A complete set of Stuart Devlin’s Twelve Days of Christmas surprise boxes, from the late silversmith’s personal collection, is to be auctioned this month at Woolley & Wallis.
Set Offered from Devlin’s Personal Collection
The boxed miniatures, created between 1970 and 1981, were part of a limited series produced annually by Devlin, with each piece illustrating a verse from the traditional carol The Twelve Days of Christmas. This set is number three in a series of 100 and is being sold by Devlin’s widow, Carole Devlin.
Each item is made in silver, silver-gilt and enamel, housed in its original fitted box, shaped as either a gift-wrapped parcel or Christmas pudding. Each contains a miniature scene in Devlin’s typical sculptural style.
The collection will be offered as lot 251 in Woolley & Wallis’s Silver, Gold & Objects of Vertu sale on 21 October 2025, with an estimate of £7,000 to £10,000.
Rupert Slingsby, silver specialist at Woolley & Wallis, said: “Complete sets in good condition and from such a limited edition are rare. That, combined with this set coming directly from Stuart Devlin’s own private collection, makes this set a true collector’s delight.”
About Stuart Devlin
Stuart Devlin (1931–2018) was an Australian-born silversmith, artist and designer. He gained recognition in 1966 when he was commissioned to design Australia’s decimal coinage. After relocating to the UK, he expanded into silverware and was awarded a Royal Warrant as Goldsmith and Jeweller to Queen Elizabeth II in 1982.
Devlin’s surprise boxes, designed to reveal miniature scenes inside ornamental containers, became known during the 1970s and 1980s and are of interest to collectors of 20th-century silver.
