Florence Nightingale book sells hundreds at Whitchurch auction

The medical dictionary was just one of the historical items on auction at Trevanion & Dean in Whitchurch over the weekend.

Christina Trevanion, who runs the auction house with Aaron Dean, said: "It sold for £380 in the end and it was amazing to touch a bit of history.

"It came from a vendor down south and it was an absolute honour to be able to handle something with so much history from such a significant individual."

The book was signed for a nurse named Sarah Smith sending "very best wishes" for progress in nursing.

Mrs Trevanion said: "We had all sorts of things at the auction, we had a pair of diamond stud earrings that sold for £2,000 and we had a pair of Vincent Clare oils which sold for £800.

"We also had some Dame Lucie Rie ceramic from the mid-20th century which sold for £2,000.

"It was fantastic to have some of her work as she was an amazing influential potterer at her time and did some ground-breaking work in the ceramic field.

"We had an A A Milne When We Were Very Young first edition which sold for £420 and was a first edition.

"That was very sweet. And Christmas came early for another woman whose husband bought her an amethyst and seed pearl pendant and chain for £400."

The next auction will be held at the The Joyce Building on Station Yard on November 7 and will be filmed for BBC One's Flog It!

The auction will include a diamond solitaire ring which is estimated to sell at between £8,000 and £12,000.