At Bonhams Sporting Sale on 7th November, 2012, in Edinburgh, a huge chunk of fishing history goes under the hammer – a magnificent carved wooden model of the biggest salmon ever landed in Britain.
This 64-pound monster was landed by a woman angler, Georgina Ballantine, adding interest to the history of this record catch.
It is estimated to sell for £4,000-6,000.
Georgina Ballantine caught the largest salmon ever recorded in British waters one evening while fishing with her ghillie father and using a Malloch rod and reel. Mallochs took a plaster cast of the fish and there have been later facsimile glass models. This fish would appear to date from the 1920s and is a wooden block model.
A Malloch block model of Miss Ballantine’s fish carved and naturalistically painted on a wooden backboard by P.D. Malloch, Perth, and inscribed: ’64lb caught 1922 Miss G.W. Ballantine, River Tay Scotland’ and within an oak frame 142cm wide.
Henry Baggott, of Bonhams Sporting Department, comments: “This model must represent one of the most sought after fishing memorabilia items for anyone who has ever cast a line in the water hoping for a bite. It is top of the tree in terms of fishing collectables.”
The Sporting Sale includes a wide range of sporting memorabilia from paintings of game birds, including an Archibald Thorburn ‘Partridge Dusting’ for £3,000 5,000, portraits of horses, many more mounted fish including a 21lb pike and a charming ‘Snaffles’ portrait. Charlie Johnson Payne, ‘Snaffles’ (British, 1884-1967) ‘The Right Man on the Wrong ‘Oss’ and ‘The Wrong Man on The Right ‘Oss.’ Circa 1912, titled in watercolour. Printed and hand coloured it is estimated to sell for £800 to £1,000.
