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If there is a more incompetent auctioneer's description I would like to see it. Don't they know it's a disc musical box!
It is not even a Britannia. It is a Polyphon. The disc photographed on it just happens to be "Rule, Britannia".
Where do they recruit their staff from?
https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auct ... 29000d948e

Laughable........until you realise these complete buffoons are making upwards of 40% of proceeds.
For what? Their expertise? Their detailed descriptions? Their comprehensive single photo? Their accommodating practices?

There have been some dismally poor prices realised in the UK over the past few years. One definite factor is the incompetence of the auctioneers themselves.

It irritates me when our beloved BBC devotes so much time to crap antiques programmes wherein the auctioneers are nigh worshipped like gods. It simply rubs salt in the wounds.

I remember an HMV Intermediate Monarch with mahogany horn being valued at £200-300 pounds on one such programme. When it sold for £900 the auctioneers were falling over themselves to state how its wonderful condition had contributed to the high price.

They were wrong on both accounts. The condition was below average, if anything. They undervalued it to start with but alas, it wasn't in great condition either. Had it really been it would have made anything between £12-1500.

Just in case anyone is curious to see what a Britannia disc musical box looks like :

It's quite obvious that some of the auction "experts" don't have a clue... They seem to go to extremes with value estimates - either hopelessly low or ridiculously high, with no idea of reality...

I guess a round disk and a crank qualifies it as gramophone.

Why is it that the phrase "I don't know but I will try to find out accurate information" has disappeared from the English language?

AudioFeline wrote: Fri May 21, 2021 3:31 am Why is it that the phrase "I don't know but I will try to find out accurate information" has disappeared from the English language?

That would be way too hard in the age of Google etc. You might actually have to spend a few minutes trying to research something. I remember my dad telling me "there's the encyclopedia on the bookshelf, look it up, it has all the information you need". Things are so easy nowadays, still people don't even spend that little effort.

Andreas

epigramophone wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 1:40 pm If there is a more incompetent auctioneer's description I would like to see it. Don't they know it's a disc musical box!
It is not even a Britannia. It is a Polyphon. The disc photographed on it just happens to be "Rule, Britannia".
Where do they recruit their staff from?
https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auct ... 29000d948e

Don't worry, they get easily confused by a variety of those wind-up thingamabob's.

This is quite difficult - but can you see the' odd one out' ?


Lot 2546 Three vintage clock work tin birds 5cm (3).

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auct ... 2e010c0385

poodling around wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 6:33 am Don't worry, they get easily confused by a variety of those wind-up thingamabob's.
This is quite difficult - but can you see the' odd one out' ?
Lot 2546 Three vintage clock work tin birds 5cm (3).
https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auct ... 2e010c0385

OK, I will try. The odd one out is the bird, because the other two are frogs?????????

AudioFeline wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 8:47 am

poodling around wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 6:33 am Don't worry, they get easily confused by a variety of those wind-up thingamabob's.
This is quite difficult - but can you see the' odd one out' ?
Lot 2546 Three vintage clock work tin birds 5cm (3).
https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auct ... 2e010c0385

OK, I will try. The odd one out is the bird, because the other two are frogs?????????

Yes .............. which only goes to illustrate that well known phrase, "A frog by any other name would tweet as sweet" - I think we could all learn something from this, one of life's little lessons