Vesta cases collection to light up auction

A private collection of vesta cases and other silver smallwork, all collected by a devotee of Portobello Road antiques market, will come to auction in London this month.

The sheer variety of the mainly 19th-century British silver smallwork reflects the passion and dedication of a private collector who painstakingly combed the antique stalls of Portobello Road every Saturday. There are over 180 vesta vases in the sale.

An array of smallwork follows, including scent flasks, sovereign cases, travelling accessories, caddy spoons, condiment spoons, and sewing accoutrements, pepperettes, grape scissors, and an unusal pair of George IV silver ‘eye preservers’.  

Estimates for the vesta cases range from £40 to £300 from simple designs to combination cases which include cheroot cutters and slow match burners, reflecting the Victorian taste for novelty pieces. Early cases date from 1838 and examples are available to buy up to the end of the 19th century.   

Highlights among the vesta cases include a Victorian silver combined cigarette, slow match and vesta case by HW & L Dee for retail by T Jones, London 1877, estimated at £150-£250. A Victorian silver and signal flag enamelled vesta case, Johnson, Sons & Edmonds, London 1888 is estimated at £300-£400, and an attractive early Victorian silver vesta case by John Harris, 1853 is estimated at £120-£180. 

The timed sale runs from February 21 to March 2.