Two days of exciting auctions at Eldred’s resulted in a bevy of heavy prices paid for a vast selection of sporting and military items as well as marine and Orientalia. The top lot of the marine auction came as a surprise to many in the crowd as an unassuming lot of nine books on Arctic exploration, estimated at $500/1,000, crossed the auction block.

When auctioneer Robert Eldred asked for a bid of $1,000 he was pleasantly surprised to see several hands in the air. One bidder at the rear of the tent tried to strategically jump the bid several times, and although he successfully bid the lot in the end, each of his attempts was countered with another quick bid. It took $43,700 to claim the lot.

Another lot of exploration materials, this one a two-volume set of Robert Falcon Scott’s “Terra Nova” expedition in 1910 of Antarctica brought $21,850. Also sold was a William York ship’s portrait at $39,100. Sporting items included a rare Nantucket robin snipe shorebird that went out at $31,050, while an Elmer Crowell decorative yellowlegs shorebird realized $21,850.