Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
German motorbike riding high out of the saleroom
24 November 2025Müller & Kadeder is not such a recognised name of the German toy market such as Märklin, Bing or Lehmann.
Rackham’s artistic vision of Wagner musical work
24 November 2025'The Three Norns Winding the Rope of Fate' portrays Erda’s daughters beneath Brünnhilde’s rock and was created as an illustration by Arthur Rackham for a 1911 edition of Richard Wagner’s 'Siegfried & the Twilight of the Gods'.
Big prices paid in transfer market: a Wimpy, Letraset and Star Wars poster promotion
24 November 2025Extensive themed sale brings a shock result for Star Wars posters promoting a tie-in with burger chain
French automaton tea drinker rises from a jar to take a sip
24 November 2025This 19th century French ‘tea drinker’ automaton emerged as part of a single-owner sale at Duke’s (25% buyer’s premium) of Dorchester.
Tractor with bidder pulling power
24 November 2025This 1949-51 Massey Ferguson demonstration model by Mills Models of Sheffield comprises Ferguson TE-20 tractor with clockwork mechanism, two different ploughs, rubber wheels and Ferguson badge to front of the grill.
Wheel progress in price terms
24 November 2025Nine years after taking a premium-inclusive £1375 as part of the The Robert White Collection sale at Bonhams, this Pastilles Valda shop display sales automaton came back to the same auction house in London.
Tethered model cars take a turn on racetrack and rostrum
24 November 2025Tether car racing, which began in 1930s California, sounds a strange concept to modern ears but is in fact a hobby still going strong worldwide*.
‘The one that got away’ from dolls' house expert Vivien Greene
24 November 2025Some of the earliest dolls’ houses are also referred to as baby houses, although they were more like detailed miniature houses and it is said that the aim was not play but to reflect riches.
Fascinating relics from captain killed at Trafalgar come to auction
17 November 2025A musket ball-riddled handkerchief of a Royal Navy captain cut down at the Battle of Trafalgar stood out at a London sale, but it was a letter to his eight-year-old daughter also retrieved from his pocket that added a particularly poignant touch.
Music, movie, magic – a selection of entertainment poster highlights
10 November 2025An extensive selection of Beatles memorabilia sold by Propstore (26% buyer’s premium) on October 23 included a 1963 poster promoting their first tour outside the UK.
Feel the force with a scarce Star wars poster version
10 November 2025Comic Book Auctions' current timed online sale ending on November 23 includes the first Star Wars poster from 1977.
Posters: Not so familiar artist names – but still bringing in the big bids
10 November 2025Designs by lesser-known poster artists can nonetheless be highly sought after by collectors, as recent auction results demonstrate.
Cheers - bottle of Arctic Ale bought at auction a decade ago will be opened and used to brew a new version 150 years later
06 November 2025Creating the brews headlines this week is the story of a bottle of beer from 1875 that was bought at auction and is now being used to help create a fresh batch 150 years later.
Howzat for a Segal toy rarity
03 November 2025Phillip Segal Toys are very much rarities. He began production in Hampshire in 1938 but was halted when wartime restrictions banned the use of lead.
Massive music machine stands out in East Anglia
03 November 2025Jenny and Ray Norman, best known as East Anglian longcase clock dealers since 1974, have contacted ATG to highlight an item they say is just in time for the festive season (but it might not fit that well in a Christmas stocking).
Bear ready to make a refreshing change in Harrogate
03 November 2025A ‘Black Forest’ liqueur set in the form of a bear carrying a flask and glasses will be among the collectable pieces going on sale at The Pavilions of Harrogate Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair at the Great Yorkshire Showground from November 14-16.
