Lichfield valuations of cameras, pens, records, hi-fi and musical items at The Auction Café

Meet Stuart Thursday 20th February

A CAMERA specialist is aiming to put people in the picture with free valuations in Lichfield city centre next week.

Stuart Hay will be at The Auction Café in Market Street between 10am and 12.30pm on Thursday, February 20.

Technology and music specialist with Richard Winterton Auctioneers, Stuart will also be appraising pens, records, hi-fi and musical items at the popular café.

“Cameras, lenses and optical equipment ranging from antique to modern are of interest to bidders all over the world,” said Stuart.

“Collectors are always on the lookout for brands such as Leica, Hasselblad, Rollei, Zeiss, Reid and Sigrist, Canon, Nikon and Mamiya.

“Olympus, Zenza Bronica, Kodak, Pentax, Voigtlander, Swarovski and mahogany and brass plate cameras perform well at auction too.

“There’s also a strong market for scientific instruments and optical technology from all eras, whether vintage or modern, such as microscopes, telescopes and binoculars.

“For example, a brass travelling microscope set from the early 19^th century made £3,000 at auction but then modern Zeiss binoculars will also attract a lot of interest.”

Pens and writing implements are another strong collectors’ market, with popular names including but not limited to Montblanc, Sheaffer, Swan, Dunhill, Waterman, Parker, Platinum, Mabie Todd, Montegrappa, Cross, Pilot and Namiki.

Stuart will also be offering free valuations of vinyl, hi-fi and musical instruments including guitars by renowned luthiers such as Fender, Gibson, Martin, Guild and Gretsch to violins, saxophones and even accordions.

“Records by artists such as Slade, Black Sabbath, Queen and Pink Floyd have fetched hundreds of pounds at auction recently, with original vinyl by The Beatles and the Rolling Stones remaining extremely collectable,” he said.

“With the resurgence of vinyl over the past decade, quality vintage and modern turntables, stereos, reel-to-reel players, speakers and amplifiers are in demand.

“Brands to watch out for include Thorens, Garrard, Goldring Lenco, Micro Seiki, Leak, Naim, Linn Audio, Bang and Olufsen, Quad, Luxman, Tannoy, Bose, Mission, Tascam, Revox and Linn.”

Stuart added: “Examples of all the above items have passed through sales at The Lichfield Auction Centre at Fradley Park.

“So if you think you have something which might be worth taking to auction, whether it’s a pen, camera, vinyl or violin, come along and see me on February 20.

“If your collection or item is too big to bring along, take some photographs and get as much information together as possible and we will still do our best to help.”

The Auction Café in Market Street, Lichfield, offers free jewellery valuations every Tuesday and specialist valuations on other days - click here for upcoming dates.