Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Auction previews: issue 2506
23 August 2021A selection of 13 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK
Unsuccessful commercially, but now worth £5600 in the saleroom
16 August 2021This Doll et Cie four-seater open touring car toy, c.1920s, is a live-steam model made in Germany.
Owner stories boost value of Pearson teddy bears
16 August 2021Toys from the private collection of Sue Pearson, the UK’s leading dealer in antique and vintage teddy bears and soft toys, were offered in Newbury.
Belgian Concorde dreams were grounded
16 August 2021Demand for anything to do with Concorde is always high but a huge ‘museum quality’ model at Dominic Winter (20% buyer’s premium) had an extra touch.
Toys and collectables: Keeping it on track
16 August 2021One of the finest European railway toy collections built in the US generated a suitably enthusiastic response when it came to auction.
Major Matchbox collection strikes a chord
16 August 2021What was billed as ‘the finest Matchbox collection to be auctioned in recent years’ was offered at Vectis (20% buyer’s premium) in the spring.
Auction previews: issue 2505
16 August 2021A selection of 15 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK
House based in a cupboard draws in the bidders at Hansons
16 August 2021Such is the recent appeal of dolls’ house accessories that you do not even need the ‘house’ to put them in, it seems.
Receipt reveals original Bassett-Lowke rail sale
16 August 2021A live-steam Gauge 2 Midland Railway locomotive and tender was the top lot of Tennants’ (20% buyer’s premium) Toys, Models, Collectables and Sporting Sale.
Pocket size Pippa Dolls size up nicely at auction
16 August 2021By the 1980s toy action figures were shrinking in size from GI Joe and Action Man proportions to the likes of Action Force and Star Wars.
Tinplate Alfa Romeo sets the pace in Dorset auction
16 August 2021A tinplate model of the Alfa Romeo P2 sped past a £500-1000 estimate to take £4600 at Duke’s (25% buyer’s premium) auction in Dorchester.
Lover and a fighter: Battle of Britain ace Peter Townsend
09 August 2021Among the medal groups that impressed at Dix Noonan Webb's July 21 auction was one awarded to a famous recipient: RAF Group Captain Peter Townsend.
Clock salvaged from German ship scuttled at Scapa Flow re-emerges at Sherborne auction
09 August 2021On a single day in 1919 the Imperial German Navy achieved the impressive feat of sinking 52 vessels. Unfortunately, they were its own ships.
Relic from an airship disaster offered at Spicers
09 August 2021A small fragment of a significant airship comes up for auction at Spicers in Old Goole, East Yorkshire, to mark a tragic centenary.
Relics reveal a distinguished military family
09 August 2021The Galloways were a distinguished Victorian military family, as a number of items sold at Bishop & Miller (22% buyer’s premium) revealed.
Silver salver gift to ‘Johnnie’ Johnson
09 August 2021Cheffins’ auction in Cambridge on August 26 includes a silver presentation salver given to Air Vice Marshal James Edgar ‘Johnnie’ Johnson (1915-2001), the highest-scoring Western Allied pilot against the Luftwaffe and the RAF’s officially recognised top-scoring fighter pilot of the Second World War.
Battered copy of Encyclopedia Britannia 'damaged at Trafalgar' sells at Charles Miller
09 August 2021An intriguing condition report that mentions ‘water and smoke damage’ gives a clue as to what happened to this battered copy of the Encyclopedia Britannia sold in a Charles Miller (24% buyer’s premium) auction.
Medals and militaria: Victoria Cross sets army auction record
09 August 2021A new high for a British army Victoria Cross as 'exceptional’ example also sets a house record for a medal at Dix Noonan Webb
Remarkable record of three very collectable regiments
09 August 2021Medals awarded to a recipient who served in three very collectable units sold for £14,000 at British Bespoke Auctions (22/15/12.5% buyer’s premium).
Catherine Southon sells telegraph message saying 'we sank the Bismarck'
09 August 2021This first-hand document recording one of the most significant naval events of the Second World War was offered at Catherine Southon (20% buyer’s premium) in Surrey this summer.