Latest News Articles by Ian McKay
Nicolas Robert hits bloom time at £355,000
23 January 2023Right at the top of the price lists for a London sale of a second portion of the library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Earl Fairhaven, was a lot that presented a handsomely bound collection of 15 very fine watercolour on vellum drawings of flowers.
Churchill gathers sale demand
16 January 2023An inscription bearing Winston Churchill’s signature and dated 1948 found in a single volume of his famous history of the Second World War that came to auction in Cumbria was believed to be authentic.
Momentous lots of Irish history sold at Fonsie Mealy
16 January 2023Easter Rising republic proclamation and Wolfe Tone’s revolutionary tract are sold on home turf.
Mystery lot goes from £40-60 guide to £24,000
16 January 2023A December 6 auction in Exeter was dominated by a lot estimated at just £40-60 but sold instead at £24,000.
Presentation copy of Paddington Bear first edition sells to American bidder
16 January 2023Having featured prominently on television in a specially made part of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Paddington Bear hardly needs any more publicity.
British and Irish book auctions: January 17-February 4, 2023
16 January 2023Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
Letter details horrors of ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’
09 January 2023Thought by the auction house to be an early copy, a letter that details the horrors of the ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’ in 1756 was sold for £2900.
British and Irish book auctions: January 10-31, 2023
09 January 2023Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
Transparencies bring to light the secrets of a French work
09 January 2023Les Portes Fermées ou Les Doubles Surprises, a rare and tiny French work of c.1820, sold for £1600 at a Newcastle auction.
Gillray drawing stars in a satirical selection
09 January 2023Highlights from London auction also include art historian’s collection and extraordinary Orwell oddity
Bizet and Caxton in the mix
02 January 2023Highlights including signed opera score from a varied auction held in North Yorkshire
British and Irish book auctions: January 4-26, 2023
02 January 2023Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
Don’t think twice, it’s all right to make a bid for Bob Dylan love letters
02 January 2023Running to over 150pp in all, an archive of 42 love letters sent by Bob Dylan to a high school sweetheart, Barbara Ann Hewitt, featured in a November 17 Marvels of Modern Music sale held by RR Auctions of Amherst, New Hampshire.
Polar explorer Scott’s farewell in his own hand
02 January 2023“We have been to the Pole and we shall die like gentlemen.”
Big catches in angling collection
19 December 2022Bonhams New York (27.5/26/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) had bidders hooked by the angling books included in its wide-ranging November 15 auction.
Beano No 1 and less familiar titles which still in demand
19 December 2022While a Beano No 1 will always take the headlines, not so well-known titles can also impress
British and Irish book auctions: December 20-February 23
19 December 2022Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.
Sizeable Chicago sale led by a huge 7ft wide city map
12 December 2022The creation of James T Palmatary, the engraved and framed birds-eye view or plan of Chicago of 1857 pictured above is almost 7ft wide.
Put in the hours for the rewards
12 December 2022Illuminated manuscript c.1470 is a highlight in Gloucestershire saleroom
Books and works on paper auction calendar: December 13-January 12, 2022
12 December 2022Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.