Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
‘Car boot’ badge find makes major windfall for owners – twice
13 February 2026Established in 1687 by James II (also James VII of Scotland), membership of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is in the personal gift of the sovereign, just as it is with the Order of the Garter and the Order of Merit.
Early America begins to emerge on a silk map
06 February 2026In this the 250th anniversary year of American Independence being declared, a rare printed silk map of British North America emerged for sale in Dorset.
Bright and beautiful 19th and early 20th century jewels shine at auction
06 February 2026This array of jewels formed part of the first tranche of a remarkable private collection sold by Catherine Southon (23% buyer’s premium) in Chislehurst.
Price and estimate for liner china oceans apart
06 February 2026Liner china – ceramics associated with shipping lines and the golden age of maritime travel – can occasionally throw up surprising results.
Wellington connection spurs on bidders at auction
06 February 2026This pair of late Georgian silver spurs are hallmarked for London 1812 and carry the maker’s mark JA, probably for the specialist buckle maker John Atkins.
Duleep Singh makes a difference once again
06 February 2026A handsome 19th century kingwood and ormolu decanter box offered by Hutchinson Scott (25% buyer’s premium) in Skipton, North Yorkshire was of particular note for its armorial and an inscription to the lock reading Maharaja Duleep Singh.
Dedicated Nelson sale: Bidding farewell to a naval hero
06 February 2026Special sale focuses on the death of Nelson, the first commoner given a state funeral
Corby Castle single-owner sale creates a stir over three days
30 January 2026The first major UK single-owner auction of the calendar year was Tennants’ three-day dispersal of art and antiques from Corby Castle in Cumbria.
Van Vianen silver plaquette surfaces in London saleroom
30 January 2026London numismatic auction house Morton & Eden is offering a silver plaquette by the great Dutch silversmith Paulus van Vianen (1570-1613).
Klein TWA poster work flies increasingly high at auction
30 January 2026Although he produced work for Broadway, Hollywood and the US Army, David Klein (1918-2005) is best remembered for the Jet Age posters he created for Howard Hughes and Trans World Airlines.
Bentzon bowl spotted by young but savvy buyer
30 January 2026Discovery recalls earliest American silversmith of African descent
Dynamic duo brought daring Art Nouveau to Rozenburg
30 January 2026The Plateelbakkerij Rozenburg (Royal Delftware Factory) was established in The Hague in 1883 in the hope of making blue and white tin-glazed earthenwares.
Sweet selection on offer for the third time in Somerset saleroom
30 January 2026Following equivalent sales in November 2024 and May 2025, Dore & Rees (25% buyer’s premium) in Frome was again offering Japanese objects at the end of last year from the wider collection of Asian works of art formed over more than half a century by Eva and Aubrey Sweet.
Kluge gifts keep on giving to Columbia University
30 January 2026The primary draw to a sale at Roland Auctions (30% buyer’s premium) was a series of lots benefiting Columbia University.
Japanese specialist finds home at Kent auction house
30 January 2026Demand for Japanese works was first hit by the so-called ‘Lost Decade’ that followed the collapse of the Japanese economy in 1991. However, changes in fashion, taste and legislation have also impacted prices.
Staying ice-cool in the White City with an extraordinary Japanese vase
30 January 2026Vase is thought to be from a group that share a provenance to the 1908 Japan-British Exhibition
Kirin vase comes alive at £12,500
30 January 2026A recent sale at Whittons (21% buyer’s premium) in Honiton, Devon, included this Meiji or Taisho (1912-26) vase by the Ando Company.
Edo period ivory netsuke to be sold after gaining ‘outstanding quality’ exemption
23 January 2026Norfolk auction house TW Gaze has secured permission to sell an Edo period ivory netsuke in the spring.