Modern model marvels of their day

Unlikely as it might seem, two 19th-century dancing dolls discovered in Falmouth shine a light on the earliest debates on artificial intelligence, writes Charles Hanson

- Charles Hanson

A French automaton of dancing ladies, c. 1870, probably by Gustave Vichy, 31cm (12in) high and 37cm (14 2 in) wide. It has an estimate of £500-£1,000 at the sale at Hansons Cornwall's Harbour Saleroom in Penzance on January 6

(Charles Hanson)

MOST auctioneers will tell you that on a home valuation it is often overlooked, sometimes even discarded pieces, that give goosebumps.

Such was the case when my colleague Darren Ashley visited the home of the former owner of a Falmouth antique shop specialising in dolls.

Now in her 80s, her love of dolls began on a trip to a Plymouth auction house where she snapped up all the models on sale.

She opened her own dealership in the late '70s where her uncle also repaired the dolls like something out of a fairytale.