Whip crack away!

An intriguing assortment of antique whips performed surprisingly well in the Chilcotts March sale, achieving just under £7,000 including buyer’s premium. And this was only half of the whips on offer as the complete collection, from the estate of an Exmouth resident, was so extensive that Chilcotts decided to split it between two sales.

Auctioneer, Duncan Chilcott said: “People love to collect all sorts of things and to have the chance to see a collection like this that has been assembled over many years is always fascinating.

“It can be tricky to value this type of item and to know what will sell, so we were delighted with the interest the sale garnered.”

A Victorian carriage whip was the star performer; this whip, hallmarked London 1887, had a pommel bearing the Arms of the City of London and a motto Domine Direge Nos (Lord Direct Us). It sold for £1200 while a pair of tribal African bull whips fetched a humbler amount of £25. A gentleman’s hunting whip with silver collars hallmarked 1909, sold in a lot with a lady’s hunting whip with a silver collar, two other hunting whips and a beagle whistle reached £280. Also included in the sale were several swords and daggers, including an early twentieth century whip cum sword stick with a gilt metal collar featuring a button that releases a short sword with gilt and blue decoration, which raised £260.00.

“More usually, a sword stick is contained within a cane, so this combination of whip and sword stick spells double trouble for anyone getting in the path of the owner,” added Duncan.

The owner gifted some of the proceeds from the collection to the Topsham Estuary League of Friends, a lesser-known charity that looks after people in need in the Kennford and Exminster areas. The charity approached Chilcotts to sell the collection on its behalf.

Chief Executive, Rachel Gilpin said: "The Estuary League of Friends (Estuary) was founded in 1987 by local GPs concerned about the lack of health and social care support in the community; the charity has grown from strength to strength since then. Estuary is now a highly respected local health charity, committed to improving the quality of life of those in need of care, comfort and support in parts of Exeter and East Devon. With a modest staff complement of 17 full time equivalent employees, we galvanise community support by enlisting over 165 local people as volunteers to help over 1,400 of the most vulnerable, frail and disadvantaged in our community each year."

If you have a hankering for a whip, the second half of the collection will be sold in the company’s Fine Art, Antiques and Collectors Items sale on June 2. This will be held at Chilcotts Silver Street sale room in Honiton, close to Honiton Community College. Viewing is on Thursday, 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to 7pm and on Sale Day from 8:30am. The sale starts at 10am.