Latest News Articles by Terence Ryle
Brahms booms in vinyl revival
15 July 2019The resurrection of vinyl continues apace as was evident when a large collection of classical records offered by Ledbury auction house John Goodwin (15% buyer’s premium) attracted specialist trade and private interest from all over the world.
Aboriginal weapons saved from a skip now sell at auction
15 July 2019Saved at the last minute from a skip, a collection of Aboriginal weapons drew worldwide interest at Martel Maides’ sale in St Peter Port, Guernsey.
Romantic Russians in figure form
15 July 2019The Patriotic War of 1812 stirred up powerful feelings of national pride in Russia.
Louis Vuitton trunk shifts at £7200
15 July 2019Pleased as the vendors were to be told by Gloucestershire auctioneer Martin Lambert that a 1920s trunk from their late parents’ home could be worth £2000, they were happier when pre-sale interest in Tayler & Fletcher’s recent sale brought a revised estimate of £2500-4000.
George II table takes £17,500 and Churchill letters get away
15 July 2019As a reminder of the days when a piece of quality furniture could be expected to top a wide-ranging provincial sale, a George II giltwood and gesso occasional table led the way at Dawson’s (20% buyer’s premium) 550-lot event in Maidenhead.
Glass birds and Mouseman sell in North Yorkshire
15 July 2019The demand for 1960s Pulcini glass birds made by Alessandro Pianon (1931-64) for the Venetian company Vistosi has spiked in recent months.
Musical boxes tune up in two auctions
15 July 2019Two musical boxes catching the eye and ear among the small vertu sections at summer silver sales.
Downsizing of a collection amassed over 15 years results in quality silver on offer
08 July 2019Combining fine 18th and 19th work by major silversmiths with rarities of scholarly interest, the comprehensively catalogued silver sale at Chiswick Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) appealed to specialists across the market spectrum.
Magic Midget makes mighty saleroom price
08 July 2019Racing along to a double-estimate £2400, this tinplate clockwork Tri-ang Magic Midget made by Line Bros in 1933, led the field at the 450-lot toys sale at Gildings (15% buyer’s premium) in Market Harborough on June 24.
Anglo-Italian items earn triple honours in Kent
08 July 2019Art and romance from 19th century Italy, industrialised agriculture from England – two national stereotypes were honoured in triplicate at the Canterbury Auction Galleries (20% buyer’s premium).
Surprise new custodian of the Cornish manor has a clear-out
08 July 2019The story of Cornish care worker Jordan Rogers, who proved he was the illegitimate son and legitimate heir to a £50m Penrose mansion, made national headlines in May. It also had a knock-on effect in the auctioneering world.
Church gates lead to bidding battles in two salerooms
01 July 2019In market terms, ecclesiastical gates are not the subject of mass appeal but examples by major 19th century designers certainly had their devotees at two June sales.
Buyer nets a silver tennis bangle
01 July 2019This silver tennis bangle, below, triggered a classic singles match at auction.
Dove design wings its way to auction
01 July 2019Scantily catalogued as a Georgian/Victorian micro-mosaic plaque depicting a dove, a classic example of the pieces produced by Italian craftsmen and beloved by wealthy Britons on the Grand Tour was equally appreciated by bidders at Stroud Auctions (18% buyer’s premium).
That’s the spirit at £5900
01 July 2019Top-seller at Richard Edmonds’ (20% buyer’s premium) latest specialist motoring accessories sale was a hanging lightbox proclaiming the virtues of Pratt’s Perfection Spirit.
Somerset’s cosmopolitan touch
24 June 2019A sale with multinational appeal – and a baroque revival cabinet spared from Rentokil.
Carved coral Tripani adviser
24 June 2019Italy – or more specifically Sicily – came up trumps for Stamford auction house Batemans (20% buyer’s premium) in the form of this 4½in (11cm) carved coral and copper-gilt urn and cover.
Cohray’s handmade modernism
24 June 2019In the 1950s French designer Raymond Cohen and his firm Cohray were producing a range of ultra-modern furniture that – although made for the machine age – were all put together by hand.
Esther Scroll with £25,000 golden touch
24 June 2019Topping by some way an offering of 300 pieces of jewellery at Lyon & Turnbull’s (25% buyer’s premium) Edinburgh sale was a Persian gold and niello decorated Esther Scroll holder.
Tyneside ceramics hero – and footballer
24 June 2019Ceramics commemorating the coronation of Edward VIII are less rare than often supposed, having been produced in abundance before the coronation was aborted. Most bring relatively small sums.