Ibrox Seat Sells for £1,080

A rare seat from Ibrox stadium, dating to the 1920s, has been snapped up at auction for £1,080 by a lifelong Rangers fan.

The seat, which is constructed from cast iron and oak, was retrieved during the major upgrading works to Ibrox stadium in the 1970s.

It is understood very few of the seats are still in existence and auctioneers at McTear's were inundated with enquiries about the lot before the sale took place on Thursday 21st July.

The seat was purchased by Rangers fan Darrin Gibb from Motherwell.

"I saw it earlier in the week and thought I would come along to the auction," said Darrin. "I have been a Rangers fan since I was a boy and I always wanted a seat at Ibrox.   Now I've got one for life."

Brian Clements, Managing Director at McTear's said, "McTear’s has established a reputation for selling interesting and much sought after sports memorabilia but this is the first stadium seat we have put up for auction.

"The seat is associated with an important period in Rangers history and we were not surprised that it attracted so much attention prior to the sale.  There was some fierce bidding on the night and we are delighted that it made such a good price."

Amongst the clouds; the work of J. Whitelaw Hamilton

JAMES WHITELAW HAMILTON ARSA RSW (1860-1932) was born in Glasgow in 1860 and spent the majority of his life in Helensburgh. Known as an associate of the Glasgow Boys, Hamilton works reflects a wide-variety of influences. He began studying fine art in Glasgow and continued his studies in Paris. It was in Paris where he met artists Dagnan-Bouveret and Aime Morot, both leaders of the 19th century French Movement. It has often been suggested that Hamilton's association with Morot and the French Movement influenced his subject choice; landscapes. However, Hamilton's work reflects a much deeper connection with the movement, the rich palette and quiet tones of his work is emblematic of the French Movement.


Upon his return to Scotland, Hamilton continued to paint landscapes, working alongside James Guthrie and several other Glasgow Boys. Hamilton's work is often considered classical and traditionalist in the subject matter and approach and he was often pigeon-holed for the lack of vibrancy and energy of his work. However, in recent years, Hamilton's work has come back to the limelight and the painterly quality of his sensitive and quiet work has found an ever more enthusiastic international audience. This has been reflected by rising prices at auction both in the UK and mainland Europe including £10,000 (Sotheby's Gleneagles August 2008 lot 87 - "Harbour Side" a small oil on canvas dated 1887).


Our July 19th Fine and Contemporary sale features a rare garden scene by Hamilton. The subtle hints of light are ignited by the cool palette outlining the fauna along edges of the work - a genuinely outstanding example of the artist's work.

Lot 19, 'In My Garden' by James Whitelaw Hamilton is estimated at £6500 -8000. 

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Another successful art auction at McTear's

Notable results included the beautiful Alexander Mann painting Bacchante, which sold for £10,000 after competitive bids. Sir John Lavery’s Woman in an Arab Headdress was also sold for £9,000, and George Henry’s Portrait of William Wilson made £6,000 hammer.

Also worth mentioning, an Ethel Walker was prominently featured with Table by the Window selling for £2,600 and Gold Evening, Argyll for £1,200. Etchings by John Bellany proved to be immensely popular, and James Turnbull’s watercolours and cartoons (featured in The Herald) were a great success, with the watercolours selling for between £100-300 each.



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RARE ‘BEAR’ STAND FETCHES £2,000

If you went down to McTear’s today, you were in for a big surprise!

A rare 19th Century bear shaped walnut stand from the Black Forest delighted auctioneers in Glasgow today as an anonymous buyer paid almost £2,000 for the piece.

The stand came to McTear’s attention when a Glasgow seller used the auction house’s Text It service to find out how much the stand was worth.

However, as soon as director, Brian Clements, saw the text picture he knew the prospective seller had something special on his hands.

“When I opened the text I realised this was a very rare piece that could attract a lot of interest at auction,” says Brian. “We initially thought the stand could fetch about £800, however as soon as the bidding started we realised it was going to sell for a lot more.

“It is a great piece and we are absolutely delighted that it secured such a good price.”

The McTear’s Text It service allows prospective sellers to have an antique valued wherever it may be. All they need to do is photograph the item on a mobile phone camera and text the picture along with the word ‘value’ to 88600. A specialist from McTear’s will then send a text with an estimated value.

The price quoted above includes buyer’s premium and VAT thereon.


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