Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Tibet caught on film and canvas including Dalai Lama enthronement
23 June 2025Photo albums contain some of the first images of the remote country plus enthronement of the Dalai Lama
Edmund Gunter rules the waves as brass rules makes 20 times estimate
16 June 2025The Gunter rule was designed to help with the mathematical calculations necessary in navigation.
Early doll coming to auction could be a royal memento gift
16 June 2025A highlight of the The Dolls’ House, Doll, Teddy Bear and Toy sale taking place at Special Auction Services on June 24-26 is a mid-17th century wooden doll, just 5½in (14cm) high.
Brace yourselves for Brooker Part 2 at Olympia Auctions
16 June 2025Foremost among Olympia Auctions’ several collections on offer in the June 25-26 sale are the 96 lots from Robert Brooker’s collection.
The blades of glory
16 June 2025Edged weapons such as swords and daggers are on a ‘hot streak’ as one saleroom puts it. Here we look at the latest highlights
Dashing cavalry helmet owned by a John Trotter
16 June 2025A striking household cavalry officer’s 1817 pattern helmet offered at Antony Cribb (25% buyer’s premium) had the considerable bonus of retaining its “very rare” japanned storage tin with the owner’s name legible.
Armour of the winged warriors who saved Vienna
16 June 2025Polish items were in high demand at German saleroom Hermann Historica (29.5% buyer’s premium inc tax) during the Spring Auction series.
Pair of pistols was ‘given to duke as diplomatic gift’
16 June 2025The auction history of this highly decorative cased pair of Spanish 22 bore convertible ‘Madrid’ lock pistols goes all the way back to 1843 - with a royal connection.
Helmet high achievers at Sussex auction
16 June 2025A strong selection of 18th and 19th century British helmets impressed at East Sussex saleroom Wallis & Wallis (24% buyer’s premium) on May 29, many bringing strong four-figure sums well above estimate.
Prussian guards helmet now on parade in the US
16 June 2025A Prussian Garde du Corps helmet that might well have once graced parade grounds and palaces took pride of place in an East Yorkshire saleroom.
Sikh dome helmet designed to fit distinctive hair
16 June 2025This distinctive domed form of this carefully forged helmet gives a big clue to its origin.
Cannon combines naval technology with aristocratic flair
16 June 2025A George III cast bronze two-pounder sold on June 3 came from a group of 12 cast for a commission by second Viscount William Courtenay, most probably for his private yacht Dolphin in 1775. The cannon was later removed to Powderham Castle, Devon.
Louis Vuitton trunk steams in to the saleroom and takes £130,000
12 June 2025A scarce Louis Vuitton wardrobe steamer trunk dating from the 1920s or earlier sold for £130,000 hammer (plus 25% buyer’s premium) at John Nicholson’s on June 11.
Anglo-Saxon panel to stay in UK after crowdfunding
09 June 2025An Anglo-Saxon gold and garnet panel bought at a Spink auction last year and blocked from export will stay in the UK after a successful crowdfunding campaign by a local history trust.
Swiss-based collection gives worldwide access to Chinese map of ‘all under Heaven’
09 June 2025One of only three known surviving copies of a rare 1644 century Chinese woodblock map has been bought by The Sunderland Collection.
Nirvana: in front of 700 in Bristol
09 June 2025Before hitting stratospheric heights, US grunge rockers Nirvana were playing on a European tour in late 1991 in front of crowd of 700 at one point.
Classic works at auction by ‘the first significant British painter of nudes and still-lifes’
09 June 2025Two paintings of trademark male nudes by British artist William Etty (1789-1849) emerged in a US saleroom as part of the collection of a university lecturer.
John Bonham drumhead saved from bonfire (but not Alice Cooper guillotine)
09 June 2025The only known bass drumhead featuring John Bonham’s personal symbol – the interlocking rings that became his mark after Led Zeppelin’s fourth album – hammered at $70,000 (£53,000) at Heritage (25% buyer’s premium) in Dallas.