East Midlands

Despite their function, stirrup cups in the form of equine heads are a little harder to find than those of dogs and foxes.

In our continuing series looking through the keyhole of ‘bricks and mortar’ shops in 2017, ATG talks to Steven Kirby. He opened Messingham Farm Shop & Café in Lincolnshire earlier this year, which includes an antiques centre in an historic school house.

Stock-buying trips prove successful for one American as she heads back to Blighty once more...

Figurative sculptor Christy Keeney from Donegal, Ireland, has been an exhibitor at the Earth and Fire International Ceramic Fair in Nottinghamshire for 16 of the 22 annual events held so far.

Coming up trumps at Stamford auctioneers Batemans (20% buyer’s premium) on May 6 was a full pack of 52 Georgian playing cards.

The calm and grassy plain by the River Welland in the middle of the town of Stamford where Field Dog Fairs holds a biannual event was not always so serene.

A painting of St Tropez by the Fauvist painter Charles Camoin (1879-1965) went under the hammer for the first time in more than half a century at Gildings (15% buyer’s premium).

The Buxton Antiques Fair, organised by Cooper Events, runs from May 18-21 in Buxton Pavilion Gardens. It is a quiet yet well-respected presence in the annual fair calendar and has withstood many market changes since it opened more than 50 years ago.

A fine collection of Meiji and 19th century Chinese ivory works of art sold at Hansons (17.5% buyer’s premium) offered a window onto a turbulent market.

Silver was among the success stories of the wide-ranging March 30-April 1 sale at Hansons, in particular a 1705 Britannia standard chocolate pot.

Just over a year since its launch, Stamford Auction Rooms is staging its first estate sale on May 27.