BofB Spitfire Propeller Relic……

With all due respect, I’m afraid that most auction houses have some difficulty putting values (meaningful ones!) on items like this. Frankly, I have usually found they don’t have a clue. For such specialised items you are best off asking specilist and known collectors or reputable dealers.

I have an idea of the value (which I have relayed to Mike) but I think that is significantly under what he had hoped.

When you can identify an appropriate auction house, why not send jpg images of the propellor blade to them, explaining the logistical difficulties of visiting them with the object, and ask them for a valuation? You may find that, if they consider the propellor blade to be the sort of object that they would wish to sell, they will arrange for a local representative to visit you, to inspect the object for the purpose of letting you have a valuation.

Yeah I will look into the different routes I can go down, it’s not so easy ‘up north’ though as most of the interest in all things BofB remains ‘down south’….
Or at least it seems that way

Wouldn’t your best bet be to go to one of the reputable auction houses, which hold aeronautica sales periodically, for a valuation? They should be able to give you an indication of what is the current market for such an object and what the market might be expected to pay for it.

And before I go, just a whimsical musing. Advertising to finance an ATC minibus – good. Advertising to avoid personal financial difficulties – bad. Wouldn’t it be simpler and fairer to have one rule for everyone. After all, that’s what the forum code of conduct (paragraph 6) says and it hasn’t been modified recently!

That is cheap! A lot less than I got mine for, did he get hold of it a long time ago?

A friend of mine has the other one from this set, I think you will find its history is a little sketchy but its presumed!

Funny enough that also has a bullet hole and in exacly the same condition, if my memory serves me right he paid around £150 for it which i guess is cheap especially if you could prove its provinance which is unlikely

Yes it came direct from Gordon Ramsey, I still have the emails relating to it. I’m quite sure in our discussions he mentioned it was from the ATB collection, it was a deal we came to as I had a Falklands item which they were very keen to obtain for a book launch in 2009.
I asked myself about the provenance, he assured me that the bay area that the prop was recovered from had only seen one aircraft go down there of this mark and therefore fitted with this type of prop. That one aircraft was L1044.
Obviously, as with all items of this type, there’s an element of trust involved but there are a few very well known people in the trade who are trusted – yourself and Gordon included 🙂

Mike – thanks for the various PM’s. For what its worth, the value I suggested is based upon what I’d go to if buying it for me – which I wouldn’t be. You might get a lot more. As with all these things, its simply worth what anyone is prepared to pay for it.

One question, though. How do we know it to be from the aircraft it is said to be from? I am not suggesting you are wrong, but would like to know how we know it to be from that aeroplane given it was presumably trawled from the sea – and a sea area that contains a lot of shot down Spitfires of the period! I think any prospective buyer would want to be satisfied as to the provenance since its history is, really, its value. If it has not got a robust provenance (save from coming from the ATB collection) then it reduces its value rather significantly. I would also add that I don’t think the ATB collection per se has ever sold anything on, although one of the former partners, Gordon Ramsey, probably has although this would have been from his own personal collection.

And some more:

Nothing too bad thanks Tony, Mrs has just lost her job at 5 months pregnant so won’t have the extra income for a while!

Spit in question is L1044, Mk1a, DW-H, lost 12/08/40.
Here’s the pics:

Unfortunately with my current situation I’m forced to sell this on

Hope things are ok. 🙂

Ok no problem, sorry about that!
I will add some pics this afternoon

This is advertising as it stands.

Mike, no problem with you soliciting advise on the item – pictures would help, but offering it for sale here contravenes the CofC.

I have amended your initial post accordingly.

Bruce (Mod)

I’ll be stunned if the original posters PM inbox is not already filling up nicely ;).

I’ll give you a tenner for it, 20 quid if you deliver it and then I’ll donate it to an appropriate Museum where it can be displayed for all to see.

Regards,

kev35