Staffordshire house clearance find sells for £17,500 at auction

An 18th-century clock and a French musical automaton have fetched thousands of pounds after being discovered during a Staffordshire house clearance

A historic clock made by a renowned 18th-century London clockmaker has sold for £17,500 at a Lichfield auction.

The drop dial wall clock by respected 18th century horologist William Dutton of London, sold at £17,500, and ‘The Mandolin Player’ automaton by Gustave Vichy sold at £3,200 | ©Richard Winterton Auctioneers

placeholder image — The drop dial wall clock by respected 18th century horologist William Dutton of London, sold at £17,500, and ‘The Mandolin Player’ automaton by Gustave Vichy sold at £3,200 | ©Richard Winterton Auctioneers

The mahogany-cased drop dial wall clock, made by William Dutton of London, was offered for sale following a Staffordshire house clearance.

It attracted competing bids online and from a telephone bidder before eventually selling online for £17,500 at the auction on August 24.

Auctioneer Tom Winterton said the result reflected the quality of the timepiece and described the bidding as an "exciting" contest between those taking part online and by telephone.

The lower case of a drop dial clock allows for a longer pendulum, which swings slower and keeps more accurate time than the short pendulums used in standard dial clocks | ©Richard Winterton Auctioneers

The clock featured a single fusee movement, a mechanism designed to maintain a steady rate as the clock runs down, as well as a long pendulum housed in the lower section of its case.

Another item from the same estate also attracted attention at the sale – a late 19th-century French musical automaton.

The 79cm-tall figure, known as 'The Mandolin Player', was made in Paris around 1890 by Gustave Vichy, one of the leading craftsmen of the period.

Gustave Vichy was one of the premier master craftsmen during the ‘Golden Age’ of French automata | ©Richard Winterton Auctioneers

The painted papier-mâché figure, dressed in a burgundy velvet jacket and cap, sits on an elaborate marquetry pedestal containing spring-driven automaton and musical box mechanisms.

It sold for £3,200, above its estimate, despite being described as ready for restoration.

The two items were researched and catalogued before being offered at the Lichfield auction following the house clearance in Staffordshire.