An Aboriginal parrying shield with an integral handle was worked with carved bands of concentric diamonds.
It was catalogued as 20th century and estimated at £400-600, but traces of white pigment to the recesses suggested to bidders the 2ft 10in (86cm) long shield had at least some age and it sold at £4500.
Captain Cook Resolution medal – £1700 at Tennants.
For the second time in three months, the saleroom offered one of the ‘platina’ Resolution medals made in 1772 for Captain James Cook to give to indigenous people encountered during his second voyage of discovery to the South Seas and Australasia.
On one side is a bust of the king and the words George IIII King of Gr. Britain. France. Ireland. etc. The other depicts Cook’s two vessels, Resolution and Adventure.
The earlier example which triggered this latest consignment to the Leyburn rooms took £3200. This one, drilled to take a ribbon, went Down Under at £1700.
The sale took place on December 13.
