A rare English silkwork portrait miniature of King Charles I discovered in a sock drawer sold for a multi-estimate £8000 at Bellmans’ auction in Billingshurst.

A rare presentation ship model, made to commemorate what Nelson called his ‘hardest fought battle’, sold at Doyle New York.

The second day of the Design Since 1860 sale at Lyon & Turnbull on October 17 included a rare stained oak Charles Rennie Mackintosh stool from Miss Cranston’s Argyle Tea Rooms.

The 135-lot private collection of renowned porcelain specialist Rod Jellicoe revealed the current state of a market long after its ‘vintage era’'

The moment Johann Böttger oversaw the successful production of hard-paste porcelain at Meissen in Germany, the race was on for other European countries to create ‘white gold’.

Nelson was a great admirer of porcelain and he and Emma Hamilton owned several services.

The Irish peer, statesman and soldier James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (1665-1745), first rose to prominence after helping put down the Monmouth Rebellion.

Our selection of lots from 12 upcoming auctions

Estimated at £200-300, a 12in (30cm) French porcelain stand in the rococo style sold for £4900 at Michael Bowman (17.5% buyer’s premium) in Chudleigh, Devon, on September 28.

Royalty, heads of state and grand families frequently chose to have their porcelain engraved with their initials or coat of arms.

Despite his pioneering aesthetic, many of Christopher Dresser’s designs were too complex and costly to be easily mass-produced.

Our selection of lots from 12 upcoming auctions

A rare colourway of the Ravilious for Wedgwood coronation mug took a bid of £13,500 at Gildings - a record price for Eric Ravilious ceramics.

Its survival a mystery for years, a rare 1950s Meccano store display figure has surfaced in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.