Breaking away from its traditional stronghold in and around Park Street, a new auction house has opened doors in Salt Lake. Relics, located in FE Block, will also serve as a vintage store, but on July 13, it hosted its inaugural auction.

“At its peak, some 30 or 40 years ago, Calcutta boasted about eight auction houses, all in the Park Street–Russel Street area. But then, due to mismanagement or a decline in demand, most shut down,” said the founder of Relics Shahid Wasim Ahmed, fondly known as Nawab saab in the auction circuit. “But now, interest in vintage items is on the rise again, and I want to introduce this passion to both a new generation and a new location.” Ahmed has opened the shop on the ground floor of his FE Block home.

Ahmed’s wife, Anjuman Ara Begum, traces her lineage to Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Awadh, and Ahmed, too, grew up in a home surrounded by history and collectibles from the past. “I have been a collector for decades, especially of vintage furniture. But then I was ending up with, say, four pieces of the same item! I had to take a call, and since I’d always wanted a store like this, I finally opened one up. Now I shall also get to teach the ropes to my children, Ehsan and Sana,” said the 76-year-old retired government employee.

On auction day, the store displayed over 100 items, some from Ahmed’s personal collection and others sent by different owners. “In such cases, the store retains a commission and remits the proceeds to the owner,” he explained, adding that they are open to accepting vintage items from anyone. “Many Salt Lake residents sell their houses and move out. If they want, we can even hold auctions in those houses and sell every item, big or small.”

Going, going, gone!

The maiden auction attracted over 30 buyers, some travelling from as far as Odisha. “Nawab saab had shared pictures of the items on offer, and I loved a set of porcelain sumo wrestlers, a bronze laughing Buddha, and some animal figurines,” said Ajay Kedia, who had driven down. “I keep these as showpieces, and when I run out of space, pass the older items to auction houses in Calcutta. Even today, I’ve come with a trunk full of items I want to resell.”

The auctioneer for the day was Shiv Bakshi, from the family that runs the Suman’s Exchange auction house in Loudon Street. “More auction houses opening up is good for the overall industry,” he said. “If one loves art and beauty, and values pieces with history, one is sure to enjoy this field,” he said, before urging buyers: “Dil kholke bid kijiye!”

Shiv and the buyers circulated around the store, inspecting and handling the numbered items before bidding.

The first lot was a package of an iron lion-face, along with miscellaneous items like a rotary dial phone and a damaged old lampshade. “Buyers do not want items restored by us. They want to see the items in their true form, buy them, and restore themselves if they wish,” said Ahmed.

Anurag Baid began bidding for these items with an offer of Rs 2,000, and Md Wasim kept increasing the bids. Finally, Baid took it home for Rs 2,800. Shiv brought down the hammer, recorded the sale and requested a token cash payment to Ahmed to mark an auspicious first transaction.

Old is gold

Among the items on offer were driftwood carvings, marble showpieces, a Burmese gong, and colonial-era furniture. And even besides the auction, the store has an impressive collection of African ebony figurines, grand chandeliers, crockery, and stamped furniture by iconic names like C. Lazarus & Company Cabinet Makers, Tomlin, and Chatterjee Furnishings. The shop will open daily and auctions will be held periodically, perhaps once a week or fortnight.

“We are also planning our first online auction,” says Ahmed. For this, he shall share pictures of items with regulars, give them two days to come inspect the same, and at the fixed date and time, open to live bidding on a WhatsApp group.

“Initially, I would feel sad to part with an item from my own collection,” said Ahmed. “But now, if I find a buyer who genuinely cherishes a piece, I don’t mind letting go. So come,” he invites, “and visit history through these objects.”