Yorkshire and the Humber

Lacking the glitter of a former rock star owner, this Fender Stratocaster sold on the traditional antiques virtues of quality, age and condition.

Dunhill Aquarium table lighters painted by Margaret Bennett and husband Alan in the 1950s-60s remain popular among collectors in these non-smoking days.

This Liverpool creamware transfer-printed frog mug was produced by the short-lived Herculaneum factory c.1830-33 just after the 1829 Rainhill Steam Trials.

As with so many other collecting areas recently, the conditions of lockdown – meaning spare money and time for the fortunate – have led to buoyant demand for toys, models and collectables.

Cases of Australian animals stand out among a family home taxidermy treasure trove

The luxury perfumery l’Officina Profuma Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence is considered the oldest pharmacy in the world.

Mounted in an autograph book that was compiled from 1937 onwards by Miss Joyce Cartmell, a sketch of Christopher Robin was a highlight of a Yorkshire sale.

The highlight of a private collection of Robert Thompson oak carvings to be offered by Tennants on March 6 is this curious anthropomorphic figure of the ‘Mouseman of Kilburn’.

Tennants’ (20% buyer’s premium) Autumn Fine Sale in Leyburn was topped by a pair of verre eglomisé pictures by Jonas Zeuner (1727-1814).

Four lots of French railway posters attracted a good deal of attention at Tennants (20% buyer’s premium) on December 9-10.

Furniture by Robert ‘Mouseman' Thompson and more recent productions from the Kilburn workshop attracted the usual enthusiasm at Tennants (20% buyer’s premium).

In playing condition but with enough problems to be catalogued as ‘sold as seen’, a Nicole Frères brass inlaid music box was one of the unexpected stars of the first three-day sale to be held at Ripon auction house Elstob & Elstob (22% buyer’s premium).

London dealer takes up task of identifying artist behind views ‘of Oxford and Cambridge’.

A notable group of pictures from a local vendor gave a boost to the Autumn Art Sale held by David Duggleby (20% buyer’s premium) in Scarborough.

As hugely personal items and of relatively small melt value, spoons represent the great majority of English domestic silver items surviving from the pre-civil war period.

In an act of decidedly upmarket upcycling, dealer Simon Wingett of Burton Antiques and his business partner have commissioned a series of casts of a George II wine cistern to be made from scrap.

James Waggott of The Antiques Centre York is a happy chap.

The distinctive Antipodean ‘botanical’ jewellery of the gold rush era is among the first to depict the native flora and fauna. It is of huge cultural significance to Australia and its mining heritage.

As Keith Chapman of Modern Art Auctions in Scarborough says, he rarely prints catalogues but coming up in his next auction is “such a good collection of a very underrated artist, we have made an exception”.

Tennants’ (20% buyer’s premium) latest sale of Modern and Contemporary art generated some confident bidding both online and in the room, taking in limited-edition prints by famous names.