Collectables

The Battle of Britain or Dambusters are usually involved when it comes to sizeable Royal Air Force medal results.

Spirit of Ecstasy has adorned the bonnet of every Rolls-Royce motor car since February 6, 1911.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

The You Can Be Sure Of Shell adverts are some of the most familiar and renowned examples in British graphic design.

‘Significant damage and rust’ was spot on as a catalogue description when it came to an enamel sign sold at Cotswold Auction Company (22% buyer’s premium) on February 8. It was a mess.

As famous last words go, those of Major General John Sedgwick in the American Civil War take some beating.

This 19th century Tibetan conch shell ritual trumpet, known as a dung-dkar, forms part of the Tony Bingham collection of musical instruments.

Top price among a selection of car mascots offered in Newcastle came for a design in honour of the French aviator George Guynemer.

French illustrator Robert Falcucci (1900-89) was famous for his graphic works of the Art Deco era – particularly the Monaco Grand Prix posters.

Ewbank’s (24% buyer’s premium) held a dedicated Cars, Motorbikes, Scooters & Automobilia auction on December 2 in Send, Woking.

This Victorian cased diorama of birds of paradise native to New Guinea sold for £18,000 to lead Tennants’ (22% buyer’s premium) Natural History and Taxidermy sale in Leyburn on April 20.

The view of the Acropolis shown here is part of a three-section, folding litho panorama found in Selina Bracebridge’s Notes Descriptive of a Panoramic Sketch of Athens…

This London Transport poster for the Motor Show that took place from October 17-26, 1935, in Olympia, west London, was designed by Heather Perry – known as Herry Perry (1897-1962). It was printed by The Dangerfield Printing Co, London.

Described by Bonhams (15% buyer’s premium) as “the ultimate in rally equipment from the 1960s”, a pair of stopwatches mounted on an original Heuer plate intended to be attached to the dashboard of a racing or rally car received a suitably enthusiastic response.

Lyon & Turnbull notes that while mascots made no functional contribution to a car, they “certainly added style, and generally have fared better over time than the cars to which they were mounted”.

While classic, vintage and antique cars have a sizeable collecting market, the wider worlds of automobilia and petroliana also attract dedicated enthusiasts with plenty of auctions featuring a variety of lots.

A medal awarded to a member of the only Canadian battalion composed of black soldiers to serve in the First World War has sold in a London auction.

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.

Charterhouse (25% buyer’s premium) has been holding auctions of classic cars, motorcycles and automobilia for nearly 20 years.

Sammelband of 16th century scientific works deserved an extensive write-up as best-seller