paul rice at adam partridge auctions

Just viewed the latest offering from adam partridge ,The Paul Rice collection , personal collection or shop stock ??.

I would assume he's ditching a large proposition of his collection. Prices are high

collection?, if the lower estimates indicate the reserves then most of the items are retail prices .

He's moving out of London and thinning out his stock. That's what I have been told. He did something similar the last time that he moved. Then he used Woolley & Wallis but without the "advertising".

Its a very varied collection. From Briglin and Vera Tollow to Henderson Baldwin Ward and Rie. Having said that, it does have that feel of a partial clear out. Very few pieces there look the absolute Creme de la Creme of the collection of anybody who has been as dealing as long as he has. The Colin Pearson for instance.
Prices high? They look more like the going market price, which is high! Not many bargains to be had there! But are there anywhere nowadays?

philpot wrote:Its a very varied collection. From Briglin and Vera Tollow to Henderson Baldwin Ward and Rie. Having said that, it does have that feel of a partial clear out.  Very few pieces there look the absolute Creme de la Creme of the collection of anybody who has been as dealing as long as he has. The Colin Pearson for instance.
                 Prices high?  They look more like the going market price, which is high!  Not many bargains to be had there!  But are there anywhere nowadays?

You could have bought them cheaper from him on eBay, if you had been interested but I wouldn't be surprised if some buyers don't get auction fever.

NaomiM wrote:https://live.adampartridge.co.uk/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/251?page=1&fbclid=IwAR0iJy7vyyEu9fxUI5jep-ilxBDbyMWHI-8CgoAxctsMxSfV9tbWnM0ndfc&view=grid

Link to the auction.
£200-300 estimate for a piece by Sybil Finnemore? I've seen them unsold for a fiver on ebay.

and his piece in the auction has a chip!!!!

If you want chips with that it's extra?

lol

Yes indeed. I was looking at the top end with fascinated gaze.
But you are all right. A lot of the everyday stuff is very pedestrian. One wonders if Paul Rice set the prices?

I would imagine Partridge had given him a free hand as they appear to be his descriptions and comments on the lots, i don't think an auctioneer would normally accept such high reserves and i guess the whole auction would be organised by rice, similar sales happen with Richard Dennis in the arts and crafts field.

I've spoke to Paul before and I know he had some Briglin + related potters but the pieces I think he has are not there.

I think lot 398 john ward might cross the line as will the Constantinidis if recent results are anything to go by , i was hoping for a really good piece of Ewen Henderson, as i understand Rice used to exhibit this pottery but the pieces on offer are mainly early vase forms and at £4000-£6000 plus are overpriced.

To be fair. It is a very broad selection of stuff. One of the widest collections to come on the market for a while Something there for most people. Just not quite good enough for us snooty lot/mature collectors. It will be a very interesting test of the present market given it has the imprimatur of a major dealer/collector.
One thing to be sure. It is going to be a slooooowwww sale. Adam Partridge is somewhat of a theatrical auctioneer, and tends to wait around for bids on the slower lots.
Interestingly nearly all of us have had nit-picking issues with some of the lots. Myself I was looking for a nice Colin Pearson. Three lots here , one of which was chipped, one of which was a rather clunky looking blue jug, and a taller white one which just did not appeal.

I first met Paul Rice over 25 years ago and in that time he hasn't changed the way that he operates a great deal. He liked to have group exhibitions and generally these were made up of small pieces from the past. Therefore the selection here is by and large his typical exhibition stock. If you visited an exhibition of his there were larger more important pieces around that were unconnected to the exhibition that were there for visitors to ask about. I was never sure how many larger pieces he had.

He has never had a website and hasn't embraced the internet, with the exception of using eBay, which he told me was primarily to be offered stock privately by eBay dealers. Being based in London, we did share several customers but, as I was "the new kid on the block" many of his elderly customers didn't come my way. Over the years the ones that did have either died; become incapable of travelling or given up collecting.

I would think that his customer base would be very small and moving out of London would make it even smaller. So he might be giving up dealing completely.

That is something that I have been considering and so, if this sale is a success a future sale at Adam Partridge's might be......... Studio Ceramics from the John Rastall collection!!!!

Massive shortage of countryside cottages and dogs for walking because of Covid SP. You may have to settle for Bracknell and a hamster.

22 Crawford St. wrote:Massive shortage of countryside cottages and dogs for walking because of Covid SP. You may have to settle for Bracknell and a hamster.

I couldn't afford Bracknell or the cost of feeding a hamster.

You can't make real money selling pots.

He told me that the last he did it with Woolley & Wallis it was really to get free storage while he moved. He put high reserves on so that he got what he wanted if they did sell and was happy to take the unsold pots back once the move was completed. I don't know if that is his thinking this time.