Relics of Mary, Queen of Scots
In 1888, Lyon & Turnbull auctioned a gold cross pendant inlaid with pearls and rubies, claimed to be a relic of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Whether the provenance was watertight or simply a hopeful Victorian attribution is hard to say but the pendant fetched £55, a reminder of how fascination with Mary Stuart fuelled Scotland’s romantic imagination.
Shells, Cabinets & Curiosities
The salerooms of 19th-century Edinburgh also attracted collectors of the rare and the peculiar. In 1868, the firm promoted “one of the most unique and recherché collections of works of ornamental and decorative art ever exposed for public competition in this city”.
And in 1858, Lyon & Turnbull sold the 25,000-strong shell collection of Dr John Knapp, a natural history auction that packed the room with scientists, collectors and the curious.
From Everyday to Extraordinary
The beauty of these early auctions lies in their variety. In the same rooms where fire-irons and carpets might once have been sold, buyers could later bid on Oriental pearls, Renaissance cabinets, or a flock of Cochin-Chinas.
This mix of the everyday and the extraordinary is part of Lyon & Turnbull’s charm, a tradition that continues today, where a world-record Gothic ivory box can share space with an iconic Banksy.
Nearly two centuries on, these stories remind us that auctions have never been only about objects - they’re about people, passions and the times they lived in. Lyon & Turnbull’s early years set the stage for a house that has always balanced heritage with curiosity, seriousness with surprise.