Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
American First World War propaganda posters flagged up at auction
24 February 2017Kitchener’s moustache-adorned stern visage staring out with finger extended demanding that you join your country’s army is not only one of the best-known First World War posters but one of the most familiar posters overall.
Manchester United enamel pin badge sold at auction for 20-times estimate
22 February 2017The white shirt bears a dark ‘V’ across the front more like St Helens rugby league team, but the ball underneath is unmistakably round rather than oval. Then the words ‘Manchester United’ emblazoned below the figure give the game away.
Trio of 1930s barn find classic cars come to auction
20 February 2017“Non-runners but ripe for restoration” is how Cheshire auction house Peter Wilson describes three 1930s cars found in a garden. It also sums up what fans of classic car ‘barn finds’ are after.
How family values can boost the auction values of medals and militaria
16 February 2017One challenge that auctioneers face is whether to sell a collection as a whole, or in several different groups, or individually. Finding the right strategy is vital to getting lots away with decent prices.
Gareth Edwards Welsh rugby jersey up for auction
14 February 2017Saturday’s last-gasp, nail-biting England victory was hailed as one of the greatest games of the Six Nations championship. Talking of rugby ‘greats’, a jersey coming up at auction on February 18 is a reminder of an earlier international player who falls into the ‘legend’ sports category.
Rare slides sold at auction reveal scenes from 1922 British Everest Expedition
13 February 2017THESE days climbing Everest is a bit old hat. Don’t get me wrong – people still die in the attempt and it is a massive achievement – but more than 4000 people have climbed the world’s highest mountain since it was first conquered in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
So much Mucha in one auction
11 February 2017More than 100 lots from the Art Nouveau poster master on offer from Maryland collection
Empress of Russia's Fabergé gift to her Yorkshire godchildren comes to auction
09 February 2017The tragic story of the last of the imperial Russian family does not have an immediately obvious connection with a Yorkshire spa town but it is nonetheless a strong one.
Rolls-Royces from different eras gear up for auctions
07 February 2017Sheffield Auction Gallery uses the rather euphemistic term ‘weathered patina’ when describing the condition of a Rolls-Royce it has estimated at £1000-1200 in its February 24 sale.
Viking silver sets a penny record
04 February 2017A COIN struck for the last Viking ruler of ‘old’ York sold for a record hammer price of $130,000 (£106,560) in a New York auction on January 11.
Hong Kong Plague Medal 1894 on offer at Catherine Southon auction
31 January 2017Some collectors go for military medals. Some prefer civilian awards. An honour coming up at auction on February 22 is a fascinating example of a medal awarded to both military and civilians.
Winning a £18,000 battle for The War of the Worlds
28 January 2017ORIGINAL posters for the first release of the 1953 Paramount sci-fi classic The War of the Worlds are something of a holy grail in the collecting market.
Waugh, Tolkien and a host of famous names in Oxford sales ledgers up at auction
26 January 2017It was the end of an era in Oxford when Ducker & Son, the bespoke shoemaker and home of the Oxford brogue, sadly closed down last November. The venerable 6 Turl Street store had traded in the centre of the city since 1898.
The Irish Easter Rising 1916 medals and memorabilia market
25 January 2017Easter Rising 1916 memorabilia may be treasured now by collectors, especially after last year’s centenary, but a medal just sold at auction in Ireland once ended up in a bin rather than proudly displayed.
Action Man collection on sale at East Bristol Auctions
25 January 2017What is the next collecting area about to take off when it comes to toys? As detailed often in ATG, rare Star Wars figures are now making big money. Lego is another popular market as 40 and 50-somethings settle down, get wealthier and get nostalgic about the toys they played with as kids.
When auctioneers kept calm and sales carried on despite wartime bombing
23 January 2017Keep Calm and Carry On is the now famous instruction from the Second World War thanks to a plethora of copycat items inspired by the poster which was never officially issued.
Another D-Day Utah Beach landing craft flag surfaces at auction
23 January 2017Not many wartime flags survive to be sold at auction due to their inevitably fragile nature, but those flown by Allied forces during the D-Day landings must have been particularly precious as mementos.
Size matters to evolving sale formats
21 January 2017JEREMY Lamond is bigging up his auction house. As fine art director at Halls, promoting the business goes with the territory, but the ‘bigging up’ in question here is around the Shrewsbury firm’s sales format.
Celebrating Japanese woodblock artists and the Brits they inspired at galleries and auction
18 January 2017The beautiful Japanese woodblock prints created by artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige inspired similar works across the world and most famously the paintings of Van Gogh.
Rare Star Wars Vlix figure on offer at Vectis Auctions
17 January 2017Unless you have been in a galaxy far, far away for quite some time, you will have heard of Luke Skywalker, Ewoks and Han Solo. But have you heard of a Vlix?