Private buyers were out in force at the sale held by Mullen's last Monday evening, outbidding the trade for the vast majority of the top-selling lots. A Regency mahogany foldover card table, dating from around 1820, was the most expensive item in the sale - it made £2,500 under the hammer.

A set of eight Gainsborough-style dining chairs, upholstered in crimson damask, fetched £2,400; a William IV revival telescopic dining table sold for £1,950 and an Edwardian rosewood side cabinet made £1,700. All were sold to private buyers.

A dealer paid £1,300 for a 19th century gilt convex mirror, which is topped by an eagle; a Victorian mahogany sofa fetched £1,250; and the same price was paid for a white marble semi-clad female figure.

Six Victorian walnut dining chairs made £1,150; a Georgian mahogany bookcase sold for £1,100; a Victorian rosewood cased boudoir grand piano fetched £880; a marble mantelpiece was knocked down at £850; and a Victorian mahogany breakfront wardrobe sold for £780.