Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Stars came out for Grand occasion
05 April 2021While the Grand Hotel, Birmingham, may not have the same ring as Hotel California, in the Sixties it was the place to check in. And even leave afterwards.
The full home cinema experience
05 April 2021The late Michael Armstrong was such a film fanatic that when the local cinema closed in his home town in 1993 he opened his own mini replica in his garage, complete with recycled fixtures and fittings.
Sex Pistols and Rolling Stones poster successes
05 April 2021A highlight of the Omega (28% buyer’s premium inc VAT) Punk, Indie & New Wave auction on January 26 was an original listing poster for the Sex Pistols’ ill-fated 1976 Anarchy tour.
Radiohead demo cassette evokes that Friday feeling
05 April 2021Three previously unheard tracks by the band that went on to become Radiohead surfaced thanks to a demo cassette that sold at Merseyside auction house Omega (28% buyer’s premium inc VAT).
Rock ‘n’ not just a roll
05 April 2021They sang about a Champagne Supernova but ‘24 large cans of quality lager’ were more to their taste when Oasis stipulated their needs for band and crew at an early gig.
Where eagles roost conceptually
05 April 2021American film producer Elliott Kastner (1930- 2010) was responsible for many well-known movies including The Long Goodbye (1973), The Missouri Breaks (1976) and Angel Heart (1987).
Galaxy of film production roles in a long career
05 April 2021Thirteen lots in the exotically named Dr Atomicas Journey into Cool auction at Bishop & Miller in Stowmarket on May 7 have been consigned from an individual who worked for 30 years in the film industry with some of the biggest names.
Auction previews: issue 2487
05 April 2021A selection of 16 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.
Entertainment memorabilia: Cover stories
05 April 2021The name Abbey Road has gone far beyond its significance as a smart street in north London thanks to renowned music studios and a seminal album
Hat that fell to Earth and a Strange tale about a suit
05 April 2021As the sale title suggested, plenty of Bowie material appeared in Omega’s (28% buyer’s premium inc VAT) David Bowie & Glam Rock Vinyl Records & Memorabilia auction earlier this year.
Wow – Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel early days
05 April 2021One of the oldest and rarest Charlie Chaplin posters to come to the market was offered at a Californian auction house on March 15.
Bowie unreleased and unheard
05 April 2021Space for an oddity in your vinyl collection? David Bowie fans obviously feel that way.
Kent connection counts at auction
22 March 2021The medal group of a colonel believed to be the most heavily decorated Military Police officer in the history of the corps sold for a mid-estimate £2400.
Little wonders - the Dunkirk ships
22 March 2021A New York auction offered reminders of the vital work carried out by ships of all backgrounds, shapes and sizes during the Dunkirk evacuation
Why CC41 was the in-thing to wear
22 March 2021By 1941, wartime Britain was facing severe shortages of both the raw materials and the labour force needed to make clothing.
Stargazing search pays off at last for collector
22 March 2021A long search for an 1914-15 Star had a happy ending after the Dix Noonan Webb (24% buyer’s premium) auction in London on February 17.
Luxury liner turned into beast of burden
22 March 2021A car boot sale find 25 years ago has revealed how a luxury cruise liner was converted for transporting thousands of troops during the Second World War.
Debut militaria sale section at Elstob & Elstob includes an early QGM honour
22 March 2021An early issue Queen’s Gallantry Medal was one of the highlights of the first militaria auction section at Elstob & Elstob (22% buyer’s premium).
Navy commander Peter Scott became renowned birdwatcher
22 March 2021If you are a birdwatcher, you need a good pair of binoculars.
Uniforms and archive of famed Galloway military family
22 March 2021Stowmarket saleroom Bishop & Miller’s Military, Medals & Weapons auction on April 30 features items from a distinguished Victorian military family.