Potteries Specialist Auctions held the first of its Royal Doulton and Beswick Specialist Sales of 2005 on Wednesday 23rd February. These sales always generate a lot of interest with commission and telephone bids coming in from all over the globe. Most of the country was covered in snow but even with the adverse weather conditions many intrepid people travelled to attend the auction. The first seventy lots consisted of Royal Doulton Bunnykins with steady prices realised throughout The full set of Olympic Games Bunnykins fetched £276 and Collector DB54 made £184. Next came a sizeable collection of Character and Toby Jugs proving this particular area of collectables is still very popular, with a rare large character jug Hatless Drake D6115 with a red collar (Lot 125) realising £2185. The Cavalier with a goatee beard D6114 making £1495 and a rare George Robey toby jug with a detachable hat fetching £1495 despite professional restoration. One hundred and fifty lots of Doulton figurines followed with the prestige figure Princess Badoura HN2081 (Lot 182) realising £5060 and The Proposal HN725 made £770. Flambe, Seriesware and Beatrix Potter followed with a Sairey Gamp napkin ring fetching £379 and a Peter Rabbit wall plaque MN2083 realised £713 with restored ears and the Jemima Puddleduck wall plaque making £782. A Flopsy Mopsy and Cottontail limited edition figure also made £713. Next on the agenda was a sizeable collection of Beswick with overall prices strong reflecting the sustained interest in the market. The most buoyant area still being farm animals and horses. The Merino Ram model number 1917 in gloss (Lot 523) realised £2127 and a Belted Galloway Bull (Lot 575) made £2875. Hereford cattle were popular with a restored Roan calf MN901A making £1322 and MN854 realising £1380. The Hereford Cow version two MN948 made £609. Cats and dogs proved popular with a seated Cat MN1541 in a dark pewter satin finish realising £609 and the Old English Sheepdog advertising Dulux paint making £598. With hunting being in the news so much recently there was still lively bidding on the Hunting series with a Huntswoman on a standing brown horse MN1730 fetching £546 and a Huntsman on a rearing painted white horse made £782 despite crazing. Birds flew out, with a Sussex Cockerel realising £1127 and a fireside Penguin making £1092. Horses proved to be ever popular with the Duke of Edinburgh on Alamein realising £586, the Cowboy MN1377 fetched £1437 and the Beswick Collectors Club Black Shire Mare made £1782. The star lot of the day was a Girl on a Pony MN1499 in the rare rocking horse grey colour (Lot 547) which reached the dizzy heights of £5175 against an estimate of £720-£1440! The full set of results is available on the PSA website. Lots are now being accepted for the next Specialist Sale of Royal Doulton and Beswick to take place on 18th May.