Surrey

A rather unconventional painting by the Victorian artist Joseph Farquharson (1846-1935) featured in Catherine Southon’s (18% buyer’s premium) sale in Surrey.

In business for 20-plus years, former Sotheby’s auctioneer Catherine Southon, founder of the eponymous auction house and antiques TV presenter, takes nothing for granted.

A dozen customers of former Surrey auction house Fryer & Brown have joined forces to pursue the firm for their goods or money owed after it ceased trading at the beginning of the year.

Classic names of 20th century design and a high-priced mystery artist provided the eye-catchers outside the fine art at the October 26 Decorative, Contemporary Art and Design sale held at Ewbank’s (22.5% buyer’s premium).

Brought about by the sad death of one of the collecting scene’s more colourful characters, the sale of the Adrian Cowdry Collection at Ewbank’s (22.5% buyer’s premium) at Woking on October 12-13 attracted bidders from round the world.

The currently vibrant market for Oceanic art was made plain to staff at John Nicholson’s (24% buyer’s premium) of Fernhurst in February this year when a Maori putorino or bugle flute, estimated at £50-100, sold to French dealer for £140,000. Surely, similar good fortune would not be repeated any time soon?

The European decorative arts that preceded the tribal session at John Nicholson’s (24% buyer's premium) on October 10 had included a handful of notable bids, not least the £14,500 (estimate £300-500) tendered by an Italian buyer for a small early 20th century Louis Vuitton leather box measuring just 11in (27cm) across.

A collection of early 20th century Chinese silver attracted wide interest at Catherine Southon’s (18% buyer’s premium) September 6 sale at Selsdon, south London.

The second Royal Doulton figure to buck the generally lukewarm market within a fortnight, a 'Double Jester' figure designed by Charles Noke, was the star of a 1000-lot collectables sale at John Nicholson’s (24% buyer’s premium) at Haslemere on September 7.

A collection of Maori artefacts with an unbroken provenance dating back to their acquisition by early English missionaries to New Zealand will be offered at John Nicholson’s of Fernhurst on October 5.

This Edwardian postcard, showing a hot-chestnut seller in the City of London, was issued by the Rotary Photographic Company in its London Life series.

After a successful 21 years of trading, 16 of them under the current management, Honeypot Antiques Centre is closing later this month because the site has been sold for redevelopment.

Over the last four months, a steady trickle of coaching scenes has been making its way onto the market via John Nicholson’s (24% buyer’s premium).

John Slade of Take Five Fairs has regretfully had to cancel all his future Tolworth A3 antiques and collectables fairs held at the Tolworth Recreation Centre, near Kingston in Surrey.

Surrey auctioneers Ewbank’s is to sell the stock-in-trade of furniture restorers Arlington Conservation on June 23.