Collectables

Massimo De Martini started trading as Altea Maps in 1992 and now runs the business from his Mayfair premises. He is also co-organiser of the London Map Fair.

Talk about 30 years of hurt. What about 100 years?

Keeping score in the earliest days of the Football League was not as easy as checking the internet.

Although a smaller affair than the much better-known Isle of Wight festival of the same year, the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music, held on June 27-28, 1970, at the Shepton Mallet showground, boasted perhaps the greatest UK music festival line-up of all time.

The simple pair of leather football boots on offer at East Bristol Auctions (17.5% buyer’s premium) this summer was not as flash as today’s examples in all colours and emblazoned with all kinds of branding and personalised messages.

At the age of 36 most footballers have either hung their boots up or are about to. By that stage Ronnie Simpson had experienced a decent enough career: including two FA Cup wins with Newcastle.

MADAM – During these challenging Covid-19 times, it is encouraging to note that stamps, at least, have held up well, perhaps because philately is the perfect hobby for the home buyer.

The FA Cup proved a happy hunting ground for Norman Whiteside in his playing days and at auction many years later the competition was still proving to be a big winner for him.

As with so many other sales schedules for the summer, Graham Budd’s June two-day auction had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus lockdown. However, he has just announced that he will be holding his next on November 9-10 as a live ‘broadcast’ auction (all forms of bidding except for in the room, viewing by timed appointment at the firm’s Enfield premises).

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from August 4-20, 2020.

Among the European toys included in the August 13 Basics sale to be held by Bertoia auctions of Vineland, New Jersey will be this boxed saloon car made by the British firm Chad Valley.

Only around five examples of this rare ‘Big Beat’ concert poster are thought to exist. It advertises a 1958 tour by Rock and Roll promoter Alan Freed, whose photo appears at the top above the 16 different 1950s top musical acts (all also pictured).

The artist John Hurford was a key figure in the British psychedelia movement of the late 1960s.

This 12¾in (32cm) tall European carved bone powder flask dated to the 17th century will feature in the first day of Morphy Auctions’ August 18-19 sale of edged weapons, armour and militaria in Denver, Pennsylvania.

Christie’s New York (25/20/13.5% buyer’s premium) recently staged two important book sales online that between them raised almost $3.38m, including premiums.

As foreign travel is greatly restricted for now, we can feast our eyes instead on this extravagant poster of the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco.

John Vernon ‘Jack’ Webb (1923-2019) was destined to be a collector of medals and militaria. On June 5, 1944, he was on a troop ship preparing to take part in the D-Day landings.

The response among Sixties regulars at a north London pub to the fly poster, below, advertising a gig by the High Numbers may well have been: The who?

This Britains’ boxed pre-war general active service limbered waggon, set number 1331, in very good condition with a good box, is one of the lots to feature in a US auction.

An exceptionally varied and very successful recent Scottish sale contained a great many letters and plenty of fascinating manuscript material.