Well, don't say we don't spoil you. 

If Christmas is coming then it’s time to check out the amazing and unusual gift possibilities in the Canterbury Auction Galleries upcoming weekend sale of November 29-30. Unless, that is, you LIKE ‘fun’ novelty socks. 

The Christmas-aholic  

A lovely thing to hang on the wall in the festive season. This framed watercolour by artist, set designer and author Charles Ricketts (1866-1931) depicts a costume design for ‘The Three Kings - the coming of Christ’ - a play by John Masefield enacted in 1928 at Canterbury Cathedral. There’s a pencil inscription by the artist: "To Mrs Bell from C. Ricketts Whitsuntide 1928". She was the wife of Deal Bell. 

Ricketts was famed as a theatre designer, putting on everything from Shakespeare to Bernard Shaw and opera in London’s West End and was even offered the directorship of London’s National Gallery in 1915. 19ins x 13.5ins, estimate £800-£1,200 (Lot No. 503) 

Titled ‘Santa Maria Del Immacolata Concezione’, this oil from circa 1814 is attributed to Francois-Marius Granet (1775-1849). Granet is known to have painted a number of versions of this scene, one of which is in the Royal Collection. Framed, 26ins x 20ins, est £1,500-£2,000. (430)  

Too expensive? This seasonal 20thC Russian icon of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child has a gilt metal ‘oclad’ – the name given to the metal cover that both protects the icon and highlights the figures. 9ins x 7ins, est £100-£150 (753). There is also a collection of four similarly Christmassy Greek icons.   

The local-history buff 

These amazing books by Edward Hasted - The History and Topographical Survey of the County Of Kent - printed by Simmons & Kirby, Canterbury in 1778-1799, will provide hours of interest. The four volumes are rebound in 19th Century gilt-tooled leather.  Est £1,500-£2,000 (651)  

More local – and Christmassy – interest comes from this atmospheric oil painting of Canterbury Cathedral in the snow from the Friars. It’s by Jeremiah Hoad (1924-1999) a teacher at the Frank Hooker School in Canterbury.  The work was gifted to the vendor's father in 1963, where he too was a teacher. 

Framed, 24ins x 29.5ins est £400-£600 (477)  

The interiors queen  

Lalique glass is timelessly fab. This 'Formose' cased opalescent vase is numbered 934 and engraved ‘R’. At just under 7ins high it would look great in any setting. Est  

£800-£1,200 (647)  

If Chinese porcelain is more their thing, try this blue and white octagonal vase and cover from around 1630-1660 and decorated with a gorgeous garden scene. 14.5ins high overall, est £1,500-£2,000 (561)  

The entertainer 

What stood out for me in this smorgasbord of silver spoons were the fabulously-coloured silver-gilt enamelled ones in a Garrard & Co leather box. JUST the thing to stir morning coffee or afternoon tea at a get-together with friends. The lot of mixed silverware is estimated at just £150-£200 (101) 

And on that same jaunty table, they’ll NEED this red glass bee-shaped honey pot by Mappin & Webb, plus a silver spoon. We guess jthe bee would accept jam or marmalade.. Numbered 11518, it’s 7ins long and estimated at £100-£150 (126)  

Your love (she/her)  

This is for BIG love! A modern 5ct platinum ring with a humungous 5ct, brilliant-cut white diamond flanked by baguette-cut diamonds. Est £12,000-£14,000 (Hint: this will probably be a lot less than buying it in a shop). She’s worth it, you know… (135)  

Why not pair it with these very special diamond earrings for pierced ears? Each is laden  

with white diamonds totalling around 3.5ct. 40mm x 20mm, est £2,500-£3,000 (134)  

Wait! Her wrist is unadorned? Then she needs this 18ct white gold and diamond tennis bracelet, set with around 10ct in total of 40 white diamonds, plus two spare links. Unusually, each diamond is individually certificated. Yes, we do mean forty-two separate certificates  

Est £6,000-£8,000 (136)  

More affordable – and very lucky - is this 14ct gold seed pearl and enamelled brooch/pendant in the shape of a four-leaf clover, set with seed pearls and a central diamond.   27mm x 25mm, est £200-£300 (271)  

For horsey types, try this very collectable Hermes "La France" scarf, designed by Francoise de la Perriere in 1959. The centre is printed with the racehorse 'Nimbus' and surrounded by a blue border.  34.25 x 32.5ins. est £150-£200 (787) 

 Your love (he/him)  

Another standout gift for a watch enthusiast is this gold automatic one by Daniel Roth. This elegantly understated gem comes in an original box with paperwork, instruction manuals and insurance valuation. Est £13,000-£15,000 (401)  

