Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Novelty silver pin cushions record broken twice in same sale
09 October 2026The auction record for an Edwardian novelty silver pin cushion beaten twice at the same sale at Kinghams (26% buyer’s premium) in Moreton-in-Marsh.
Lock of hair said to be from Henry VIII’s sixth wife
09 October 2026A lock of hair reputed to belong to Catherine Parr – Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife – drew a good deal of interest at Greenslade Taylor Hunt (19.5% buyer’s premium) in North Petherton, Somerset.
New Year sale format devised to avoid grouping lower-value pieces into large lots
09 October 2026The minimum lot values beloved of auctioneers’ accountants have come more and more into play just at a time when areas of the ceramics market have softened.
Notable rarities on offer in sale dedicated to Lowestoft products
09 October 2026Lowestoft Porcelain Auctions, founded by Russell Sprake in 1984 and continued since his death by his wife Zoe, is holding a single-factory sale on October 21.
Dodo bones rise from swamp
09 October 2026Two bones from the foot of a dodo, the huge flightless bird that went extinct in the Dutch colony of Mauritius c.1690, were offered in Sworders’ (25% buyer’s premium) most recent Out of the Ordinary sale.
The look of a £22,000 mystery man in miniature form emerges at a Yorkshire auction
02 October 2026A civil war-era miniature by the Anglo-French painter David des Granges (1611-72) sold for £22,000 at Hawleys in Beverley, East Yorkshire, on September 26.
British pottery to star as Weinstock collection goes to auction
02 October 2026A remarkable collection of 18th and 19th century British pottery assembled by US interior designers Bennett and Judie Weinstock comes for sale at Bonhams this month.
Pick of the week: Hold on... Henry VIII pulls back from unbridled Protestantism
02 October 2026Towards the end of his reign, Henry VIII, the devout Catholic who had created the Church of England, was attempting to put the Protestantism he had unleashed back in its box.
Impressive family provenance boosts Beatrix Potter group at Cumbrian auction
02 October 2026Group of first editions with a range of desirable extras comes fresh to market by family descent
Christie’s brings back regular Asian art auctions in London
01 October 2026Christie’s is holding a mixed owner ‘live’ Chinese works of art sale in London this autumn – its first for some years.
Vendor’s £300 yard purchase turns out to be important Baroque marble of Pope Clement XII
30 September 2026A rediscovered marble of an early 18th century pope by a leading late Baroque sculptor come for sale in Salisbury this month.
Enamel and gilt metal box sniffed out at Wiltshire auction
25 September 2026The highlight of the sale of British and Continental Ceramics and Glass at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes on September 23 was this exceptional south Staffordshire enamel and gilt metal snuff box, c.1765-70.
Pick of the week: Double delight for detectorist
25 September 2026Metal detecting finds, and the success of the 1996 Treasure Act that allows finders a share in the market value of ‘treasure’, have become the market’s key source of medieval jewellery. And for Andrew Riley, a semi-retired architect from North Yorkshire, the hobby has been a particular boon.
Coin found among Nelson's personal possessions on HMS Victory had a poignant family connection
25 September 2026A Georgian gold coin that was found aboard HMS Victory among Nelson’s personal possessions fetched £30,000 – three times the top estimate – at Noonans (24% buyer’s premium) in Mayfair.
Wartime posters saved for posterity from the scrap pile
25 September 2026A collection of Second World War National Savings posters came for sale at Sworders’ (27/25/20% buyer’s premium) Open House timed online sale that ended on September 7.
Token of a healing royal touch trebles estimate in Edinburgh
25 September 2026Belief in divine ability to cure the sick persisted among Stuart heirs in exile even as the Jacobite dream died
Thirty years on, Ebay trialling ‘soft close’ end to its auctions
18 September 2026Ebay is looking at changing its traditional auction model by trialling ‘soft close’ bidding.