Latest News Articles by Cecile Shannon
Olympic liner lights emerge from a Durham house
27 August 2024Eight original light fittings from the RMS Olympic which were discovered in Durham attracted strong interest at an auction held just up the road in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Sampler made in Bristol fashion
27 August 2024Estimated at £60-100, a late 19th century sampler sold via thesaleroom.com for £4600 at Rogers Jones (22% buyer’s premium) in Colwyn Bay.
Medal gave thanks for Titanic rescue mission
27 August 2024Noonans’ (24% buyer’s premium) sale in London on July 17 offered a rare Carpathia and Titanic bronze medal.
Late 19th century Polar exploration programme breaks the ice at auction
23 August 2024A remarkable late Victorian lecture programme on early polar exploration by the Norwegian explorer Dr Fridtjof Nansen has been discovered at Chaucer Auctions in Folkestone.
Rare set of Glaswegian silver spoons bring strong demand at Lyon & Turnbull
22 August 2024A remarkable set of six 17th century Scottish provincial silver trefid spoons drew strong competition at an auction in Edinburgh this week.
Boy on tortoise comes out of its shell at £18,000
19 August 2024A rare Royal Doulton prototype model of a ‘Boy on a Tortoise’ found in a modest house in Rickmansworth has sold for an impressive £18,000.
Bidders find their marbles at auction in East Sussex
19 August 2024A lot catalogued as ‘Vintage toys, including marbles, rifle, Marklin spinners and butterflies, etc’ that appeared in a Burstow & Hewett auction estimated at £40-70 rolled out a surprise.
A lot of specs appeal thanks to an unusual 'banjo' case
19 August 2024Catalogued simply as “a cased pair of spectacles, 19th century, the case in shagreen, along with three magnifying glasses”, an understated lot estimated at £30-50 fell between a portrait miniature of Napoleon and a set of 1950s headlights.
Wartime propaganda posters seek to persuade collectors to make a bid
19 August 2024'Freedom is in Peril Defend it with all your Might' was a British propaganda poster published by the Ministry of Information.
Ashtray ensures materials don’t go to waste
19 August 2024A whimsical Art Deco YZ cherry amber faturan nut bird ashtray, manufactured by Henry Howell & Co and retailed by Dunhill, drew eye-catching competition at a recent Gloucestershire sale.
Private collection of Royal correspondence up for auction at Young's
15 August 2024A collection of over 60 lots of royal correspondence from the private collection of the late Gerald and Angela Lascelles is coming up at Young’s Auctions in Farnham on September 14.
Penzance saleroom Lay's stage inaugural studio pottery auction
14 August 2024Lay’s inaugural 'Studio Pottery Sale' is due to take place on September 6 in Penzance.
Rare Royal Doulton prototype of a 'Boy on a Tortoise' sells at Sussex auction
12 August 2024A rare Royal Doulton prototype model of a 'Boy on a Tortoise' was found in a modest house in Mill End in Rickmansworth.
Lock from Florence Nightingale encapsulates the diverse lots in a North Yorkshire auction
12 August 2024One of the more unusual items on offer at Tennants’ (20% buyer’s premium) Summer Fine Sale was a lock of hair from the 19th century nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale (1820-1910). It was thought to have been cut in 1883 when she was 63 years old.
Ichthyosaur surfaces out of Devon rock for an auction debut
12 August 2024A finely preserved and virtually complete Ichthyosaur dug up on the famous ‘Jurassic Coast’ is being offered for the first time at auction this autumn.
Intriguing gold snuff box relating to a Cumbrian row in 1850 emerges at auction
09 August 2024An 18ct gold presentation snuffbox by Nathaniel Mills is coming up for sale at Cheffins (25% buyer’s premium) Jewellery, Silver & Watches sale in Cambridge on August 15.
Lights from Titanic sister-ship RMS Olympic fly over estimate at Newcastle auction
08 August 2024Eight original light fittings from the RMS Olympic which were discovered in Durham attracted strong interest at a recent Anderson & Garland auction.
Medieval oak roof angels fly above estimate in Devon
06 August 2024The first lot offered in the latest Fine Art, Antiques & Collectors’ Items sale held at Adam Partridge (20% buyer’s premium) in Devon was simply described as ‘a group of five 16th century carved oak figures of saints …’.
Rare 19th century Bristol orphanage sampler emerges at auction in Wales
06 August 2024Estimated at just £60-100, a late 19th century sampler sold for £4600 at Rogers Jones (22% buyer’s premium) in Colwyn Bay.
Copy of famous Nelson marble bust commission finds its own value
05 August 2024A head-and-shoulders marble bust of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758- 1805) more than doubled its top estimate at a sale in Cirencester.