Antiques will be on offer at Bells Auction House in Kaiapoi next Wednesday, on November 6.
The auction house was established in 1948 by Richard Bell and is now run by his grandson, Richard McCrone. The company holds two or three antique auctions annually, in addition to its weekly Thursday auctions selling furniture, whiteware, china, linen and other collectables.

''It just depends on what comes in,'' Richard says. ''We like to have two or three antique auctions a year.''

The auctions are always popular, with 50 to 60 people attending.

The MV Tuhoe at Kaiapoi Wharf, painted by Ann Barrett in the autumn of 1987, is included in the sale.

Viewing is open the day before the auction and bidding can be done online via absentee bids on the Bells website, or over the phone on auction day.
Items depicting local history, such as two paintings featuring Thoroughbred racing at Rangiora Racecourse and the MV Tuhoe at Kaiapoi wharf, which are for sale in Wednesday's auction, always attract a lot of buyer interest, office administrator Kerryn Larwood says.