catalogue, Enid used it when handling correspondence. If anyone cares to look at the 1950s British Film Institute Pathe news reel, you can see that it is also the table at which Enid, Kenneth, Gillian and Imogen played family games (such as snap in this instance). The idea of owning the little table where Enid corresponded with thousands of children, rested the typewriter while writing books and playing family games had put my excitement levels through the roof in recent days and made it difficult to sleep at night!...
I was also successful in buying the typescript for The Mystery of Tally-Ho cottage, and I would be more than happy to bring said items along to the next Enid Blyton day if Tony thinks it’s a good idea, so that everyone take a look close up. I said the same to the people from Seven Stories. In the meantime I plan to gaze at the little table with ‘Tally-Ho’ on it, every time I go to bed at night!

You must be thrilled to bits to have got the table, Rob, and the Tally-Ho typescript! Bet you have to keep pinching yourself to make sure you're not in a dream!

Great news too that Seven Stories got the items they wanted and that they're planning to hold an Enid Blyton exhibition.

Hope you are indeed the owner of the Find-Outers books, Duncan!

I didn't realise you could put in a bid via e-mail, but I doubt it would have made much difference, as I could hardly scrape enough together for one of the lower estimates anyway.

Same here! Whew - I thought that many of the estimates appeared to be on the low side, but it seems that a lot of them were far below what collectors were prepared to pay for items associated with the Blyton family.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I'm delighted that Seven Stories got the funding in time, and got what they wanted.

It seems that I've got Enid's mink fur stole, which she is shown wearing in a photo held by TOPFOTO but to my immense annoyance their site is down so I can't show you

http://www.topfoto.co.uk/gallery/blyton/default.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Like Rob, I thought that I'd like something personal, which boiled down to the table and the fur. The table more practical.... the fur.... there were 4 of them so perhaps I had a better chance....

I was appalled to see that the Queen Bee (head of the youth division of PDSA, an animal welfare organisation) had bought a leopard skin coat as late as the 1960s. Mink is at least farmed. I wondered what should become of it and that if no-one else put in a bid then I'd get it for conservation/educational purposes. Fortunately someone else has bought it so I didn't have to make the decision.

I have just found this video

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/video/Vi ... 6513059.jp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Viv

[Eddie Muir]

Thanks for the link to the video, Viv. It's very interesting.

Congratulations on getting the table and the The Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage typescript, Rob. As Anita says, you must be thrilled to bits - and I'm green with envy!

It's great that Seven Stories got the items they wanted. I must try to pay them a visit in the not-too-distant future. For further information, here is the link to their website:

http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/home/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Anita Bensoussane]

It seems that I've got Enid's mink fur stole...

Heads will be turning when you stroll down the street in your mink fur stole, pinned into place by a golliwog brooch!

[Val and Jackie]

Hello

Haven't got all the details but gather every item sold in the room with some of the manuscripts fetching £3000/£4000 but I have scant detail.

Was anyone there who can give us the full details please?

[Lucky Star]

Congratulations to all those who got what they wanted. Rob your table and typescript sound wonderful, please post some pictures. It is indeed a precious thing to own the very table where Enid Blyton wrote so many thousands of notes and letters to children. I've never even heard of Seven Stories, I'll have to take a closer look at their website. It sounds like the items they bought went to a worthy home though. How strange that Gillian's daughter had to bid for her own mother's diary - and failed to win it. That must be such an odd feeling for her.

As expected everything went for way over what I could have paid so I'm glad I didn't put in any trifling bids which would only have raised my non existant hopes.

[Blyton Bookworm]

Duncan - it looks like you outbid me by £10 for the FFO books - doh! Congratulations though, how exciting to own a book inscribed by Enid herself! You mentioned you might sell off the others, so can I be very cheeky and put my hand up to buy one if you do? It will help ease the pain of losing by a mere £10 lol.

Viv - I bid on the mink fur stole too so it looks like I was outbid again! Well done, please post a picture of you wearing it as I would love to see it

Being in Australia, it was very hard to figure out what to bid for and how much. I would have given anything to actually be at the auction so I could see what sort of prices things were fetching and maybe bid on one or two of the less popular items. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be but I'm happy I submitted some bids and had a go.

I hope you are all well, I haven't been on the forums for ages - my son Aidan, who will be 2 in November, keeps me very busy. One of his favourite activities is bringing me a book, asking me to "Read it" then clambering onto my lap for a story - this process is repeated over and over again to the point where I almost lose my voice sometimes. Looks like I've got a mini Blyton Bookworm on my hands!

[Pink Cardi]

First time on here for me, but had to let you know that I was at the Auction yesterday. Glad to see that the table went to a good home - I was outbid by the man sat behind me (I now know that was Viking Star!).

I didn't come away completely empty handed though, although I decided that manuscripts were out of my price bracket. However, I did successfully get the Malory Towers "To Gillian much love Mummy" along with the other 1st editions in that set, "The Story of My Life" with the inscription from Enid to Kenneth, a letter from Enid to a child (this wasn't in the catalogue but had been included after the catalogue was printed) and I also got a selection of books/biographies about Enid with Gillian and Imogen inscriptions - in fact this box of books contains a whole treasure trove of stuff I wasn't expecting!!! So, all in all, what I did get has eased the pain of not geting the table.

Congratulations to everyone who successfully bid for what they wanted. May they be treasured and enjoyed for many years to come. It was very exciting at the Auction, but everything seemed to happen so quickly and the bids did what I expected them to do - went through the roof!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Welcome, Pink Cardi! Sounds as though you did pretty well at the auction. How lovely to own books with inscriptions from Enid to Kenneth and Gillian!

Edit: Hartleys Auctioneers have put up the winning bids:

http://www.hartleysauctions.co.uk/listi ... ooks%20Etc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tony Summerfield]

You have beaten me to it, Anita, I was just about to put it up. Whoever did the original valuations for the Hartley's estimates must have a very red face!!

[pete9012S]

Reading Anitas post with all the eventual prices paid by the bidders was fascinating.....

Couldnt help feeling slightly sad though seeing these moving inscriptions about some of the books,listed below:

Enid Blyton Books Etc
"""GILLIAN AND IMOGEN WITH LOVE FROM MUMMY (ENID BLYTON)"",

How quickly little families grow up,loved ones perish,leaving these poignant and very moving inscriptions in these books written now so long ago.....

Makes one want to cherish the precious memories of the loved ones we have lost and miss so much,and also to treasure and appreciate by not taking for granted the dear loved ones we have still around us......we are like a mist that appears for a little while,then vanishes.......

Regards

Pete

[Katharine]

Interesting to see the difference in price between some of the different lots. I think it's probably best I wasn't there as I may have got carried away and tried bidding for something I couldn't afford (or do you have to have proof of funds before bidding?) Anyway, don't think the family would be too impressed if I remortgaged the house 'for yet more books'

I definitely thought it was sad that the personalised books were sold. My mother has a book with an inscription in from me, which I 'bought' her for the first Christmas after she had me (obviously my father wrote it). I'd hate to think my children won't want it handed down to them one day.