MULLEN'S of Laurel Park report a record attendance for the viewing of their most recent auction, with double the usual number of bidders turning out for the sale itself on Monday morning. Given this number of people, it's not surprising that a Victorian circular clock by Donegan of Dublin, which carried an estimate of £450-£650 actually sold for £1,550.

Other notable prices included £2,400 for a mahogany, six-foot wide four-poster bed, with carved head and foot boards, £1,550 for a Chippendale-style, telescopic mahogany dining table, £1,450 for a set of eight Victorian spoonback dining chairs, £1,350 for a Sheraton-revival bureau bookcase and £1,000 for both an Edwardian mahogany bureau bookcase and an Empire-revival console table and mirror.