AN album of original photographs giving a fascinating insight into Alaska's gold rush more than 120-years-ago has smashed it guide price at a North Yorkshire auction house.
The album was given an estimate of £50 to £70 at Elstob & Elstob’s Fine Art, Antiques and Jewellery Sale in Ripon but it was snapped up for £1,900.
The collection of images focus on Nome, situated on the western tip of the state, and it chronicles all aspects of life from ramshackle shops and makeshift mines, to ships navigating icebergs.
The Alaskan 'gold rush' was triggered after gold was unearthed in the region in 1896 and the chance to get rich led to thousands of people emigrating to mine the frozen wastes of Alaska.
Around 112 tonnes of gold were pulled from the ground around Nome and, as a result, towns emerged from nowhere.
Miners pictured digging for gold at Anvil Creek near Nome, Alaska
The photographs, thought to taken by Frank Nowell, feature all elements of this new life, including homes, schools, banks and hotels, as well as the mines themselves.
They are full of people and activity – both incomers and Alaska’s indigenous population. It is estimated that more than 20,000 people moved to the area around Nome in the early 1900s.
David Elstob, director of the Elstob & Elstob auction house, said: “One of the joys of collecting antiques is that they give a unique insight into the past and often bring you face-to-face with the lives of people long ago.
"This album does just that and in its pages you can clearly see the character and determination of the people who ventured forth into the wilderness to seek their fortune, as well as what it must have been like for them in a very inhospitable environment.”
A restaurant in the Alaskan town, which had sprung up due to the Gold Rush
The album was one of over 1,400 items in the two-day sale, which was the first to be held at the auction house’s new location at the Ripon Business Park on the outskirts of the city.
Husband and wife team, David and Beth Elstob, set up the auction business in Bedale Hall at the start of 2019 but just a year later had outgrown the premises resulting in the move to Ripon at the end of December.
Other highlights of the inaugural sale included a rare oak chair by the Kilburn craftsman Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson.
Commissioned by the renowned Horlicks family, the piece dating from the 1930s sold for £3,400.
A 19th century pink topaz necklace exceeded its guide price of £3,000 to £5,000 selling for £9,400 and a Spode blue and white dinner service soared way above its price estimate of £300 to £500 and was finally knocked down for £6,000.
As well as being able to accommodate larger sales, Elstob & Elstob are planning to increase sales from four to six this year, with two specialist sales of silver, jewellery and watches.
The next sale will take place on Saturday April 18. To enter an item in the sale, or to find out about the auction and valuation services, call 01765-699200.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here