Letters to the Editor

MADAM – I read with interest your article about the ‘Bradwell chess piece’ (News, ATG No 2470, and Letters, ATG No 2472).

MADAM – Re: your article on the William De Morgan ‘Frightened Bird’ dish sold for £27,000 at Martel Maides (Pick of the Week, ATG No 2471).

MADAM – Your comprehensive coverage of the recent Unesco debacle in last week’s issue (ATG No 2471) successfully raises ongoing concerns about the organisation’s behaviour and attitudes.

MADAM – I read ATG for my education: it’s always thought-provoking.

MADAM – The report on the George III gold pair cased pocket sold at Golding Young & Mawer on November 4 (ATG No 2468) contains various inaccuracies.

MADAM – The correct term for the ‘mirror’ under discussion in Letters, ATG No 2468 is an ‘embossed glass showcard’.

MADAM – In your feature on Works on Paper (ATG No 2468) you preview the sale at Bonhams of the draft manuscript for the account of the defence of Rorke’s Drift in 1879 by its commander John Chard.

MADAM – I was pleased to see that a piece of furniture designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for 78 Derngate, Northampton, had sold so well at auction early in November (front page, ATG No 2467).

MADAM – your item on the Victor Mee auction of pub memorabilia (ATG No 2467) contains a minor, yet possibly significant error.

MADAM – As a provincial auction house, we are more than happy to accept for sale many of those objects that have been rejected by the bigger auction companies. Furthermore, we are grateful for the occasional referral we receive from such auction companies, when items do not reach their value threshold.

MADAM – It was heartening to read that the premises of Aston’s Auctioneers and Valuers of Dudley (ATG No 2463) have been taken over by Special Auction Services (SAS) of Newbury, Berkshire.

MADAM – There is absolutely nothing that is not collected by some bloke, in some shed, somewhere.

MADAM – The pedants revolt! In ATG No 2463, writing about the Ministry Of Defence’s wristwatches, Roland Arkell states that the letters WWW on the back of their cases form an acronym; they do not.

MADAM – You recently featured me in your Dealers’ Diary (ATG No 2463) under Irving Street Antiques. I wish to correct a couple of errors in the article.

MADAM – I note that Sotheby’s will be opening a retail shop at their Bond Street premises (News, ATG No 2462).

MADAM – it’s heartwarming to read that a number of stolen, extremely rare books have been recovered by the Met police in cooperation with the Romanian police (News, ATG No 2461).

MADAM – With visitor numbers growing steadily, above expectations despite the pandemic, and a successful reopening under its belt, The Bowes Museum is now looking for new trustees to help reshape it, to ensure its continued success.

MADAM – The new planning law amendment which could affect Portobello Road by opening the door to more gyms, restaurants, offices, clinics, etc is preposterous (see last week’s News).

MADAM – The auction report (issue 2459, page 22) highlighting the sale of two Napoleonic documents at Sotheby’s is most interesting when you consider the two very different characters they were addressed to.

MADAM – It was good to see Alan Sturrock’s robust and considered appeal for a greater understanding of the significance of Staffordshire figures in the markets (ATG 2457).