News

THE Thames Valley Antique Dealers Association has cancelled its Spring TVADA Fair scheduled for March 31 to April 2 at The Reading Blue Coat School, Sonning on Thames, Berkshire.

The Great Grooms brand of upmarket antiques centres is to move to London’s Furniture Cave.

It was catalogued simply as “a carved and signed ivory netsuke modeled as a dragon” and estimated at just £200-300, but this 11/2in (4.5cm) netsuke shot to £41,000 (plus 15 per cent premium) at Paul Beighton of Thurcroft, near Rotherham on February 26. Why? The reason was twofold.

He’s used to wrestling with evil wizard Lord Voldemort, but for Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe there’s more magic in owning a family tree hand-written by J.K. Rowling.

HENRY Sandon, the acknowledged leading authority on Worcester porcelain, has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London. The ceremony took place at the Guildhall on February 28, where Mr Sandon then gave the annual Ravenscroft lecture at Glaziers Hall SE1, an event staged by the Glass-Sellers’ Company.

AFfter three auctions and more than 1200 lots devoted to porcelain from one factory one might have thought there was a chance buyers would have tired of the Zorensky collection of Worcester porcelain. Not so.

Hidden away in a bank vault for over 80 years, the fabled Damon Collection of rare coins, medals and bank notes will fall under the hammer in March.