Are you a hat collector? Or maybe a fan of 1920s postcards? A serious book aficionado? Or just a curious soul? Whatever the answer, the eclectic collector auction by Whyte’s has something in store that you will find hard to resist. Held in the historic Freemason’s Hall in Dublin on Saturday 5 May, the sale offers an alluring selection.
Kitty Kiernan’s vanity case is among the top lots of the auction. Growing up in a well-off commercial family, Kitty enjoyed many of the luxuries of the 1920s, as evidenced by the content of her vanity case. Kitty Kiernan is best remembered for being the fiancée of Michael Collins and the photographs in the case include two copies of Kiernan sitting on the roadside at Beal na mBlath the year after Collins’ death. It is estimated at £2,500-£3,000.
The sale features many others Irish-history related memorabilia, such as the hats of General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell, repressor of the Easter Rising in 1916. They are estimated at £1,700-£2,000, and are impeccably preserved.
It is impossible not to mention the sale’s most surprising lot: a set of 20 horse x-rays! But they are not coming from just any horse, as they were taken in 1967 on superstar racehorse Arkle. Reigning over the tracks in the 1960s, his career was interrupted by a hoof injury, documented by the x-rays. They are estimated at £2,000-£2,500.
And many other special and unusual pieces for you to discover… on Barnebys!
