Provenance: Hamilton Inn Tasmania. In 2005 Gowans Auctions sold the now well documented ‘Hamilton Sofa’. This important piece of furniture (sofa) was named due to its known origins at the Hamilton Inn and has since been described as one of the earliest pieces of Tasmanian made furniture.This chest of drawers is submitted by a member of the same family as the hamilton sofa. The chest was originally the property of the vendor’s great grandfather, Albert Sonners, who was the earliest known owner of the Hamilton Sofa.

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The auctioneer has just wrapped up a successful weekend auction with close to 600 bidders for a collection of colonial antiques.

The rooms were packed with 300 bidders while the remaining bids came by phone or absentee buyers.

Before the auction, the Gowans team had combed a deceased estate on Main Rd, Moonah, only 300m from their rooms when they uncovered a hidden unexpected treasure. In the backyard shed, among the tins of paint and tools, was a colonial cedar meat safe that fetched $9600.

A cedar chest of drawers from one of the original land grants in the colony went for $35,000 the same day. The Bagdad property of Rosewood has been in the same family since 1823. It’s 90-year-old owner, the last in the line of descendants to live in the stone cottage, has sold and moved to Melbourne to live with her daughter.

A Haughton Forrest Painting bought from Hobart Auctioneers Burn & Son in 1945 fetched $18,000 and a rare pottery jug by early Launceston’s Campbell Pottery fetched $7600 — an Australian record.

“The vendor had no idea of its true value and submitted it for one of our Friday general auctions,’’ Mr Gowan said.

“After 38 years in the game it never ceases to amaze me what’s out there,’’ Mr Gowan said.

Interest in Tasmanian colonial artefacts is very strong on the mainland “but the locals are more than capable of keeping it in the state,” he said.

http://www.themercury.com.au/business/tasmanian-colonial-auction-reveals-treasurers-worth-thousands/news-story/5c4f34b4c6e4bf72ad97680d0d9ddfb7

AN EARLY ANDREWS AND BEVAN EMPIRE CHAFF CUTTER IS TO BE AUCTIONED BY GOWANS AUCTIONS. THE EARLY 1900S NEW ZEALAND MADE VINTAGE MACHINERY ITEM IS  SHOWN HERE BEING REMOVED FROM ITS HOME OF MANY YEARS. IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION AT OUR MOONAH ROOMS.