Latest News Articles by Ian McKay
Big hitters strike auction highs
05 October 2020In almost pristine condition, and with its redeemable coupon still attached, this promotional card bearing an image of a very young and slim Joe DiMaggio sold for $200,000 (£149,255) at Heritage Auctions (20% buyer’s premium) of Dallas on August 29-30.
British and Irish book auctions, October 6-17, 2020
05 October 2020Our regular listing of British and Irish book auctions.
BOOKS AND WORKS ON PAPER: Top quality works…and Trump
28 September 2020Future president’s 'How to Get Rich' is a curious feature of a bumper summer sales week
Monypenny and Mary Queen of Scots make a lively sale
28 September 2020Bid to £1.35m at Christie’s (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) this summer, as part of a ‘Classic Week’ evening sale of paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture and decorative arts of all ages, was a lavishly illustrated Book of Hours attributed to the Master of the Monypenny Breviary and associates.
British and Irish book auctions, September 29-October 10, 2020
28 September 2020ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from September 29-October 10, 2020.
Sotheby's sells huge set of Egypt volumes housed in a cabinet was once owned by the King of France
21 September 2020Stand-out lot in a travel, map and natural history sale held by Sotheby’s (25/20/13.9% buyer’s premium) was a grand and elaborately cased set of the monumental 'Description de l’Egypte' of 1809-22.
Dalmations spotted as Dodie Smith books bring demand
21 September 2020Inscribed copies of the works of Dodie Smith were among the attractions of a summer sale held by Stride & Son (18% buyer’s premium) of Chichester.
Dickens and Dostoevsky lots attract bids at PBA Galleries sale
21 September 2020Plenty of Dickensian lots were on offer in a sale held by US saleroom PBA Galleries (20/15% buyer’s premium).
British and Irish book auctions: September 22-October 9, 2020
21 September 2020ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from September 22-October 9, 2020.
Warrant appointing Napoleon’s ‘hideous’ jailer on St Helena returns to Sotheby's
14 September 2020Napoleon’s view after first meeting on St Helena did not improve on closer acquaintance
Copy of Proclamation of the Irish Republic takes €190,000 at Whyte’s
14 September 2020In 1916 around 500 copies of the historic ‘Proclamation of the Irish Republic’ were printed, of which today just 30 or so survivors are recorded.
British and Irish book auctions: September 15-26, 2020
14 September 2020ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from September 15-26, 2020.
First edition of Thomas Malthus’ essay on population and first Ethiopian edition of the New Testament leads German auction
14 September 2020Always likely to produce one of the sale’s best results, a 1798 first of Thomas Malthus’ 'Essay on the Principle of Population' duly led the bidding in a recent German sale.
Snail Syrup for anyone?
07 September 2020Bid to €10,000 (£9100) in a timed online sale at Fonsie Mealy (25/20% buyers premium) this summer was a two-volume collection of medical and other receipts compiled by Mrs Mary Leadbeater (1758-1826).
Another Edison light bulb moment
07 September 2020Appropriately enough, the very first lot offered in a sale called Eureka! was one that focused on scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century, was an autograph manuscript of seven pages of annotated design drawings by Thomas Edison relating to his work on light bulbs.
British and Irish book auctions: September 8-19, 2020
07 September 2020ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from September 8-19, 2020.
Cosmographica print pioneer
07 September 2020Manuscript was brought to Italy from Constantinople and later printed in Vicenza
Newton with musical support
31 August 2020Mathematical work makes £300,000 in auction where composers also feature heavily
First auction appearance for work by missionary who opened up Chinese language
31 August 2020Robert Morrison, a protestant missionary, pioneer sinologist and author of several works on the Chinese language as well as a translator, has been called the ‘Father of Anglo-Chinese Literature’.
Rich variety of printed material sold in Cornwall auction
31 August 2020Extensively interleaved with scholarly notes and running to over 700pp, a Japanese and English Dictionary compiled by JC Hepburn was a notable rarity in a Cornish summer sale.