Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Cadbury's treasure hunt conundrum golden egg sells at auction 34 years later
02 August 2017When 22-carat golden eggs made by the Queen’s jeweller became available to the public for free back in 1983 it inevitably caused a stir. There was a snag, however. A big snag.
Newark 1646 and the story of English Civil War siege coins at auction
28 July 2017Poor old Newark. A bit like Belgium and Poland over the centuries, in the English Civil War the English Midlands town ended up in the wrong place in wartime – stuck in the middle - as armies trampled back and forth across it or lay siege. The town’s misfortune is a coin collector’s gain, however, as the lozenge-shaped coins minted in Newark during the conflict have become familiar and fairly common visitors to the salerooms.
Pop art pioneer Eduardo Paolozzi's study for London Tube station mosaic offered at Edinburgh auction
27 July 2017When London’s Tottenham Court Road Underground station started its £400m refurb, one of the trickiest tasks was not the tracks, the signals, ticket office or any of the usual suspects. Instead, it was tackling 950 square metres of mosaics designed by one of the most celebrated of 20th century British artists.
Beatles 1963 concert poster result shows demand for early memorabilia at auction
26 July 2017Demand for Beatles memorabilia is always high, so for rarities in this collecting field the prices will naturally be hefty.
Burdett whale tooth sets scrimshaw record in US sale
25 July 2017In an August 2016 ATG wrote that the scrimshaw market had been in the doldrums but was showing signs of a return to buoyancy. Judging by the latest results from Massachusetts auction house Eldred’s, bidders are certainly prepared to push the boat out for the best examples.
Heavy metal makes big auction noise as suit of armour takes £880,000 at auction
24 July 2017A superb set of decorated armour sold at Sotheby’s (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) is believed to have set a record. The £880,000 hammer price for the three-quarter-length cuirassier protection is believed to be the highest auction result for 17th century armour.
Dunkirk 1940 evacuation in movie form and now original photos up at auction
21 July 2017With Christopher Nolan’s epic new film Dunkirk released today in the UK, it is a perfect time to focus on still rather than moving images which reveal the original picture of the 1940 evacuation.
WATCH: Auctioneer Chris Aston on amazing film memorabilia treasure trove
20 July 2017It’s all about Facebook. Oh no, hang on, it’s Instagram. But what about Tweeting? Where does YouTube fit into all this? We ask West Midlands auctioneer Chris Aston about his video tips.
Police 'truncheon' from 1804 coming up at auction is the short arm of the law
18 July 2017A very early police ‘truncheon’ up at auction on July 25 was more about the short arm of the law than long.
Superb 17th century armour result at Sotheby's thought to be an auction record
17 July 2017The musket and pistol ball test dents in the surface of a superb set of armour sold at Sotheby’s tell the story of how warfare was changing in the 17th century.
Not amused – but happy to crochet
17 July 2017While it is well known that Queen Victoria sent her troops tins of chocolate boxes for Christmas in the second Boer War (1899-1902), the eight scarves she personally crocheted to send to individual soldiers are not so familiar.
Sword cane owned by Battle of Waterloo cavalry commander sells at auction
12 July 2017“By god, sir, I’ve lost my leg.” “By god, sir, so you have.” One of the most famous verbal exchanges in military history was recalled when lot 342 was sold by London auctioneer Thomas Del Mar on June 28.
Wimbledon memorabilia served up in North Yorkshire auction
11 July 2017It’s that time of year again, although Murray and Konta (at the time of writing) are spoiling the now traditional game of ‘how early are the Brits going to crash out of Wimbledon’ and a double win is actually a possibility.
Rare early photographs at auction reveal a snapshot of the Second Boer War
05 July 2017Militaria archive material such as documents, letters and log books has been delivering strong results at auction recently, aided by cross-over appeal to photography enthusiasts.
Australian Holey Dollar coin from 1813 sells in London auction
03 July 2017The Holey Grail of the Australian coins world… hang on, we used that pun in a 2013 ATG story. Nevertheless, it is Holey appropriate: the Holey Dollar remains a must-have for collectors of Australian coins.
Scarf crocheted by Queen Victoria for a humble British Army sergeant comes to auction
03 July 2017The popular image of Queen Victoria in the latter days is of a sombre, dressed in mourning black, unsmiling monarch who was definitely not amused. However, an intriguing item coming up at auction shows her compassionate, caring side.
Early Suffragette banner – a £13,600 charity shop find
03 July 2017For more than 10 years after its donation, this Suffragette banner sat stowed away in a cupboard at a little charity shop in Leeds. On June 20 it sold at local saleroom Gary Don for £13,600 (plus 21% buyer’ premium).
D-Day relics fly high in US sales
03 July 2017Original D-Day invasion flags may be fragile and rare but a spate of them has appeared on the market recently in the US.
Suffragette banner stowed away for 10 years in charity shop makes £13,600 at auction
30 June 2017For more than 10 years a banner sat stowed away in a cupboard at a little charity shop in Leeds after it was donated. Little did the staff know that one day that same once-forgotten item would sell at auction for a hammer price of £13,600.
Dambusters bouncing bomb release button on offer at auction for the first time
28 June 2017The bomb release button from the Lancaster bomber of 617 Squadron that released the ‘bouncing bomb’ which destroyed the Möhne Dam on May 17, 1943 is being offered at auction for the first time.