Collectables

The atlas 'Ay majmu’ kharitat rasm al-ard…,' published by the Church Missionary Society Press in Valetta, is today considered the earliest obtainable atlas printed in Arabic.

A Rowland Ward replica of a great auk – the flightless seabird that became extinct in the mid 19th century – sold at auction in Gloucestershire for £25,000.

This striking example of Art Deco poster design promotes the Blue Train: the luxury overnight express between Calais and the French Riviera named after the dark blue Compagnie International des Wagons-Lits carriages used when the service resumed after the First World War.

One of two book sales held by Sotheby’s (25/20/13.9% buyer’s premium) presented a single-owner collection billed as The Library of Greek Bibliophile.

Sir William Russell Flint (1890-1969) is an artist well known for his watercolours, often featuring exotic landscapes and ladies with not a lot on.

Tim Bryars’ enthusiasm for the “democratisation of travel” extends well beyond the railways.

Our regular listing of British and Irish book auctions.

Entered by different vendors to raise money for charities, and accordingly given token estimates, petrol signs and Irish banknotes took the top prices at Clarks Auctions Rooms (17.5% buyer’s premium) in Liskeard.

Ewbank’s of Send, Surrey, will feature a series of rare 1930s Soviet travel posters in its Vintage Posters auction on October 30.

Before railway mania came canal mania – key to the Industrial Revolution. This 1830 second edition copy of George Bradshaw’s 'Map of Canals, Navigable Rivers, Rail Road &c. in the Midland Counties of England from Actual Survey' sold for £500 (estimate £200-300) at Forum Auctions (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) on October 8.

A Colored Troops Medal or Butler Medal was offered for sale at the Medals & Coins, Arms & Armour Militaria at Woolley & Wallis (25% buyer’s premium) in Salisbury.

At a recent PBFA fair, dealer John Underwood sold a collection of albums of mosses compiled by the naturalist Frederick DuCane Godman (1834-1919) to Horsham Museum & Art Gallery.

“Bradshaw becomes first-hand for any sort of railway guide – you can argue whether or not he was the very first to create them, but he was the first to be successful. It is a bit like everyone calling vacuum cleaners Hoovers.”

This lithographic poster design of Titanic and Olympic, c.1910-11, was withdrawn after the disaster of 1912 so there are only a handful in existence today. They would have been used in travel agents and White Star Line offices to advertise the liners.

Boxes such as these fashioned and painted as cottages are among the most desirable of all 19th century caddies and boxes.

This c.1905 leather top hat ‘bucket’ by the prestigious hatters Johnson and Co of Regent Street, London.

Motor cars became more affordable and reliable particularly in the 1920s-30s, making day trips increasingly popular.

An early 19th century campaign chest designed to be broken down into two parts for easier travel has been hailed as “exceptional” by the specialist dealer who bought it at an Essex auction.