Silver tennis bangle – £2000 at Graham Budd's auction.
It was among the 1500 sports-associated lots of posters, ceramics, paintings, equipment etc offered by specialist London auctioneer Graham Budd (17.5% buyer’s premium) using Sotheby’s New Bond Street rooms on June 3-4.
Marked for Birmingham 1882 and a rarity with a tilt-head design, it came in its fitted box and was spotted by two overseas bidders, one on the phone, the other online.
It finally went to the American lady who explained that she knew the noted US tennis collector and author Jeanne Cherry who always wore a similar bangle. When the lady saw the Graham Budd example she ‘just had to have it’ and did so with a bid of £2000, 10 times the top estimate.
