Mullen's of Laurel Park reports excellent results from the company's auction on Monday, where the total sales amounted to £120,000. Strong interest from private buyers and members of the trade meant many items exceeded their estimates, such as an oriental hardwood and brass inlaid cylinder desk. Expected to go for £600-£800, it eventually made £2,000.

Almost as impressive, a set of six William IV dining chairs with a pre-sale estimate of £600-£800 fetched £1,150. The day's highest price was £2,100 for a pair of white marble busts of Roman emperors, while a Georgian mahogany chest on chest (circa 1780) sold for £2,000.

A set of eight Victorian-style mahogany balloon-back chairs went for £1,900, a pair of gilt-framed Victorian-style overmantles fetched £1,600 and a Victorian-style mahogany dining table sold for £1,400. Other prices included: £1,000 for a mahogany Sheraton-style bureau bookcase; £950 for both a six-branch ormolu and glass basket and a Regency mahogany fold-over card table; £900 for a pair of large cast-iron cannons; and £850 for an Irish Georgian mahogany economy table (circa 1800).