I spy... £2,300 diamond brooch found hidden in box of costume jewellery

Lichfield auctioneer hits £500,000 record

LICHFIELD’S auctioneer has hammered down a record first quarter of £500,000 for sales of jewellery, gold, silver and coins.

Richard Winterton Auctioneers achieved the milestone between January and March.

The firm’s newest venture, The Auction Café in Lichfield, also notched up more than 630 valuations of items at its Market Street premises during the same period.

Managing director and auctioneer Richard Winterton said: “It was wonderful to see our jewellery, gold, silver and coins department break all records with hammer prices totalling £500,000 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."

He added: “We've had some important coin discoveries recently – remember the 1838 gold half sovereign, which soared to £1,600 recently?

“This tiny coin fetched such a mighty price because it was one of the first half sovereigns issued during the reign of Queen Victoria, with the first and smallest young portrait of the queen on the obverse, with a garnished shield on the reverse.

“That important detail elevated the coin way above the usual value for a half sovereign.

“A huge amount of these coins were lost due to being scrapped for bullion so its rarity and very good condition resulted in a phenomenal hammer price.”

Richard continued: “Another interesting example of attention to detail was down to our eagle-eyed head of jewellery, Lisa Spence, who will explain in more detail.”

Lisa said: “We always check everything as a matter of course and it’s especially important to look through larger jewellery collections with care and attention as you never know what might be lurking in there.

“During a routine valuation at our Fradley Park HQ, I was presented with a large collection of costume jewellery.

“As I started to sift through the box piece by piece, the Art Deco styling of a brooch caught my eye and I wondered if it just might be something important.

“A quick look through my loupe and 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 1.80ct of equally lovely old cut and single cut diamonds.

"The stones were in good condition, as was the brooch’s pin and safety clasp.

“It’s always a special moment when you can make someone’s day with a happy surprise valuation and this was no exception.

"Our clients were delighted to hear that we’d identified such a little treasure in the box.

“The brooch went on to make a wonderful £2,300 at auction.”

The Auction Café by Richard Winterton Auctioneers offers free jewellery valuations every Tuesday between 10am-3pm.

Throughout June, people will also be able to drop in to the Market Street premises for specialist valuations on a range of different items every Wednesday from 9.30am to 12.30pm – visit our café page to check for specific valuers.

Appointments for jewellery valuations on Thursdays at The Lichfield Auction Centre, Wood End Lane, Fradley Park, can be made by emailing office@richardwinterton.co.uk or telephoning 01543 251081.

Free home visits for large collections or to discuss house clearance quotations are also available.