The seller!

Dealers who have been in the trade for many, many years and who have built up exceptional expertise in their specialist area can, quite rightly, charge a premium for their pieces.  In recent years, extraordinary prices have been realised when a sampler comes to the global market via the internet from a renowned family or celebrated collection.  So, in 2012 a silk sampler by Mary Antrim, Burlington Country, New Jersey, Dated 1807 was sold by Sotheby’s in New York for a world record $1,070,500 – approximately £889,799 (see image)!  More recently, in 2021 some 300 samplers and textile embroideries, dating from Charles I to the reign of Queen Victoria from the ‘Feller Collection’, were sold by Salisbury (UK) based Woolley and Wallis auctioneers. The highest price realised (£7,500) was for a sampler worked by Sarah Ruskin dated 1802 and depicting a shepherd with his flock (see image).   It is interesting to note that age was not the overriding price consideration for the successful buyers of either of these samplers since older samplers were on offer at both auctions. Further information about both Mary and Sarah’s stunning samplers is readily available online!  

We hope that you find our blog interesting!  Please have a look at the samplers we currently have  available, to see how the above pricing factors play out when applied to our stock!  The six illustrative samplers within this Blog reflect examples across the price range we had available at the time of writing.  If you have a sampler or any antique or vintage piece that you’d like us to consider buying, visit  the ‘Something to sell?’ page of our website.

December 2022