Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Reflections on a hop market: new record for British pub mirror
12 June 2026A mirror for an East End brewery set a new record at £33,000 as the breweriana collecting market matures
‘Off we go for the pole’ wrote doomed Antarctic explorer
12 June 2026A four-page letter written by Edward ‘Bill’ Wilson to a friend during the early days of the doomed British Antarctic Expedition sold for £19,000 at Fieldings (26% buyer’s premium) in Stourbridge.
Commanded to commit adultery
12 June 2026Bidders spot copy of 1631 Barker bible that contains jaw-dropping mistakes missed in proof-reading
Middle ages pages finder: very early bookmark sells at £7000
12 June 2026Guided at £800-1200, a 10in (26cm) medieval ‘rotating’ or ‘register’ bookmark sold at £7000 at Semley Auctioneers (22% buyer’s premium) in Shaftesbury, Dorset on May 16.
Two Wilton Marbles, same price
05 June 2026Serendipity had it that two of the so-called Wilton Marbles, formerly in the celebrated collection of the Earls of Pembroke at Wilton House in Salisbury, appeared for sale within a week.
Furniture made by Barnsley ‘for Cholmeley’
05 June 2026The two opening lots of Chorley’s Modern Art & Design sale on June 2 were a walnut and ebony secretaire cabinet and a dresser designed and made by Arts & Crafts titan Sidney Barnsley (1865-1926).
Minton peacock makes rare auction appearance
05 June 2026The French sculptor Paul Comolera (1818-1897) first appears in the Minton records in October 1873 and is listed until 1876. During this short time, he created some of Minton’s greatest models of animals which were often observed from life.
Bidders show their zest for zinc Louis Vuitton trunks
05 June 2026West Sussex firm has made the trunks something of a speciality after four five-figure sales in a decade
Tiny pill box packs a €15,000 punch
05 June 2026This early 20th century Russian silver and cloisonné enamel pill box measuring just 1½in (3.5cm) across bears marks for Fabergé and Feodor Ruckert (1840-1917).
Trophy hunters: A selection of silver highlights with maritime interest
05 June 2026Henry Piddington (1797-1858) was an English sea captain who sailed mostly in East India and China.
Vase originally bought by Dr Dropers to remind him of Japan
05 June 2026This 10½in (26cm) high Meiji period cloisonné vase from the workshop of Namikawa Sosuke came for sale at Olympia Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) on May 6 with a primary provenance.
Connoisseur’s collection comes to the market for the first time in decades
05 June 2026A true connoisseur’s collection of early silver greeted those who viewed the Woolley & Wallis (27/26% buyer’s premium) Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu sale in Salisbury on April 28-29.
Novelty appeals to the ‘unconventional mind’
05 June 2026As pre-sale Instagram posts go, the promo for the auction at Martel Maides (20% buyer’s premium) in St Peter Port, Guernsey, on May 1 was inspired.
Swiss watch swings it for Dunhill price
05 June 2026The Dunhill ‘Unique’ B lighter, along with its smaller-sized sibling, was introduced into the firm’s line in the late 1920s.
Wilton House Aphrodite provides allure as sculpture triples estimate
02 June 2026A Roman marble bust of Aphrodite, formerly in the celebrated collection of the Earls of Pembroke at Wilton House in Salisbury, has sold for £280,000 at Lyon & Turnbull.
William Wordsworth house contents up for auction in the town where he was born
29 May 2026Furnishings and personal items from Rydal Mount, the final home of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, will be offered at auction this month.
Tile once adorned Kashmiri gateway
29 May 2026The cuerda seca (dry cord or kashi) technique of decorating tiles was developed in Central Asia during the latter part of the 14th century.
Charlie Watts' bird box on song at Exeter auction
29 May 2026This 19th century gilt metal and enamel singing bird automaton that took £17,000 was among the highlights of the Charlie and Shirley Watts collection sold by Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood.