A COLLECTION of novelty brandy and whiskey bottles made to commemorate British royal family landmarks “flew out the door,” according to Mealy’s fine art auctioneers. “All bottles comfortably exceeded the pre-sale estimate.”
At the sale in Co Kilkenny on Wednesday, bidders bought all the lots consigned for sale by a Dublin collector.
A Limoges porcelain flask of French Camus brandy made in 1981 for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, made €220 (estimate, €120-€180).
A selection of porcelain decanters filled with Bell’s whisky commemorating the births of Princes William and Harry made €160 (€80-€150); the late Queen Mother’s 90th birthday, €140 (€50-€70); the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, €120 (€40-€60); and the birth of Princes Eugenie, €100 (€30-€40).
Mealy's said there was "an interesting spread of prices when considered in light of their peerage pecking order positions". But nationalists can take heart: a "very rare" 1984 bottle of Irish Midleton whiskey trumped all the royals and fetched €900, triple the estimate (€250-€350). - MP
