THE first completely online auction at a North Yorkshire auctioneers has seen record prices for some of its top lots.

A late 19th century Tiffany Tiger Orchid brooch that sold for £50,000 was one of several lots that achieved spectacularly high prices at Elstob & Elstob’s first totally online auction on Saturday, April 18.

Also reaching a headline figure of £15,000 was a rare Speedmaster Omega watch that was to become a ‘must-have brand’ for space travellers.

The Ripon-based auction house reported around three times the volume of bidders that would normally participate in a regular sale.

Auctioneer David Elstob said: “We were absolutely delighted with the response from our online audience and the high prices that individual lots made. It’s rather disconcerting as an auctioneer to be in a completely empty saleroom but as the event got underway it soon became obvious that we were being watched by a lot of people!

“Elstob & Elstob is one of only a few auction houses in the region to be holding sales at the moment and I think that people were really keen to be able to take part. In many ways, it is the ideal lockdown activity as it can all be done from the comfort and safety of your home. Bought items can either be couriered or stored with us until such a time when collection can be made,” he added.

The Tiffany brooch was one of many entries in the sale’s extensive jewellery section. Modelled in the shape of a Tiger Orchid, the piece dates from circa. 1890 and bears the famous Tiffany & Co signature. The flowerhead itself is applied with yellow, brown and orange enamels with rose-cut diamond highlights and the stem is set with circular-cut emeralds and rubies.

Twenty-five enameled orchid brooches were showcased by the American jewellery company at the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle. They were perfect reproductions of species found in New Mexico, Brazil and Guatemala, and at the Exposition real life specimens were displayed alongside the jewels.

“These brooches, thought to have been designed by Paul Farnham 1859 to 1929, were hugely popular amongst Tiffany’s clientele at the time and are much sought after as a collector’s item today,” said jewellery expert and director Beth Elstob.

“Indeed a piece of almost identical appearance was included in Tiffany's 'Epic Vision and Virtuosity' exhibition, in Shanghai last year. It is a truly iconic design and the craftsmanship is incredible,” she added.

After prolonged bidding, the brooch was knocked down for £50,000, comfortably within its price estimate of £40,000 to £60,000.

Another great result at the sale was a rare gentleman’s 1961 Omega Speedmaster bracelet watch that sold for £15,000, way above its guide price of £10,000 to £12,000.

Originally launched in 1959, the lot was a fine example of a “Pre-Moon” Speedmaster, so called by collectors because it pre-dates the first moon landing of 1969. The model is the second generation of Speedmaster.