Collection of rare figurines expected to fetch up to £1,500.

A rare collection of figurines by a much sought-after potter will go under the hammer in Lincoln next month.

The sale of the 17 Wade figurines by is expected to spark a lot of interest at Thomas Mawer and Son’s auction room on Saturday, September 5.

These particular examples were made at the Wade factories for 10 years from 1927 but production was halted after the cellulose coating was deemed to be ‘insufficient’.

John Leatt, auctioneer at the Portland Street auction house, said: “Production ended after the factory discovered the cellulose was unstable, turning yellow and peeling off with age.

“When they were made, they didn’t know what the condition of cellulose would be in the long-term.

“The rarity of these figures means there is a keen collectors’ market for them and we expect the most sought-after examples to fetch between £60 and £100.

“Wade is a factory brand that many people follow and these particular figurines are typical 1930s Art-Deco, which is very popular at the moment.

“Despite the imperfections, and considering the nature of them and what they’re made of, they are in relatively good condition.

“As with anything that’s produced over a short period of time, often years later they come more sought after because of the rarity and supply of them.

“In all we expect them to make around £1,000 to £1,500.”

Mr Leatt told the Echo that he had only ever handled one or two such figurines in an auction at a time so was surprised to see such a big collection.

Of the items featured in the sale, a figurine named Argentina is expected to fetch between £50 and £100, whereas one named HRH Princess Elizabeth is expected to fetch between £70 and £120.

Terry Woodcock, an auctioneer at Unique Auctions agreed with the estimations made by Mawer and Son, explaining that it was unusual to see such a large collection.

“Normal Wade figures which pass through at auction would now fetch around 50p, when before they would make £5 to £6,” he said.

“But these are unusual and very rare, which makes them very collectable.

“There’s currently a slight depression in this market so for something like this to sell it has to be very unusual.”

A full catalogue off all the items available at the auction will be online a week before the sale. For more information visit www.thosmawer.co.uk