Passing of a legend of the auctioneering profession

Many in Roscrea and far beyond were saddened to learn of the death last week of Victor Mitchell.

A local man who made his town renowned for its monthly antiques auctions, Victor passed away peacefully at University Hospital Limerick on May 12th. He was in his 91st year.

Educated at Cistercian College, Victor worked the family farm outside the town at Mount Butler. When he was 27 he went to work in London, where he visited museums and antique shops, and there began his long-lasting fascination with antiques.

Victor returned to Roscrea and in 1964 established a shop on Rosemary St. What started out at as a small antiques collection grew to Victor taking out an auctioneering licence in 1969. He moved the operation out to Mount Butler, where he converted an old stone cow house into an auction room.

At his funeral Mass at St Cronan's Church last Friday, Victor's daughter Anne Louise told of how people would crowd into the repurposed farm building to watch and take part in the lively auctions. Victor even had American buyers phoning him with their bids.

The auctions were held on the first Wednesday of every month. At their height, Victor would sell anything between 700 and 900 lots in a single day. Among his most memorable sales were a local canon's “tremendous collection of antiques”, valued at £1,500 in 1970; a Russian Fabergé egg, and a Percy French painting.

The auctions became less frequent in the ‘90s when the demand for antiques dwindled, largely due to the mass production of more affordable furniture and lack of interest among younger generations. But Victor kept his antiques trade going long after that, combining it with a lucrative property business with the assistance of Anne Louise, who joined her father in business in 1998.

“Antiques have always been of great interest to me,” Victor said in an interview with this newspaper in 2004. “There's just so much out there. It's a fascinating world, you might say. I've never grown tired of this business.”

At his funeral Mass, Victor was remembered as a gentle, quiet, kind, professional and happy man of strong faith. His grandchildren Adam and Gavin brought a number of symbols of Victor's life to the altar, including a wooden cross and a 15 Prayers of St Bridget book, symbolising his devotion to the Catholic Church. Also among the symbols were a gavel that Victor used at auctions and a pack of playing cards in reference to family life and Victor's love of bridge, he being a member of the club in Roscrea.

Anne Louise recalled travelling to England with her father when she joined the business. “He was like a celebrity, a legend in the auctioneering profession,” she said of the reception accorded to Victor everywhere they went, adding that the Roscrea antiques dealer has left behind him a legacy in the business. She spoke of how Victor always wore a blazer, in which he kept his keys, wallet and a notebook in which he would record the events of his day.

Bidding “cheerio” - a parting word he often used - to the deceased, those present concluded the Mass with a Decade of the Rosary, after which burial took place in St Cronan's Church of Ireland cemetery.

Victor's passing is deeply regretted by his loving wife Gillian, son Frankie, daughters Jennifer, Rowena, Anne Louise and Natasha; sons-in-law Gearoid and Sean, grandchildren Jake, Adam and Gavin, relatives, good neighbours and many friends.

May he rest in peace.