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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Bob Wyatt’s collection


Dust Jacket Collector

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I’ve just noticed that the first part of the late Bob Wyatt’s collection is coming up for auction with Dominic Winters on the 7th November. Shame to see a great collection broken up but there should be some fine things on offer.

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Wonder how many parts? I understand it filled at least 11 rooms.

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2 hours ago, David Filsell said:

It was one hell of collection. Impressive only starts to describe it. Sad too. I had been told that Bob's son intended to keep it.

The catalogue hasn’t gone online yet but maybe this is just the parts his son didn’t want. I guess we’re all going to have to face the problem of what our relatives will do with all our stuff. Probably down to the charity shop or the skip!

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DJC,

No criticism was intended. Just sad that such a magnificent collection is being broken up. That said my wife is under orders to flog everything of mine - books, pictures, military bronzes. My collecting has never been made with an expectation of personal profit. There seems little reason to give it to museums who have a long record of poor behaviour with material material presented to them!

Edited by David Filsell
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It was a magnificent collection, we don't know the reason for sale, hopefully not inheritance tax or lack of space to store it. 

 

There is an apocryphal tale of a book collecter staying in a Blackpool b&b in Victorian times and finding the toilet paper was first edition Caxtons. The deceased husband of the land lady was a book collecctor. The wife hated them and thought they had no value, but never bothered to check and hence the recycling.

 

 

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I am always reminded of the story told to me by Tony Martin {old time collectors will no doubt remember his shop in Hitchin} called to a  house and found a very large collection of regimental histories etc all in very nice condition bundled up into small parcels a parcel 4/6 inches thick went for £5.00 approx.,. those larger for a tenner approx. filled the back of his van I believe!

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      The catalogue is rather grandiloquently calling it "The Library of the Late Lt Col. R.J.Wyatt"  -but Part I,so it betokens more to come. The previous advice about looking at the whole catalogue-and those of the next sale for bulk lots still applies. His  vaunted 11 rooms translates in my experience to a quantity in excess of 20,000 litems.  I believe  that this put it beyond the willingness of others to handle commercially. I only knew him to speak to at the odd bookfair-wrong side of London-but he was always a pleasant chap.

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The catalogue is rather grandiloquently calling it "The Library of the Late Lt Col. R.J.Wyatt"  -but Part I,so it betokens more to come. The previous advice about looking at the whole catalogue-and those of the next sale for bulk lots still applies. His  vaunted 11 rooms translates in my experience to a quantity in excess of 20,000 litems.  I believe  that this put it beyond the willingness of others to handle commercially. I only knew him to speak to at the odd bookfair-wrong side of London-but he was always a pleasant chap.

 

It was said that it was the finest military library in private hands, but who compared and access to all the private libraries, but I can believe it is huge. He had started collecting in 1944 as a teenager.  Bob would go to the book fairs with Derek Hayles who I believe is sadly not with us. I always loved a coffee and chat with him as Derek went off, must have seen him last at the Deepcut Military book-fair, but the days of going regularly to the book fairs for books is long gone for me. 

 

You advice about about bulk lots is very true, you get a bargain when the seller mis-catalogues it, over 10,000 books is a lot to catalogue!

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26 minutes ago, MartH said:

You advice about about bulk lots is very true, you get a bargain when the seller mis-catalogues it, over 10,000 books is a lot to catalogue!

 

     Two comments, Mart:

 

1) Yes, Derek Hayles is long gone-  more than 20 years past I think.

2)  The advantage  of bulk lots to the enthusiastic buyer has been largely offset by the  use of  pics. to illustrate lots - usually JPEG and capable of expansion.  Winter is good at this.   The  reputed quantity means  perhaps paced over a number of sales- the one thing a generalist book auctioneer like Winter will not want to do is overwhelm any single auction with too much from one property.

     Sure I saw him at a bookfair a while back carrying away a pile of dusty old official histories of the Great War.....  No,no-I must say no more..................   remarkably good dustjackets................

(Please, don't raid the Doggy Treats Fund to buy too many books)

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Bob lived not far from my sister's family and I'd often drop in on him for a chat about matters historical. A good chap. Sorry you've gone Bob, sleep well.

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The catalogue has just gone online - https://www.dominicwinter.co.uk/

There are 100 lots, mostly in groups of 30 or more with some listed as ‘3 shelves’ so largely aimed at dealers. Lots of Regimentals and Official Histories - 64 Memorial volumes in 2 lots - plenty of Crimean and Boer War material.

There are clearly many gems lurking in there but you’ll probably have to buy several dozen books to get the one you want. Sadly most of the stuff isn’t illustrated.

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After skimming the catalogue I concur with Alan , most lots are of multiple books with one or two choice volumes. Nice dustwapper set of  Fortescue. If you are going to have a go you should visit and check the condition, many ex library, and it's hard to tell from the description. 

 

The catalogue states "and over the next 60 years he assembled the largest military history library in private hands in the UK.". So much more to catalogue and sell, wonder if it takes till 2021 to sell.

