A collection belonging to late Flog It! antiques expert Michael Baggott could be the most comprehensive set of silver tested in York to come up for public sale, an auctioneer has said.
Baggott’s death aged 51 in hospital after a heart attack, which followed a stroke in October, was announced earlier this year.
The collection, expected to make more than £200,000, comprises hundreds of lots, including an extensive selection of York silver, as well as items assessed in assay offices in Liverpool, Chester, Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen.
Highlights include a George IV gilt sideboard dish from Birmingham silversmith Sir Edward Thomason, with an an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000; a rare George II provincial mug by Liverpool silversmith Benjamin Brancker, with an estimate of £1,500-£2,000; and a Robert Hennell-produced Victorian novelty Jester pepper pot dating from 1868, with an estimate of £1,000-£1,500.
There is also a tankard by Benjamin Cartwright, who was London-based, which could go for between £1,500 and £2,000, and a rare George IV provincial Gibson-type medicine spoon, which was named after the doctor who designed them, with an estimate of £600 to £800.
Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, said: “The Baggott collection is probably the most comprehensive collection of silver assayed in York ever to come on to the open market.
“It includes over 550 pieces from the late 17th century to the closure of the (York) assay office in 1858.”
Another item is a George IV silver-mounted naval snuff box, bearing the words “Made of the wood from Northern Discover Ships by Michael Jones at Deptford, 5th May 1824”, which is believed to be a reference to 16th-century English vessels sent to find a northern sea route to Asia.
Baggott, born in Birmingham, was an authority on antique silver, specialising in early spoons, boxes and provincial and continental silver.
His interest in antiques began in his early years, and he progressed to work in Christie’s auction house and was head of silver at Sotheby’s Billingshurst for a number of years, before becoming a private consultant.
Baggott was also a published author, having written An Illustrated Guide To York Hallmarks 1776-1858 and As Found: A Lifetime In Antiques.
He joined BBC daytime show Flog It! in the early 2000s, and valued various silver objects.
Earlier this year, the head of BBC daytime and early peak commissioning, Rob Unsworth, described him as as one of Flog It!’s “most memorable characters”, and an “expert in all manner of collectables but in particular with unrivalled knowledge and enthusiasm for antique spoons and silver”.
The Antiques Roadshow-style programme – which saw members of the public having their antique items appraised by experts before being given the option to sell them at auction – began in 2002.
The corporation announced in 2018 that the series was being axed in a shake-up of BBC One’s daytime schedule.
The Baggott sale begins on July 15 at 10am.
The estimates do not included buyer’s premium, which the auction house said was 26% on top of sales.
