The Sleeper is based on the Clarice Cliff ‘Latona Charger’ and was inspired by the lucky find of a bootsale fanatic.

Pictured right: The Sleeper click on image for detail

‘Rising at 5am each Sunday morning she enjoys nothing more than bargain hunting. Last summer, together with her sister, Margaret visited a car bootsale at the Rugby Club in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester. She had spotted a large interesting dish quite early into the bootsale but decided to pass and keep looking at other stalls. Eventually around 10am she came back to the stall which still had the dish for sale. She had a hunch it could be worth something but because it was covered in white emulsion paint was unsure, finding out that the vendor only wanted £1 for it, Margaret figured she had nothing to lose so paid for the dish and took it way. Her hunch began to prove correct because after she had bought the dish a fellow car booter offered her £100 for it.

Margaret had spotted that the dish was signed on the base “Clarice Cliff” however; she was still a bit dubious of it because it was covered in the white paint. Taking it home she carefully washed away the emulsion and discovered underneath a vibrant bold coloured design from the 1920s. It was in fact a rare Clarice Cliff “Latona Dahlia” pattern charger from the Bizarre Range.

Still unsure, Margaret took the charger to be valued by an expert at Christie’s in London. They confirmed its authenticity and entered it into the “Clarice Cliff and British Decorative Arts” sale in February of this year. Margaret’s £1 bootsale bargain realised an amazing £1,976 (including premium).

The purchaser of this charger was Lorne Spicer, BBC Presenter, and author of “Find A Fortune” Book. Margaret certainly found her fortune and is happily sunning herself in Bulgaria with the proceeds.’

The Sleeper.
Designer: Lorna Bailey
Retail Price: £165 (approx $288)
Limited Edition: 100
For any queries please contact: Tracy Martin of Watch
This Space! UK on 01708 641691