A gorgeous little boutique antique and fine art auction house in Erina intends on becoming the new ‘it’ place on the coast for antiques.
Swan Deverell Auctioneers owner Hannah Clayton Atkin thinks that antique lovers shouldn’t have to travel to Sydney to find the good stuff. With over 20 years working in fine and decorative art in museums, archives, private collections, and at auctions, Hannah is an absolute guru when it comes to antiques, and she aims to bring new life to the Central Coast market.
And right now she has a perfect little treasure to entice collectors. Swan Deverell is currently home to a first edition of Charles Dickens 1854 novel, Hard Times, that will be coming under the virtual hammer in a timed online sale from 1 – 8 June.
Hannah came across the extraordinary literary gem when it turned up with a bunch of other interesting antiques from a local deceased estate.
“I’m delighted by this rare and special find, it even smells wonderfully old book-y,” she said.
“The coat of arms on the bookplate tells us that the Dickens was part of the library collection of Frederick Perkins (1780 – 1860) who lived at the now demolished Chipstead Place in Kent, UK.
“Frederick was a keen bibliophile and started collecting books in around 1820. After the death of his son George who inherited the library, the collection was sold at auction by Sotheby’s on 10 July 1889. Unfortunately, I don’t really know how it came to be in the collection here on the coast, but I’m sure the region is full of similar hidden treasures buried in boxes or forgotten on shelves waiting to be discovered again.”
Hannah still gets excited by the process of discovery, and her sense of wonder is contagious.
Originally from England, her father would take her to country homes and museums as a child and her fascination grew from there.
Her colourful career has been spent in auction houses, museums, and country houses. During her time in the UK her highlights included working alongside a famous peacock dress in the house of a Viceroy, and playing the pianola to a crowd in the world’s oldest surviving music hall where Stan Laurel (of Laurel and Hardy) made his debut.
Hannah emigrated to Sydney in 2007 and by the end of 2008 she had made the move up to the Central Coast where she now calls Umina Beach home. Until recently she balanced two roles, one at a Sydney auction house and another as the Development Manager of the Historic Houses Association of Australia, but the Covid lockdown saw her reassess the value of the big commute to Sydney. Since moving to the Coast she knew the area had a lot to offer and in October last year, she took the plunge and opened her business in Erina.
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Although it was a big gamble for Hannah, it’s already paying off with some incredible finds. As well as the Dickens novel, Hannah has unearthed a bounty of other fascinating objects including a German pottery beer stein jug dating from the mid 1700s – the time of the First Fleet, the Industrial Revolution and the American War of Independence, a comprehensive collection of ‘Fragments from France’ cartoon postcards depicting military life in World War I, and a set of 1890 bone and ebony dominoes, amongst other historic pieces.
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In the array of upcoming auctions scheduled there is also a fine wine sale that includes a 1968 bottle of Penfolds Grange, and the regular Antiques and Estates auction where you are sure to find something to catch your eye.
As well as her Australian and International Art auctions, which have presented works by such varied artists as Joan Miro and Gillie and Marc, Hannah is also proud to support emerging local artists by curating sale exhibitions in her showroom gallery for only the cost of her typical auction house commission.
All the items in Swan Deverell’s varied timed online auctions can be viewed at The Gallery, the auction house’s showroom based at the Palm Court retail centre in Erina.
Or visit their online home at https://www.swandeverell.com.au/
Congratulation!