January 2008, Bonhams press Release

World Record Price Of £12,000 For Fishing Creel (21 July 2007)


A fine 19th century leather pot-bellied fishing creel, which sold in 1951 for £1, made £12,000 at B. Henley Sale of fishing equipment and boats on 19 July.

Fishing specialist, Charles Kewley commenting on the price achieved for the creel, says: "This price is a clear signal

that period fishing equipment is increasingly sought after and collectable. Previous best prices for period creels have been between £3,000 and £6,000. It is extraordinary that an object sold for £1 in 1951 is now worth £12,000. The two charming stories associated with this creel must be a factor in its value. Collectors range from ordinary fishermen with a passion for their hobby to wealthy fishing enthusiasts who are building serious collections of fish and fishing gear." The previous owner of the creel bought it as a young lad, aged 10 in 1951, in a summer fete in the Rutland area with the money (20 shillings) he had just won for collecting the most 'cabbage white' butterflies, a popular practice in English villages.

This fine 19th century creel holds another interesting story. The heavily stitched leather pot-bellied creel was once owned by William Randell who attended a school for the deaf and dumb in Brighton where his future wife Edith White was also a pupil.

Research has revealed that William Randell was born in Bideford, Devon in 1855 and the census of 1891 declares William, 36, Edith 34, three children and five staff living by their own means at Hestholme, a house very close to the river Yore (Ure) between Aysgarth and Swinithwaite in Yorkshire. William died in 1905.

This wonderful creel has a white painted interior and a brass hinged leather lid embossed with a sun burst pattern. It is fitted with a brass hasp and semi-circular brass plaque engraved with the name and address: W. Randell Aysgarth Yorkshire. The main body of the creel is fitted with five brass plaques dated 1890-94 with details of trout and grayling caught in the respective years and a decorative shaped brass latch.

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America and in August 2003, Goodmans, a leading Australian fine art and antiques auctioneer with salerooms in Sydney, joined in.
Today, it offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further seven throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details, go to their website.

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