Looking back at 100 Auctions of The Estate
The Estate is Webb's fortnightly auction offering a considered, sustainable way to curate and collect. What began as a modest experiment has grown into one of New Zealand's most distinctive online auction series, drawing a loyal community of collectors, decorators, and curious buyers back again and again for objects with stories and second lives.
Looking Back | The Journey to #100
—A Tale of Treasure Hunts
In June 2026, The Estate reached its 100th auction, a milestone that offered a natural moment to look back on its history and the objects, moments, and people that have shaped it.
A rare and remarkable collection of Apollo-era space memorabilia came to auction through The Estate, such as this signed photograph pictured here (and even a fragment of the Apollo spacecraft itself).
In May 2022, Webb's launched the first catalogue for The Estate with just 432 lots and a team of three. Now it attracts a community of collectors, decorators, sustainably-minded and curious buyers united by a simple proposition: well-made objects deserve second and third lives. Aptly named The Estate—a nod to the idea of a humble estate sale and their layered histories of homes, collections, and lives—this new auction series signalled more than a title, it framed the category as a place of continuity, stewardship, and discovery.
At the same time, it gestures toward a broader sense of a carefully tended domain: a curated environment where design, craft, and provenance are preserved, valued, and recontextualised for a new generation.
The Estate sought to capture the eclectic appeal of a Parisian flea market while remaining true to a founding proposition: saving quality craft from landfill and preserving design heritage, local and international.
The sale grew from Webb's Decorative Arts online auctions, which produced strong results but lacked the frequency the market was beginning to reward. Moving to a dedicated fortnightly format, professionally staffed and installed like an interior rather than a clearance sale, transformed what the auction could be. As The Estate evolved, so too did the appetite for a more focused lens, leading to the Design Edit: a curated selection of design-led pieces defined by form, authorship, and aesthetic value. Presented only once a year, consignments are regularly being invited for these much-anticipated, Design Edit auctions.
The Case for Craftsmanship
Running beneath every catalogue is a proposition that feels increasingly relevant: well-made objects deserve second and third lives. At a time of disposable furniture and fast consumption, The Estate offers pieces that have already proven their worth. A mid-century chair needs no sustainability disclaimer; it endures because it was made to last. Every lot that finds a new home is one less object entering the waste stream: the circular economy not as aspiration, but as fortnightly practice. Architects, designers, seasoned collectors, and first-time bidders return not to chase trends but to acquire objects with histories and futures.
Memorable Consignments
Across its first 100 auctions, The Estate has handled exceptional and unexpected material in equal measure.
A collection of twenty Apollo-era lots included signatures from Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, a purported fragment of the Columbia command module, and signed photographs of Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova.
Two first edition copies of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban appeared in separate sales, one realising $5,377.50 and attracting national media attention. A single-owner collection of almost 40 vintage guitars realised $450,000 in one evening, setting benchmarks for musical instruments at auction in New Zealand.
A Beatles menu signed by all four members during their 1964 New Zealand tour, preserved for six decades by competition winner Christopher Watson, became one of the most publicised lots in the sale's history.
On the design side, standout furniture has included Hans J. Wegner PP225 Flag Halyard Chairs which sold for $23,900, an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman realising a price of $13,145, and pieces by Ralph Lauren and Patricia Urquiola: objects whose value is reinforced, not diminished, by time.
The Estate has never resisted the curious. A fortune-telling machine, a geisha wig made from human hair, a New York taxi door, oversized novelty cutlery, giant plastic teeth, and a handmade silk chrysalis lamp have all found their place. Space memorabilia sits beside rare books; pop-culture ephemera beside serious design. The sale recognises the magic in both.
Somewhere in the next catalogue is an object whose story has not yet been told.
An Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Herman Miller.
Price Realised incl BP. $13,145.
A First Edition, First State Copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Price Realised incl BP. $5,377.50 .
A Pair of PP225 Flag Halyard Chairs By Hans J. Wegner For PP Mobler.
Price Realised incl BP. $23,900.
The Weekend Ritual
For many of us, the release of each catalogue has become a much-loved ritual—something to sit with over a weekend coffee, to scroll, to save, to return to—part discovery, part anticipation.
From everyday decorations, kitchenalia and knick knacks to the more unique presentations: Apollo-era memorabilia, Harry Potter first editions, a Beatles-signed menu, vintage guitars, and iconic European design... variety is what holds our Mount Eden showroom together.
A big part of The Estate's attraction is this showroom itself, where people from all walks of lives congregate, often with significant others, kids, and pets on tow to explore and find trend-setting objects that transform houses into homes.
With the arrival of Normanby Fine Wines next door in 2025, the treasure hunting trip has become all the more enticing—coffee and pastries while you peruse, and a bottle of something interesting to take home..
Videos worth Rewatching
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Sell With Us
Entries are always invited for upcoming editions of The Estate.
Our team of specialists ensures a seamless consignment process and the strongest possible results for each item. Get in touch to discuss how we can assist in finding a new home for your objects or collections.
Held fortnightly, The Estate is Webb’s online auction of curated mid-century furniture, antiques, vintage treasures, modern design, and collectible glassware, ceramics, and art. Lots are on view at our Mount Eden gallery throughout each sale, with bidding opening online on Friday mornings and closing from 8pm on Tuesday evenings.
Location—Estate Showroom
31d Normanby Road, Mount Eden, Auckland 1023
Contact
Leah Morris
Head of Decorative Arts
[email protected]
+64 22 574 5699
Callum Johnstone
Specialist, The Estate
[email protected]
+64 22 097 7524