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Be Smart About Art have announced a competition for aspiring art dealers to win prizes and discounts worth over £2000 towards attending their Art Dealers Bootcamp, an intensive three-day course from February 3-5, 2014.

Three fraudsters have been sentenced for a widespread scam using dud cheques at antiques fairs across the country.

The 16th staging of Asian Art in London from October 31 to November 9 is heralded by a new-look website.

A Nobel Peace Prize medal stolen from the Lord Mayor’s Mansion House in Newcastle is still missing despite a 21-year-old man being jailed for the theft.

Christie’s mainland Chinese debut, the First Shanghai Auction on September 26, coincided with the opening of a free-trade zone in Shanghai.

Noble Investments (NBL) have confirmed that their board have recommended acceptance of the proposed acquisition by Stanley Gibbons (SGI) in a cash and shares deal worth 255p a share, 192.5p of which will be paid in cash.

Sotheby’s have announced that William S. Sheridan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, is leaving the company after 17 years.

Sotheby’s have announced that they are to offer a flawless 59.6-carat pink diamond for sale in Geneva on November 13 with a record asking price of $60m.

Christie’s successfully completed their first auction in mainland China on September 26.

The Jane Austen’s House Museum at Chawton in Hampshire has raised the £150,000 needed to keep a gold turquoise ring once owned by Jane Austen in the country.

The trade have strongly backed our comment last week calling into question the reliability of claims that 40% of antiques on the UK market are fakes or forgeries.

Police have launched an investigation into a suspected fraud centred on a Lincolnshire antiques business.

Among the highlights of the New York Asia Week series of sales at Doyle New York was this Qianlong white jade phoenix ewer.

Recent publicity for the new TV series ‘Treasure Detectives’ prompted a number of articles claiming that 40% of all antiques on the UK market are fakes.

COMMENT: Damaging claims like this should be beyond question in their robustness, or they are just irresponsible, says Ivan Macquisten

The second Oxford Conference for auctioneers on September 13-14 saw the launch of a new template for valuations devised by Rupert Toovey and Paul Britton.

Despite the fire ealier this month that engulfed his shop in Southborough near Tunbridge Wells, the Arts & Crafts dealer Peter Hoare is still trading via his website and by appointment.

Cheshire auctioneers Adam Partridge have discovered a copy of the Passover Haggadah written and illuminated by the celebrated 18th century scribe Aaron Wolf Herlingen in Vienna.

Sotheby’s have announced that they are reviewing their financial strategy in a bid to create the optimum balance between future investment in the company and shareholder return.

Campaigners against changes in VAT that affect showground fairs met for the first time at a crisis summit in London. They now intend to form a trade federation to fight the changes.