Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
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.
Remedy to make a high medal price
22 March 2021Major Henry Milligan of the Royal Army Medical Corps not only won a Military Cross for bravery in the First World War in 1917, but gained another one.
Honouring a respected nurse
22 March 2021Medal group awarded to First World War nurse is coming up at Bishop & Miller auction.
Have a medal instead of a drink, mate
22 March 2021Soldiers are often associated with hard drinking – but rarely temperance.
Royal Red Cross for Mesopotamian service offered at Chorley's
22 March 2021The postponed January auction at Gloucestershire saleroom Chorley’s will take place on March 23-24.
Second World War beret with star quality sells at Kent sale
22 March 2021A Second World War beret sold at a Kent auction was not only one of the famous maroon British paratrooper examples but had star billing of its own.
Relics from German plane destroyed by Peter Townsend sell in Berkshire auction
22 March 2021Princess Margaret’s lover Flight Lieutenant Peter Townsend (1914-95) has been introduced to a new generation of TV viewers due to Netflix TV series The Crown – but militaria lots sold at auction also underline his renown as an RAF ace.
Auction previews: issue 2483
08 March 2021A selection of eight upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.
Choc full of treats at Hindman
08 March 2021Hindman is holding an auction of Literature from a Private New Orleans Collection on March 19.
Horse to tankard: Oliver Cromwell’s warhorse mug sells in Dorset
01 March 2021A tankard said to be made from the hide of Oliver Cromwell’s warhorse was the toast of an auction in Dorchester.
Be over the moon with this dedicated auction
01 March 2021When astronaut Ed White was pictured during the first US spacewalk it was not only the first still photograph of a human in space, but also the first taken by another human – James McDivitt. Up to that moment all images released were taken by television or monitoring cameras.
Auction previews: issue 2482
01 March 2021A selection of 11 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.
Pick of the week: ‘Greatest enemy of the East African slave trade’
22 February 2021The handwritten journal of Colonel Christopher Rigby, recording his success in securing freedom for thousands of slaves in east Africa, was the highlight of a collection of his papers sold in London.