This Demented Sotheby’s Sale Has Gifts for the Dad Who Has Everything

(Bloomberg) -- You may recall that famous line from the 1979 Remington microscreen commercial: “I liked the shaver so much, I bought the company.”

Well, in 2016, Belgian-born U.K. hedge-fund titan Pierre Lagrange bought his favorite bespoke tailor, Huntsman of Savile Row. And now, he’s curated an 86-lot online auction from his own collection of bespoke pieces and new works that are perfect for a dad who has everything.

Everything except cashmere-lined cowboy boots, a tweed billiards table, tweed skis, or a customized Burning Man onesie.

Founded in 1849, Huntsman moved to 11 Savile Row in 1919. Shortly after, the store came to be recognized for its stately stag heads overlooking the shopfront. You can tap into the luxe buck life via Lot 19, a stag horn walking stick with a hole for your cigar. Very practical. Just remind Pops of classic cane manners: “Walking sticks are to be carried, not used as mashies.” —Victor H. Diescher, The Book of Good Manners, 1923.

Hurry, though. As of publication, there are already 8 bids, and the bidding starts ending promptly on Friday, June 1, at 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. EST). Lots have reserves, but there is no buyer’s premium.

With Lot 5, you can nab the reversible backgammon jacket once owned by Mick Jagger’s teenage granddaughter, Amba Jackson. On the outside, it’s a classic four-pocket morning coat. Flip it inside-out, and there’s a full-scale backgammon board, complete with secret inside pockets for checkers and dice. Backgammon is enjoying a resurgence, after all, and you wouldn’t want Dad to ever be without.

Should his opponent get careless with the doubling cube and rack up an unpayable debt, perhaps Lot 16, a set of four silver bullets, is a wise investment. Vintage ’70s Cartier meets Lone Ranger? They’ll pay up. 

If dear Papa is more of the craft beer than game-playing type, Lot 78, a George III silver tankard once owned by actor Gregory Peck should do the trick. For harder hooch, a VIP GlenDronach whisky experience has room for two. Because nothing says family like shared experiences, especially if said experience is sporty day on a mahogany paddle board or a very strange overnight in a fitting room in a pair of cashmere sleeping bags.

This auction may be a first for Huntsman of Savile Row, but Sotheby’s has been down this Daddy’s Day road before. If you need more ideas, harken back to 2016 and Sotheby’s penny-pinching 15 Father’s Day Gifts Under $15,000. Better yet, check Pursuits on Monday for more in our “Anything But Golf Tchotchkes or a Tie, Please” gifting guide.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Justin Ocean at jocean1@bloomberg.net

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