UK

An old family collection of Martin Brothers stonewares, assembled with purchases from the Southall potters in the late 19th and early 20th century, was offered in Cambridgeshire.

The annual antiques and collectors’ fair at Alexandra Palace is no more.

A rare cigarette card featuring one of England’s top goal-scorers sold for a spectacular £25,900.

It was, said the catalogue, “a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire a top end sign in such remarkable condition”.

Dreweatts and Forum Auctions are to hold their first joint sale this month.

The search is on for a new owner of The Emporium in Hungerford.

Punch and Judy shows in Britain date back to as early as 1662 – recorded by Pepys – with origins in the charismatic 16th century Italian puppet Pulcinella.

A fine First World War silver presentation model of the Vickers FB5 or Gunbus made by Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company (London 1916) was sold together with two related photographs plus a copied letter of provenance at Dominic Winter (20% buyer’s premium).

Lucy Peck ran The Dolls’ Home, a successful business that opened in Regent Street in London in 1893.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

British watercolours are reliant not just on subject matter but also on market freshness, condition and a good pitch

While the main paintings from the collection of dealer Sir Jack Baer and his wife Diana were sold at Sworders (25% buyer’s premium) at the end of September (see ATG No 2564), a group of around 50 works on paper were held back and offered at the Stansted Mountfitchet saleroom’s latest Homes and Interiors online auction.

Such was the renown of toy collector the late Jack Tempest that when his collection came up for auction many of the bidders who flocked to the sale on November 10 recognised a lot of the items on offer.

A group of five watercolours by Peter de Wint (1784-1849) that were previously kept at a Grade II-listed Oxfordshire country house caught the eye at a recent sale.

Forget names such as Palitoy, Britains, Dinky, Sindy, Bing and Marklin for a moment – recent auctions have shown the demand that can exist for lesser-known manufacturers and brands in the toys world.

IACF calls time at north London venue and launches an event just to the north