Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Chamberlain’s other piece of paper
11 August 2014The ‘piece of paper’ waved by Neville Chamberlain on his return from meeting Hitler in 1938 must count as one of the most infamous documents in history.
Cave coins find could shed new light on Iron Age culture in Britain
28 July 2014Coins from the Late Iron Age and Republican Roman eras have been found buried together for the first time.
Artcurial show Austrian ambitions
23 June 2014French auctioneers Artcurial are expanding their reach by opening an office in Austria, following on from the Milan and Brussels branches established in 2012.
The coin that gives clues to the murder of an Anglo-Saxon king
20 June 2014The name Æthelberht and the title REX on an Anglo-Saxon penny just sold in London may provide a vital clue to a royal murder.
World Cup latest – auctions score with 1966 shirts
13 June 2014“They think it’s all over... it is now!”
Soane’s weekend retreat to be restored in £9m project
09 June 2014While Sir John Soane’s labyrinthine central London treasure trove of a house is very well known, less familiar is his country home to the west of the city.
Noël Coward’s Fascist secret
09 June 2014The First World War shattered not just lives but also perceptions of the ‘natural order’ of things across Europe and how it was ruled.
Chinese dealer jailed in US over ivory smuggling
09 June 2014An antiques dealer from China has become the latest person to be jailed over rhino horn and elephant ivory smuggling as the US continues its crackdown.
Sale focus on family fortunes
06 June 2014Was this the ring of the Tiger of Mysore, taken from his body when he was killed in battle?
Newly discovered ‘comet’ helps rare planetarium to £95,000
23 May 2014A rare late-18th century George Adams Junior combined planetarium and tellurian that sold at Bonhams includes a reference to the ‘Georgian Planet’ engraved on the top plate. Today that planet is better known as Uranus, which was first observed by William Herschel on March 13, 1781, although he initially recorded it as a comet.
Art gets its own national private eye on the internet
19 May 2014Public collections in need of information about their oil paintings can be connected with specialists and members of the public with relevant knowledge thanks to a scheme called Art Detective.
Maple cabinet with intriguing artistic collaboration
12 May 2014Mystery surrounds the origin of a maple cabinet designed by Edward William Godwin and painted by James Abbott McNeill Whistler which has been bought by National Museums Scotland (NMS).
NAVA hope for big rise in membership
14 April 2014NAVA (National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers) are hoping to boost membership after a shake-up of their application system which takes practical experience into consideration rather than having to take exams.
Police appeal over antique shop robbery
04 April 2014Distressing footage of a female staff member at a Devon antique shop being grabbed by a robber has been released in an attempt to track down the man
Stolen antiques now safe after ATG alert
31 March 2014A Derby porcelain plaque and two Japanese plates have been returned by Surrey Police to two stately homes after they were recognised from an alert in Antiques Trade Gazette
Museum’s shipshape purchases
31 March 2014The rare First World War German ship’s bell featured in ATG No 2133 has found a very suitable home – the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Lower price tag for Van Dyck self-portrait
31 March 2014An appeal to buy Van Dyck’s final self-portrait for the nation, painted in England in 1640-41, has been given a boost by the news that a lower price is expected.
Call for independent trust to rule on public collection sales
24 March 2014Campaigners are calling on the government to create an independent trust to prevent Southampton City Council selling off artworks from its public collection.
New British Museum gallery for Sutton Hoo
24 March 2014With the British Museum’s Vikings exhibition bringing in the crowds, it is an ideal time for its Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo treasures to come back into focus in a new gallery.
Salisbury Museum declare bid for newly discovered Bronze Age hoard
20 March 2014Salisbury Museum is hoping to host a remarkable hoard of Bronze Age jewellery in a new gallery set to open this summer.