Rare Wemyss Cat could be sold for £4000

A rare yellow Wemyss Cat from 1900 is expected to fetch up to £4000 at auction.

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The rare ornament was famously made in Gallatown.The rare ornament was famously made in Gallatown.
The rare ornament was famously made in Gallatown.

The unique ornament will be sold later this month with auctioneers hoping to get somewhere between £3000-4000.

Wemyss Ware was famously collected by the late Queen Mother and in 2004 a rare Wemyss cat figure sold for £20,000.

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Robert Methven Heron introduced the pottery range, called Wemyss Ware, in 1882 and fashioned his first pieces in his factory in Kirkcaldy’s Gallatown.

Auctioneers say Wemyss Ware is the most distinctive Scottish pottery and attracts an international market, with serious collectors in North America and Australia.

John Mackie of Lyon and Turnbull’s auction house said rare Wemyss pieces bring healthy competition.

He said: “Wemyss Ware is the perfect collectors’ field, with so many charming patterns and shapes.

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“It remains very popular and there is a wide selection for buyers in this sale.

“Rarities, such as the yellow cat really catches people’s imagination and therefore attract premium prices however there are a wide range of prices for this pottery.”

The name of the pottery came from the connections with the Wemyss family who lived a few miles up away in Wemyss castle.

The business thrived but after WWI began to struggle and eventually closed in 1930.

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The rights were bought by the Bovey Tracey Pottery in Devon where it continued until 1957.

The cat will be auctioned off on August 15 in Edinburgh.

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