And unfailingly popular and collectable is this Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust – one of two in the sales. This one is the Turn-o-graph and comes with the original inner and outer box and paperwork. Est £4,000-£6,000 (400)  

Less pricey and JUST what a chap needs in this cold weather is a hip flask. This Edward VII small silver hip flask comes with a silver-plated leather-covered flask so there's one for each of you. Est £100-£150 (51)  

In this digital age, the mark of a gentleman is to be awoken by a proper alarm clock – not an iPhone jingle. A businessman who travels a lot would love this classy Must de Cartier "Colisee" folding alarm clock in a gilt case. Est £300-£400 (842)  

The musician  

Here’s one for the would-be busker in your life. It’s a Phonofiddle – instead of a violin fingerboard it has a long flat one, and only one string! They were a feature in music halls in the 1900s, the majority of them made (as this one is) by A.T. Howson of London. The sound is amplified by the flared brass bell. And the sound? One blogger describes it thus: “depending on the talent of the player, anything from a ‘thin’ violin to an old ‘78 record, to a mosquito with a sore throat". 32.5ins long, est £100-£150 (771)  

The petrol head  

Someone out there will love this 16ins-long bronze model of an Aston Martin DB2 drop- head coupe by David Fryer. Made in the 1980s, it’s from a limited edition of 50 and comes on a polished hardwood stand and a certificate of authenticity from none other than Aston boss Sir David Brown.  

Est £400-£600 (984)  

You can’t go wrong with vintage toy cars and most of this collection is in mint condition. There are boxes from various makers, including 15 boxed Dinky Toys, plus IXO, Oro and many others. All you need to re-enact the A40 at rush hour.

Est £80-£120 (763) 

The art lover  

This dreamy signed watercolour 'The Maid and the Unicorn' by Edmund Dulac (1882 - 1953) appeared on the cover of 'The American Weekly' in April 1937, to illustrate an article on ancient myths.Just gorgeous. 13.25 x 12ins, framed, est £3,600-£4,000 (1001)  

Rather more challenging is this silver sculpture - ‘standing rabbit’ - by contemporary artist Marc Quinn (b.1964). When we say rabbit, we mean an engineered, cloned and nanonised sculpture based on a gutted rabbit carcass. It’s one of his ‘Meat Sculptures’ from 2003-4 and shown at London’s White Cube gallery. Number 61/100, 50mm high and comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Quinn. Est £300-£500 (979)  

A tad more child-friendly are 24 original watercolour and gouache artworks by Kent legend Oliver Postgate (1925-2008) of Bagpuss and Noggin the Nog fame. They constitute the complete works for his book ‘Columbus: The Triumphant Failure’, published by Kingfisher Books in 1991. Most of the works are around 18ins x 32.25ins and ten are framed.  

Est £1,500-£2,000 (1010)  

The film buff 

 This would look drop-dead cool on nearly any wall. A 1969 film poster for Butch Cassidy and 

The Sundance Kid, by Tom Beauvais. It’s 30ins x 40ins and framed – est £600-£800 (1012). Also in the sale is a similar poster for The Cincinnati Kid, lot 1005.   

The political activist 

An amethyst, peridot and seed-pearl brooch in the suffragette manner. Many pieces of jewellery were created in the suffragette colours of green, white and violet to indicate ‘Give Women the Vote’. A lovely piece of female history and in its Catchpole & Williams of Grafton Street, London. 35mm x 20mm, est £200-£300 (247)  

The lady golfer 

Look no further than this gold brooch in the shape of a golf club with small green faceted stones on the handle and a small pearl ‘golf ball’. One of two bar brooches, the other with a central sapphire and diamonds. Est of £180-£200 (289) 

The fine craft lover  

This is both rare and useful: a Franco-Flemish brass-mounted rosewood, and oyster-veneered strong box from the late 17th/early 18th Century. The hinged top and drop-down front reveals two drawers. A very similar example was sold at Bonham's, London in 2022 from The Contents of Kinsham Court, Herefordshire. 14.25ins x 9ins x 8.5ins high. Est £1,000-£1,500 (748)  

If they love clocks, take a look at this beautiful 19th Century burr walnut and gilt bracket clock by Thomas Mercer. It’s all brass and silvered decorations around its eight bells and gong. At 36.5ins high, it has a matching wall bracket. Est £3,000-£3,500 and worth every penny. (856)  

The sailor in your family is bound to love this big (32ins long) cased wooden model of the "William Ashburner" with three fully rigged masts. The schooner was one of the fastest afloat in her day and the largest wooden sailing vessel built at Barrow-in-Furness. She whizzed around the globe trading goods such as sugar and beef but in 1950 hit rocks near the River Severn and was a total loss. Est £250-£350 (803)