$4,000
This is a hand made model of ca. 1870 or earlier. She was constructed at Plymouth Dock Yard, England, for the Royal Navy in the year 1832. She was displayed at the imperial war museum in London until 1940. That year, the British government sold her along with other historical artifacts to help fund the war effort against Nazi Germany. Gumps Antique Shop of Beverly Hills, California, purchased the ship. She made the trans-Atlantic voyage aboard the R.M.S. "Queen Mary". In August, 1946, my father, Admiral R.L. Armstrong, U.S.N. (R.) purchased the Lydia from Gumps. In 1996, she was fully restored to as-built condition by Mrs. Kim Steiner of the Monterey Maritime Museum of Monterey, California. In 2000, of London evaluated the model, and their specialist provided a preliminary auction estimate of 20,000-30,000 pounds. She is approximately five feet long and 18 inches wide at the main spar, 12 inches wide at the hull. She is three feet high at the main truck. Provenance included, with photo documentation of the 1996 restoration.
Auctioneer:
Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery
Date:
2013-09-21
