Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
The 70s to 90s: ‘People are buying their childhoods back’
22 January 2024The appeal of more modern toys for the latest collectors buying based on nostalgia for childhood playthings was underlined by a large group of Transformers offered at Special Auction Services on January 17.
Fortune tellers and Egyptian tombs – all for just a penny
22 January 2024Penny in the slot machines known as a ‘Working Model’ came in many guises but, essentially, they all formed a large upright cabinet with a glass window top section.
A new demonic possession: a 1950s horror film poster in demand at auction
22 January 2024Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins and Niall MacGinnis are not exactly household names these days but they starred in what is now regarded as one of the best horror films of the 1950s.
Fine Lines dolls' house takes £6000 hammer price
22 January 2024The toy company of Lines is often mentioned in relation to rocking horses but it was a double bay-fronted dolls’ house produced in c.1895 that impressed at Sheffield saleroom Ellis Willis & Beckett (19.5% buyer’s premium).
The homing instinct – Vivien Greene dolls' houses
22 January 2024Dolls’ houses from the collection of a renowned expert and author came to auction in Kent.
Toy soldier guru James Opie holds last auction
22 January 2024The Late John Ruddle Collection of toy soldiers sale held at C&T (22% buyer’s premium) on December 6 was a very special occasion.
Football trade card portraying first black professional player Arthur Wharton takes astonishing £26,800
17 January 2024A trade card sold for a remarkable £26,800 hammer price was not only one of the earliest-known examples but also had the considerable appeal of featuring the first black professional football player.
Winston Churchill's false teeth and RAF Book of Heroes signed by Douglas Bader come to a Cotswolds saleroom
17 January 2024Stubs of cigars smoked by Winston Churchill are common visitors to auctions. But it is pretty rare to find his gnashers on offer.
Scarce Manchester United programme for Wolves game called off after Munich disaster sells at auction
16 January 2024One of the world’s rarest football programmes is for a game abandoned due to tragedy: the Munich air crash of 1958.
An Evelyn De Morgan drawing is among five lots to watch
15 January 2024With estimates from £100, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week.
Panini also a World Cup winner in 1970 – plus Newton Heath trade card
15 January 2024The 1970 World Cup was the breakthrough year for Panini.
Making a match – football shirts worn in action sought by collectors
15 January 2024The growth in the market for vintage football tops connected to popular players continues apace
Single owner collection of football pictures pitch up in the saleroom
15 January 2024The magic of the cup helped to sell a sizeable scene showing a Corinthians v Manchester City game offered as part of an extensive selection of works on a football theme which featured at Bonhams (28% buyer’s premium).
Baggies bonanza as West Brom FA Cup winner's medal from 1931 nets £5000
15 January 2024An FA Cup winner’s medal awarded to a club’s assistant secretary may not sound that much of a big deal.
FA Cup medal takes £5000 at Harper Field
11 January 2024An FA Cup winner's medal awarded to a club's assistant secretary may not sound that much of a big deal.
Early Kodak camera discovery leads to unexpected development
08 January 2024The story of how a camera collector made an intriguing discovery after buying a very early Kodak camera
An Art Deco silver cigarette box is among five lots to watch
08 January 2024With estimates from £100, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week.
Faces of crime: mugshots reveal minor offenders
08 January 2024These days you have to pay for the privilege of spending the night at the former House of Correction in Folkingham, Lincolnshire.
Meet the Barringtons in a comprehensive archive
08 January 2024‘Substantial’ was certainly the description to use when it came to an archive related to the Barrington family of Beckett Hall, Shrivenham, Oxfordshire.