Collectables

Judging by the number of coin proof sets that have been issued in Elizabeth II’s reign, they have become very popular with collectors. But these Royal Mint sets date much further back and are now sought-after at auction.

Scottish auction house Lyon & Turnbull has teamed up with former Christie’s vintage poster specialists Nicolette Tomkinson and Sophie Churcher.

Footwear is always topical at this time of year thanks to careless Cinderella and her mislaid slipper. So it’s a perfect chance to bring news of a couple of intriguing items sold at Derbyshire saleroom Hansons.

A rare complete mammoth skeleton from Siberia dating from the late Pleistocene era sold for a hammer price of €430,000 (£380,530) in a sale held by Aguttes in Lyons.

Heritage Auctions has withdrawn from sale ‘the world’s oldest Nobel Prize medal ever offered at auction’ after doubts were expressed over its authenticity.

A copy of the second folio of William Shakespeare's plays from 1632 was among the star attractions at the sale of the library of the late Richard Adams (1920-2016), the author of ‘Watership Down’.

The psychedelic posters produced to promote the likes of Bob Dylan, Cream and Jimi Hendrix encapsulate the spirit of the Sixties – and can catch the eye at auction, such as the Batemans sale this month.

The Marquis de Sade’s manuscript, 120 Days of Sodom, and André Breton’s Surrealist Manifestos have been declared national treasure by the French government and have been withdrawn from a planned auction tomorrow.

Recovered from a US buyer, three historic cannons are returning to Southend for a new exhibition.

A supermarket carrier bag concealed a battle-weary but still wearable pair of sandals worn by Lawrence of Arabia.

Guildford auction house Ewbank’s has agreed to suspend a planned memorabilia auction today after discussions with The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation.

At the eleventh hour, Christie’s has taken the decision to withdraw the headline lot from the December 13 Books and Manuscripts sale in London after serious doubts were expressed over its authenticity.

A scarce coin showing a portrait of the first Tudor monarch has been bought at auction on behalf of the Royal Mint Museum for £44,000.