Featuring in our summer Specialist Collectors' Auction Tuesday 27th - Thursday 29th August | 10am.
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Bill’s love affair with new, vintage, and antique wood working tools started over 60 years ago when he started his woodworking life as a sawmill operator in Brook St, Colchester at a wood cutters yard.
Bill, 20 years later after having his children, started his collection of mainly woodworking planes, scouring the country for planes, braces, saws and chisels with the help of his wife Pauline, finding out as much as they could on the history of each tool.
It became clear that Bill had an eye for good quality woodworking tools, later in his life collecting books as well as toolboxes, even found planes made by Cox and Luckman (Birmingham) in his namesake.
Sadly, Bill became ill with cancer in 2023 and died in that same year but leaves one of the biggest and best collections as a testament of his passion for anything wood.
Harry Becker was born in Colchester in 1865 to German parents Henrietta and Charles. His father Charles, who served as a field surgeon in various campaigns including Crimea, was drafted to Colchester in 1856 and there they settled.
19/03/2026
A charming and historically significant letter written by A. A. Milne to his longtime collaborator and illustrator E. H. Shepard, revealing a previously unseen glimpse into the creative world of the Pooh books, will be offered for sale by Reeman Dansie auctioneers of Colchester on the 18th of March.
14/03/2026
Reeman Dansie are pleased to announce the sale by auction of a remarkable Second World War archive belonging to a nurse who bravely served during the fall of France, Miss Mary Edytha Darby.
14/03/2026