North-west England

The artist Richard Ernst Eurich (1903-92) is rather hard to categorise.

A Queen’s Gallantry Medal in its case of issue awarded to a police constable who helped to catch two violent escaped prisoners sold for £2400 at auction.

A setting with lots of water next to valuable books may not seem an obvious fit but it was a successful match

Just as stereoscope images became a Victorian collecting craze, another notable photographic fad of the era was the carte de visite

A rare work of 1767 called A Journal of a Voyage Round the World in His Majesty’s Ship The Dolphin… was offered by Thomson Roddick (20% buyer’s premium) in Carlisle.

When the (Louis) Marx toy company produced a friction-drive model Batmobile in the 1960s the plastic car that resulted was really a model of the 1951 General Motors Le Sabre concept show car designed by Harley Earl.

The Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association (PBFA) has launched a new two-day premier book fair to take place in Preston this summer.

A drawing by Sheila Fell (1931-79) offered in Cockermouth showed how strong demand can emerge even for a simple sketch.

The 33 pieces of ‘Mouseman’ furniture on offer at Carlisle auction house Thomson Roddick (20% buyer’s premium) all came from a Cumbrian Georgian country house where they had been since at least before 1950.

The Vintage Home Show runs in three locations including the atmospheric and restored Victoria Baths in Manchester

The theft of an Elizabethan silver chalice in Dorset has sparked fears it could be the latest in a spate targeting churches across the country.

The best-selling lot in a recent Carlisle auction was a 1919, Collins first of Heritage, the debut novel of Vita Sackville-West, who at that time was better known for her poetry.

This rare rock and pop poster advertises a performance by ‘Bazooka Joe’ with ‘Support Band’ at the common room of St Martin’s Art School on November 6, 1975. Entrance was 50p.

Alex Styles (1922-2017) was in 1966 given a glowing accolade in The Times: “Many think he is the finest designer of hand-made silver in England.”

The final proof coin set bearing Queen Victoria’s portrait was issued by the Royal Mint in two sets in 1893.

Enamelled imperial eagle tankards or 'reichsadlerhumpen' – large three or four-litre glass drinking vessels enamelled with the 56 coats of arms and the quaternion eagle of the Holy Roman Empire – were popular from the 16th to the late 18th century.

A prayer book once owned by a priest who helped Charles II hide after defeat at the Battle of Worcester, and later heard his death-bed confession, has sold at auction to a national heritage organisation.