An historic chess set is expected to sell for thousands when it goes under the hammer this weekend – and the family selling it only expected it to go for a tenner.
The full chess and draughts set, thought to date back to the mid-19th century, is going to auction at Shaw’s Auction House in Blackburn, on June 2.
It has a starting bid of £1,300 but auctioneers say it could sell for more than double this figure, with the set being described as "extremely rare", and auctioneer Callum Shaw said it is feel-good stories like this which make auctions so special.
The four-figure starting bid came as a surprise to Helen and Matthew Lewis, from Newton-in-Bowland, who put the set up for auction on behalf of their son, Oliver.
The set had been gifted to their son after being passed down through several generations.
After tracing back their family tree, they believe the set belonged to Matthew’s great-grandfather, Isaac Gordutt, who was born in 1852.
Matthew said: “We didn’t think it was worth anything, probably around 10 quid!
“My mother gave it to my son, Oliver, before she died. He’s just had it in a bedroom drawer upstairs for seven years.
“We are now moving house and downsizing, so we are selling a lot of things at auction.
"I am not a chess player and my son didn’t really want it. This set caught the auctioneer’s eye so we decided to put it up for auction."
All profits from the sale will go to 21-year-old Oliver.
Matthew said: “He will be getting all of the money as we gave the chess set to him. Whatever it makes will belong to him.
“He might buy us a glass of wine or something, you never know.”
When auctioneers took the set for cataloguing they noticed that it was an “extremely rare” Jaques of London mid-19th century full chess and draughts set.
Callum Shaw, managing director of the auction house, said: “We are certainly surprised by the current bid and we were shocked on the day the catalogue went live.
“We started the bidding very low at £24, and an hour and a half later it was up to £1,300.
“We would expect it to achieve maybe even double what it is at currently, but realistically the sky is the limit.
“The vendor[s] didn’t know the chess set’s value and we are so pleased.
“One of our favourite parts of our job is when we see our vendors get a great outcome like this.”
Callum, 27, said this highlights the “hidden treasures” that people could have in their homes.
He said: “It just shows that anyone can have some hidden treasures in their attic or a cupboard under the stairs.
“I think auctions still remain an excellent way to secure items you just don’t see in the shops anymore and normally for a good price. They have never been easier to use either due to them being available online.
“Buying at an auction is simple and you can get in contact with us to talk you through the process.
“This will be our fifth auction and we have grown each time and had a lot of wonderful unique items already in the auctions.”
The auction will take place from 10am on Sunday, June 2.
To find out more about the items up for sale in the auction visit the Shaw’s Auction House website at: www.shawsauctionhouse.co.uk.
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