Smiths Auctions in Newent have been so inundated with entries for their November 14-15 Antiques Sale that they have had to close the sale early. This is the last sale before Christmas and the team wanted to offer their buyers a fantastic range of giftable items such as jewellery, silver, watches, ceramics and small collectables. However, the sale also includes the usual selection of antique furniture, paintings, books and other furnishings.

The jewellery cabinet is now full to the brim with a fantastic selection of antique and modern rings, brooches, necklaces and bracelets. A large offering of rings incudes an attractive emerald and diamond ring estimated at £400/£600 as well as a wide range of affordable diamond rings to suit all tastes.

The star lots of the watch section are a vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch in stainless steel case estimated at £ £1,500/£2,000 and an Omega Speedmaster Automatic which is expected to make £1,000/£1,500. Other watches include a Tag Heur gent’s watch estimated at £300/£500 and a selection of ladies’ watches including Longines, Mappin & Webb and Rotary.

A very large section of ceramics includes a lovely Wedgwood white cabbage leaf dinner service estimated at £200/£400 – a fraction of price it would cost new. There are of course countless antique and vintage tea sets and many beautiful pieces by Moorcroft, Sevres, Spode and Minton. A stunning Italian Art Pottery bowl by L’Antica Daruta is bound to catch someone’s eye whilst a Grainger’s Worcester tall ewer painted with a goldfinch is bound to appeal to bird lovers. Animal themed items are generally popular and a selection of Beswick horses should make the perfect gift for collectors and horse lovers alike. Other giftable items include a Mary Rose teapot, a huge variety of decorative figures and a range of antique glass scent bottles.

In the collectables section buyers can expect to find specialist rarities such as an early Lucas Penny Farthing bicycle lamp estimated at £200/£300. Lucas started to make various lamps in the latter part of the 19th century and were ideally placed to take advantage of the invention of the bicycle and then the subsequent cycling boom in the 1880s and 1890s. This then led onto their rapid movement into the motor car market, where they developed and grew into one of the largest automobile electrical and lighting suppliers in the world and they are still trading today.

Another very niche collectable is a large quantity of Girl Guiding postcards, photographs and badges starting from the early 20th century to the modern day. Scouting and Guiding items can be highly collectable and many of the images are labelled - making them far more interesting and valuable. For example, one group is titled 4th Cardiff circa 923 with the Guiders all named individually. Another even earlier example has a paper label naming the young looking woman as Doris Chambers District Commissioner 1919.

In the book section a Victorian edition of Old Mother Hubbard has moving parts which can be guided about using paper tabs. These old novelty moving books are very collectable, and this one is estimated at £100/£150 despite the fact that Old Mother Hubbard looks rather fierce and intimidating.

Smiths catalogue for the November sale will be available from November 7 with viewing on the 11th and 12th from 10am to 5pm. Entries for the specialist coin sale in February are invited now - as the two coin specialists begin their cataloguing well in advance of the sale. Entries for the popular New Year Auction on January 2-3 are invited from November 17. Please telephone 01531 821776 or visit www.smithsnewentauctions.co.uk for more information.