Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Cricketer Ranji rare gold Great War medal hits five figures
05 May 2025The British War Medal 1914-20 is not exactly uncommon. Issued in the First World War, about 6.5 million were struck in silver and 110,000 in bronze.
Trafalgar combination counts as family medals group takes £19,000
05 May 2025Four medals awarded to members of the Robertson family included one to a Battle of Trafalgar veteran.
Duke of Wellington’s plumage causes a flutter in the saleroom
05 May 2025A case containing plumes from the Duke of Wellington’s hat was central to a lot offered by Hannams (25% buyer’s premium) in Hampshire on March 11.
RAF relics on display in Cornish theme park reflect courage of one of ‘The Few’
05 May 2025An RAF uniform, log book and medals that belonged to one of ‘The Few’ was a highlight when Cornish saleroom Lay’s (21% buyer’s premium) dispersed the contents of Flambards theme park.
Superb naval medals on crest of a wave
05 May 2025Both parts of the excellent Jason Pilalas collection delivered suitably impressive results for London auction house Noonans
Uniforms found in a trunk find plenty of fans at auction
05 May 2025An intriguing collection that came from a house of a well-connected Devon family caused a stir when it emerged at Exeter saleroom Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood (26/25% buyer’s premium).
Operation Chariot medal group charges in to auction
05 May 2025Operation Chariot on March 28, 1942, was one of the most daring British commando raids of the Second World War, aimed at destroying the heavily fortified dry dock at St Nazaire used by the German battleship Tirpitz.
Arms and armour specialist David Williams joins Olympia Auctions
28 April 2025Veteran antique arms and armour specialist David Williams is joining the Olympia Auctions team as senior consultant.
Prisoners-of-war portrait bid to 80 times estimate
28 April 2025Best known for his fairly routine genre portraits of German peasants and ordinary folk, Thomas Baumgartner (1892-1962) also produced an intriguing series of paintings depicting soldiers from the First World War.
Dandelion depiction attributed to Beatrix Potter shoots to £2600
28 April 2025A watercolour of a dandelion attributed to Beatrix Potter estimated at £200-300 ended up selling at a hammer price of £2600.
Antarctic artefacts in demand at two recent auctions
28 April 2025A letter from Robert Falcon Scott – aka Scott of the Antarctic – came up for sale at Canterbury Auction Galleries (20% buyer’s premium) on April 11-14.
Ithell Colquhoun firmly in the market spotlight
21 April 2025Seven works by Ithell Colquhoun (1906-88) lead Bonhams’ inaugural British Surrealism sale running until May 1.
Rolex flew round the world worn by pioneering pilot Sheila Scott
21 April 2025A Rolex GMT-Master ‘Pepsi’ stainless steel automatic dual time wristwatch first worn by Sheila Scott OBE (1922-88) on her recordbreaking solo flight around the world is coming to auction.
Velvet Underground: Rare picture sleeve provides 'Holy Grail moment' for collectors
15 April 2025“A Holy Grail moment for collectors worldwide” was the promise from Merseyside auction house Omega (29/35% buyer’s premium inc VAT) when a scarce picture sleeve came for sale.
Lowry’s Going to the Mill goes to auction 99 years after purchase
14 April 2025An early work by LS Lowry (1887-1976) first sold to the literary editor of The Manchester Guardian for £10 in 1926 and kept by his family is now estimated at £700,000-£1m in a May 1-2 auction.
Set your stall out for doll collectors
14 April 2025The pages of ATG have included many antiques stalls over the years but not many that measure just over 2ft long.
Rolex worn by first British pilot to fly solo round the world comes to the rostrum
14 April 2025A Rolex GMT-Master 'Pepsi' stainless steel automatic dual time wristwatch first worn by Sheila Scott OBE (1922-88) on her record-breaking solo flight around the world is coming to auction.