The Cheffins Auction Report : by Steve Bassett

Much has been written regarding the sanity of Roger "Syd" Barrett over the years. This is neither the time nor place to extend that discussion. At Cheffins last night the ball was firmly placed in the hands of Syd's fans. I'll be totally honest here and state that, if the majority of items had belonged to Mr Average Joe, there would be a skip full to the brim. When Rosemary Barrett told The Sunday Times that her brother was not very good at DIY she uttered the understatement of the Century. However, in a Cheffins auction room full to the brim with fans from all over the globe (our own Astral Piper member "Sydssexy" travelled from Ohio to be there) all reason flew straight out of the window into the ether beyond. Prices ranged from GBP 170 for a table with no top up to GBP 9500 for "Still life with lemons and green bottles on a shelf". In between we had photocopied notes in an A4 ring binder fetching GBP 2000. Syd's bike with basket and bell and things to make it look good was a snip at GBP 5500.

"Sydssexy" managed to scoop Syd's notebooks early in the sale for what turned out to be the bargain price of GBP 1300. Darkglobe2006 picked up two items of furniture - the red and silver painted chest of drawers and a rather surreal cupboard whose doors do not reach the bottom for GBP 440 and GBP 300 respectively.

Other items of note included a desktop lamp ( GBP 900) and the item that drew the biggest gasp from the assembled throng, Syd's home made bread bin (complete with clothes pegs) which sold for a staggering GBP 1400. As the sale drew near it's end prices started to rise as people realised there was not much left to bid on. His cushion went under the hammer for an awesome GBP 1600, his guitar for GBP 4000 and his recliner armchair for GBP 1100.

The money raised is, according to the catalogue, planned to be used for educational development in the art world. Surely nobody could have dreamed that his belongings would fetch such high prices.

Final Prices (all in British Pounds)

Lot 667 Homemade painted table 420

Lot 668 A modern painted kitchen chair 400

Lot 669 A modern 3 drawer chest 420

Lot 670 A painted and adapted chest of three drawers 340

Lot 671 A modern personalized Sanyo Micro Component system 550

Lot 672 Landscape, Cambridgeshire, mixed media 3800

Lot 673 Two A5 spiral notebooks 1300

Lot 674 A pair of homemade curtains printed with dancing animals 600

Lot 675 An adapted kitchen cupboard 380

Lot 676 A painted chest of 5 drawers 360

Lot 677 A modern desk lamp 900

Lot 678 A homemade side table or footstool 480

Lot 679 A homemade plywood shelving unit 190

Lot 680 A homemade side table 480

Lot 681 A homemade pine coffee table 420

Lot 682 Syds artificial Christmas tree and decorations 800

Lot 683 An A5 spiral bound notebook and another smaller notebook each containing notes on history 1700

Lot 684 Sharp micro system in original packaging with “Roger’s old HiFi” written on the box 750

Lot 685 A modern painted and modified chest of 3 drawers 240

Lot 686 A modern painted and modified chest of 5 drawers 220

Lot 687 A modern painted chest of 3 drawers 340

Lot 688 Abstract painting – mixed media 6000

Lot 689 Homemade light box 460

Lot 690 Syds Chair – a cream leather reclining armchair 1100

Lot 691 A modified pine bedside chest of drawers 280

Lot 692 Syds basic tool kit 650

Lot 693 A modern low set of pine open bookshelves 180

Lot 694 A homemade and painted cupboard 300

Lot 695 A homemade and painted open fronted box 180

Lot 696 Syds homemade single bed frame 170

Lot 697 A homemade blanket box 170

Lot 698 A pair of easy chairs 550

Lot 699 A Caucasian wool kilim carpet 700

Lot 700 An A4 ringe binder of notes 1500

Lot 701 Two A4 ring binders of notes 2000

Lot 702 An adapted kitchen unit of 3 drawers 200

Lot 703 A small modern rug 600

Lot 704 A homemade painted walking stick stand 280

Lot 705 A homemade and painted open fronted cupboard 300

Lot 706 A modern wheelbarrow 400

Lot 707 A garden bench 650

Lot 708 A homemade and stained garden table base (no top) and a bird table 140

Lot 709 A homemade and painted side table 460

Lot 710 Pie Chart showing Summer and Winter solstice 5000

Lot 711 2 x ink stylised landscapes 6000

Lot 712 A homemade trinket box 700

Lot 713 A Work Mate 460

Lot 714 Syds easel 550

Lot 715 A homemade and painted letter rack 480

Lot 716 A homemade and painted workbox 600

Lot 717 Syds art materials 1800

Lot 718 Abstract of Gog Magog Hills 6000

Lot 719 Earth and Sky watercolour 4200

Lot 720 Summer Landscape oil painting 6500

Lot 721 An adapted and stained side table 700

Lot 722 An Ikea Billy bookcase 160

Lot 723 A homemade and painted table 600

Lot 724 A copy of The Compact Oxford English Dictionary 900

Lot 725 A collection of 23 art reference books 4000

Lot 726 A homemade white painted wall cabinet 340

Lot 727 A psychedelic cushion 1600

Lot 728 Collection of 8 maps and travel related books 1400

Lot 729 The remainder of Syds library 1700

Lot 730 A painted and adapted bedside unit 200

Lot 731 An adapted and painted laminate chest of 5 drawers 440

Lot 732 A pair of homemade speaker cases 1100

Lot 733 A painted stool 4400

Lot 734 A telephone table 420

Lot 735 A modern junior classical acoustic guitar 4000

Lot 736 A pair of homemade and painted speaker cases 700

Lot 737 Still life with lemons and green bottles on a shelf signed RB Jan ’06 9500

Lot 738 A homemade bread bin with clothes pegs 1400

Lot 739 Syds scrap book generally empty bar 5 pages 480

Lot 740 Syds principal scrap book 2200

Lot 741 Still life of Dried Flowers painted at Camberwell School of Art 8500

Lot 743 Syds earlier bike painted blue 5000

Lot 744 Syds Bike with basket, bell that rings and things to make it look good 5500

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