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After years of collecting, professor of health economics Darrin Baines is selling his extensive collection of antique apothecary objects. The collection goes under the hammer of The Cotswold Auction Company later this month.

Prof Baines, who at one time was a regular contributor to the pharmacy press, has amassed his collection the over several decades. He crammed his early Victorian townhouse with antique apothecary objects – transforming it into "an immersive environment" for his research into the evolution of pharmacy.

“Writing about the history of pharmacy, I began to collect pharmaceutical objects – from early Georgian pharmacy bottles through to things from the Victorian age – because it gave me an understanding of how the profession evolved,” he said.

The sale comes about due to a house move, with his home in Etnam Street, Leominster, now sold.

The collection features a complete pharmacist’s shop from circa 1880, a large mahogany display cabinet with a unique glass advertising label reading ‘Proprietor of Hackett's Glycerine of Roses Vegetable Pills Blood Purifier &c’, a large quantity of apothecary drawers and jars, and two large mortar and pestles.

Other highlights include a rare glass hanging carboy from circa 1890, numerous glass pharmacy signs, and a near complete set of Chemist & Druggist bound volumes spanning the period 1853 to 2015 – one of only two in the world.

Auctioneer Lindsey Braune said: “It is a great privilege to be auctioning Professor Baines’ collection, which is truly remarkable. The collection is so extensive it is occupying a large section of our Cirencester saleroom, which will be open for viewing in the days before the auction.”

The Cotswold Auction Company sale, of which the apothecary collection forms the centrepiece, will take place on June 24 and June 25. For inquiries about the auction, call 01285 642420 or email ciren@cotswoldauction.co.uk