A collection of original paintings commissioned by British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) sold for nearly £14,000 at a sporting and wildlife auction in Shropshire this week (Wednesday)
08/05/2026
The auction at Halls Fine Art’s Shrewsbury saleroom featured 120 different artworks from various artists who have collaborated with BASC over the years to raise funds towards conservation.
Money raised from the sale of the BASC Wildlife Fund artworks, which included first day cover stamps and concept sketches, will be invested in BASC’s conservation projects.
Each year since 1991, BASC sought support from well-known British wildlife artists, who produced artwork of a particular species in their natural environment. The choice was sometimes led by the need for conservation of the chosen bird or area.
Top selling lot from the collection was ‘Pintail on the Dee, a Skein in a Cloudy Sky, with sun beams breaking through’ by Irish artist Alastair Proud ( b.1954) in 2016 which sold for £650.
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Other leading prices were £560 for ‘Pink Footed Geese flying over Cockerham Marsh’ by Rodger McPhail (b.1953) in 2029, £500 each for ‘Woodcock, Flying over Snowy Ground’ by the same artist, in 1999 and ‘Pink-Footed Geese at Flaxfett, a Gaggle on the Water’ by Julian Novorol (b 1949) in 2008.
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‘Long-Tail Duck, Blackwater Estuary, a Couple on the Water’ by Keith Shackleton (1923-2015) in 1998 sold for £450 and ‘Woodcock on the Stackpole Estate, nestled amongst dead leaves on snowy ground’ by Chris Lodge in 2019, sold for £400.
The auction’s top price of £1,250 was paid for a Victorian taxidermy display of exotic birds in a diorama under a glass dome from a late Cheshire collector’s estate. The display included a pair of Birds of Paradise and a Satin Bowerbird.
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A small collection of air rifles and pistols from an avid Shropshire shooting enthusiast also sold well. His Daystate Royale limited edition .22 calibre PCP air rifle, made to mark a 35-year alliance with The Airgun Centre in Essex, sold for £1,200 while two Weihrauch HW100 rifles made £600 and £500.
Returning to the paintings section, an oil of ‘Two Hounds in a Landscape’ by an unidentified British artist sold for £480. ‘Whitewell Woods - The Beaufort’ by Lionel Edwards (1878-1966) sold for £460, a horse racing scene by Gilbert Holiday (1879-1937) with three prints by Anne Bullen (1914-‘63) raced to £440, ‘Grey Stallion in a Loose Box’ by Alfred Grenfell Haigh (1870-1963) sold for £440.
Continuing the equine theme, a pair of late 19th or early 20th century French patinated bronze models of the Marley Horses after French sculptor Guillaume Coustou (1677-1746) found a new home for £420.
“The BASC artworks collection attracted a lot of interest and we are delighted with the prices achieved,” said Maryanne Lineker-Mobberley, from Halls Fine Art. “Our sporting and wildlife sales continue to grow and we are now accepting entries for the next sale on November 4.
“We are especially seeking taxidermy and items of field sports, golfing and horse racing interest, including paintings, sculptures, accessories and ceramics.”
For more information about future auctions and valuations, please contact the fine art team on Tel: 01743 450700 option 4 or email: [email protected]
+44 (0)1743 450 700
[email protected]
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