 

Good luck to those bidding, I think i will give this a miss.

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 2 things re. the Bob Wyatt catalogue:

 

1)   Colleagues should keep an eye on the Dominic Winter site in the days before the auction.  "Download Catalogue" will not get you very far. The option-"View Catalogue" is the one to keep going back to-  Winter usually illustrates the multiple lots on JPEG, so that you can see all/most of what is in a lot.  On the other hand, Winter usually gets his catalogues together very late on-it is very common for a sale only to come online less than a week before the auction. It is highly likely that many more pics. to illustrate the lots will come online- so as they used to say on Police 5-"Keep 'em Peeled"

 

2)   The quantity of  older material is such that I would strongly advise my colleagues on the Forum who collect stuff to go to the sale- preferably the day before or early on the morning of sale-  Books can be viewed through the sale anyway.

   Because Bob Wyatt picked up stuff across the decades when it was plentiful, then  this sale (pardon my witchcraft here) smells right.  My gut feeling is that it is better to go and see, rather than fret when the pickings come out on booksellers catalogues at egregious prices.  Colleagues should be advised that there is one persistent buyer of bulk lots who should simply be overcome if you want something- Winter has a number of dealers who crack at bulk lots but one of their most regular buyers (whom I will not name), simply whacks such extortionate prices on everything he buys, that outbidding on the day will save a lot of tears later on.

     The mixture of books looks splendid-far better than I had thought. Thus, have a pleasant day -albeit possibly with frustration- as I think colleagues will only regret it if they don't go. eg 3 shelves of regimental magazines- that's more than I have seen come on the market across the past 20 years at one go!!

 

     It is ,of course, entirely within the law for collectors to bid on joint-account.  The greatest asset my colleagues on GWF have is knowledge.  -Get out there and use it. With a collection like this, then  a pleasant day trip is a pleasure in itself-If you do not buy, then every auction of good materials looked at adds to one's knowledge.  And if you do not want to bid,say, on a multiple lot, then it is usually better to have a word with the purchaser  immediately after the hammer falls-ask for it to be quoted.

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Thanks for the advice, It’s looking like a 3 hr drive come early November.

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I wonder how they came to estimate 'A Young Borderer ' at £300-£500 , it's one of the most common and cheapest memorial volumes IMHO .

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4 hours ago, Black Maria said:

I wonder how they came to estimate 'A Young Borderer ' at £300-£500 , it's one of the most common and cheapest memorial volumes IMHO .

There are 31 other Memorial volumes in the same lot which at £10-15 each makes them seem rather cheap ( & 1/10th of what our favourite dealer would likely charge). The following lot has another 32 as well.

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2 hours ago, Dust Jacket Collector said:

There are 31 other Memorial volumes in the same lot which at £10-15 each makes them seem rather cheap ( & 1/10th of what our favourite dealer would likely charge). The following lot has another 32 as well.

 

  As I suggested, then  Flint's treasure is there for them as can get it-in the multiple lots.   I suspect very strongly that the next Winter general sale will have a chunk of the more modern stuff at the end in the bulk lots.  Winter has done the obvious thing-go for Churchilliana (Peter Harrington et al), the older  single good items-and no skill at all with the rest-save as a "come on"  - so that, dear DJC, you will have to obey the sage advice of Horace Greeley- "Go West young man"

    The estimates are just that-  Its the bidders who make the prices when their  expert knowledge is  involved-not the auctioneer.  Winter also catalogues in-house- thus, just ponder what Tom Donovan  would have made of this collection  if he had catalogued it.

 

       I will end with a further reference to that splendid book, Treasure Island- Always go to auction prepared to come away empty-handed-If you do then it is but a few hours wasted looking at good books and,usually, in pleasant company. But if it gets a bit bloody against the hammer, then I must remind you of John Silver's words:

    "Them as dies will be the lucky ones" :wub:

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having had a look the estimates for the items that I am familiar with are all over the place so I would most certainly ignore them, there is also a 20& commission to be taken into account as regards the job lots I am a wary now of buying many books that I am not interested in or that I already have, the photograph albums? maybe see how I feel nearer to the time   

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3 hours ago, Dust Jacket Collector said:

There are 31 other Memorial volumes in the same lot which at £10-15 each makes them seem rather cheap ( & 1/10th of what our favourite dealer would likely charge). The following lot has another 32 as well.

Ah , that makes sense . Maybe there are some bargains to be had , although i suppose the dealers will do well .

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1 hour ago, Black Maria said:

Ah , that makes sense . Maybe there are some bargains to be had , although i suppose the dealers will do well .

   Dealers are always overcome by informed collectors.  I have the boot marks to prove it.:wub:

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   Dealers are always overcome by informed collectors.  I have the boot marks to prove it.:wub:

:D

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The high resolution pictures are now online (click ‘view auction’) so you can see exactly which books are in each lot. Saves me the trip to South Cerney. 

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