Rare Garden Gnome

If you have an old garden gnome languishing in the undergrowth of your garden, you may be surprised to learn that it could be a valuable antique.

Charles Hanson, manager of Hansons Auctioneers, who also appears in BBC1’s Bargain Hunt, recently spotted an exceptionally rare garden gnome when looking over a property in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

He almost missed the 12 inch pottery statue, still intact in red pixie hat and green breeches.  It was virtually hidden beneath dense ivy in the overgrown garden, where it was sitting on a stone, smoking a pipe. 

The gnome isbelieved to be more than 100 years old is expected to fetch up to £600 in auction.

A report in the Express and Star quoted Mr Hanson as saying: “It was remarkable. I will occasionally assess items in a garden such as stone urns, planters and saddle stones but this really was a case of hide and seek. I just spotted a glint of colour within the ivy and went to investigate.”

The gnome was manufactured at the Bretby factory in Swadlincote, near Burton upon Trent.  It is estimated that it dates from around 1900.

Author: Robert Smith