Dentist's grim tools

Collectors of medical equipment tend, inevitably, to be an affluent bunch.

Last year's sale of a 19th-century surgeon's amputation set at a Mealy's auction attracted significant interest and the grisly toolkit made €6,200, which was more than 17 times the estimate.

Next Tuesday at John Weldon auctioneers in Temple Bar, Dublin, "a collection of antique dental equipment in a large fitted box" from 1920s Berlin will go under the hammer in an auction beginning at 2pm with an estimate of €200-€500.