Auction 134 highlights

This sale offers a diverse range of collectables from Car Number Plates to hang on your bar wall to rare coins and banknotes.

Sydneysiders are currently ‘enjoying’ a Covid lockdown giving locals ample time to watch our athletes punch above their weight on the world stage at the Olympics. But sometimes over the top backslapping can lead to hubris which is what occurred in 1974 when Frank Sinatra and his entourage were held ‘hostage’ at Sydney’s Boulevard Hotel after he insulted the local press. To be Frank and fair, he was only returning fire on the Murdoch Press for their front pages labelling the women travelling with him ‘Sinatra’s Molls’ when he called Australian women journalists “buck and a half hookers.” But with Australian ‘sheilas’ thoroughly insulted it took all the efforts of Bob Hawke, a leading trade unionist and a future Australian Prime Minister, to negotiate his exit from Australia. We have several items from this tumultuous tour in our sale including an original copy of the carefully crafted press release which got him out of Australia with his tough guy image bruised but largely intact.

There is also a wide selection of Sterling and European Silver Silverware on offer with much of it close to its intrinsic worth. As the world moves towards banning throw-away plastic cutlery perhaps it will again become a measure of wealth and class in future households and provide burglary plotlines for Netflix.

There are also some revelatory Australian historical documents particularly the one promoting South Australia’s annexation of New South Wales or part thereof.

We hope you enjoy the lots on offer and thank you for your continued custom.

Smalls Auctions.