Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
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.
Medals mark a great occasion
27 October 2025Thomas Field Gibson (1803-89) was a man of many talents and interests.
Identity of mystery Battle of Waterloo black bandsman revealed
21 October 2025The identity of the mystery sitter in a portrait sold at a Sussex auction, who was depicted in the uniform of a cavalry regiment and wearing a Waterloo Medal, has now been revealed by the National Army Museum.
Aussie touring cricketers take new journey 141 years later
20 October 2025This early original carte de visite-sized photograph depicting 11 members of the Australian cricket touring party to England 1884 was a stand-out result from an auction offering 500 items from one of the trade’s stalwart books dealers.
Stirling Moss race suit motors away to hammer at the high estimate
20 October 2025A Stirling Moss (1929- 2020) race suit sold at a top-estimate £8000 came with an intriguing provenance.
Not a Thunderball but a golf feathery ball with 007 link
20 October 2025Readers may not know of Cyril (or Fred) Whiting, but if you are a James Bond aficionado the name Cyril Blacking could ring a bell.
Doctor on hand at the end of the London 1908 marathon famous for Dorando Pietri collapse
20 October 2025In his professional life Dr Edward Moir (1879-1951) was a prominent specialist in anaesthetics, practising in Manchester and Macclesfield.