SMUGGLED GOODS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27567, 8 December 1950, Page 9

SMUGGLED GOODS

Keen Interest At Auction Japan’s culture-pearl king, Mikimoto San, and his busy oysters would undoubtedly have been interested in an auction sale held in Dunedin yesterday, when hundreds of Japanese pearl strings taken from unsuccessful amateur smugglers were sold. The sale was held on the instructions of the Collector of Customs, and it realised about £ISOO for the Consolidated Fund. With the pearls were American ballpoint pens and pencils and European costume jewellery. The sale attracted a considerable amount of interest. Jewellers and dealers were doing most of the bidding, but there was a good gathering of the women who attend most auctions in the Micawber-like hope that a bargain may turn up. There was little available for the individual buyer, as most of the items were sold in large lots, but many shops in the city may be expected to offer pearls as suggested Christmas presents within the next few days. The largest single purchase was of 900 triple strings of pearls at £1 a string. Thirty small strings brought Us each as a lot. while 45 ropes of large pearls were knocked down at 25s each. A single string of black double pearls went for 30s. Ropes of seed pearls sold for 14s each, but in almost all cases the quantity offered in each lot discouraged the non-commercial buyer, In the jewellery section 75 1-3 dozen pairs of ear-rings brought £49 after a tediously lengthy series of 5s bids. Pearl ear-rings—a lot of 34 dozen pairs —started at £ls and were knocked down for £23. Some of the other figures reached were £33 for 73 gilt and silver necklaces, £37 for 16 1-3 dozen brooches. £3l for 52 matching necklace and ear-ring sets, £26 for 37 dozen necklet snaps and a later bid of £6l for 41 dozen of the same trinkets, and £l6 for 13 assorted powder compacts. A hat manufacturer apcarently found a box of loose pearls from broken string a good buy at £5. There was some speculation as to the availability of suitable refills for the ball-point pens, but dealers had evidently made certain on this score, for they paid £ls for one lot of 45 double-ended pens, £lO 10s for 21 combination pens and cigarette lighters, and £29 for 25 pen and pencil sets. The prices included duty and sales tax. and the return from the sale was regarded as satisfactory.

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