Watch: Shock as rare photo found at Leighton Buzzard home goes under the hammer for £12k
A rare photograph found hanging in the hallway of a Leighton Buzzard home and valued between £80 and £120, has sold for £12k at auction.
It was among a group of framed photographs by cult classic photographers Graham Smith and Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, gifted to Alan Knowles, back in 1975.
Alan had displayed the photographs on the walls of his home having no idea the photographers had gone on to become famous, nor that the photographs had any value.
The photographers’ works are now found in venues like the Tate Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and New York's Museum of Modern Art.
The photographs were discovered by TV antiques expert and auctioneer, Irita Marriott, who was invited by Alan’s wife Helen and son Ben to search out any hidden treasures to sell to cover care home fees for Alan who suffered from dementia.
Sadly Alan, 82, passed away before the items made it to auction, but Ben confirmed the proceeds will now be used to “give Dad a good send-off”.
In an emotional episode of the series The Derbyshire Auction House (Really/discovery+) – which is set to air tonight at 9pm – Irita recalls meeting Alan’s family back in May, stating: "I couldn’t believe it when I saw them. The images are amazing - and valuable. Together they could achieve thousands of pounds under the hammer next week. It can’t be easy for them. These items are things that they’ve lived with all their lives, and ‘now that Alan’s gone into care’, it’s probably going to be really sad to see them go.”
The programme describes how Alan had worked for a regional arts association, promoting cinema and photography. The collection of original, signed images by prolific photographers, such as Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, who had been supported by Alan during their early careers, were hanging in the hallway.
Irita took the prints to auction, with one photograph in particular proving popular. Valued between £80 and £120, the sought-after print was sold for an astonishing £12,000 after a hugely competitive bidding process.
Ben said: “I was absolutely gobsmacked at the values people were willing to bid for what we thought were just nice pictures … that we saw on the wall every day. Absolutely brilliant.”
Irita added: “I loved every moment of being involved. It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever sold. I told Helen and Ben that they might be in for a surprise, and what a surprise it was. An absolutely phenomenal result on the pictures – and a perfect tribute to Alan.”
Find out how much Helen and Ben raised in total on tonight’s episode of The Derbyshire Auction House at 9pm on Really and discovery+.