Collectables

Now handsomely bound in full red morocco and contained in slipcases, a set of first-edition copies of what are collectively known as ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ of CS Lewis led a Thomson Roddick (18% buyer’s premium) sale of October 7 with a bid of £3400 from a buyer on thesaleroom.com.

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.

The auction at toy specialist C&T (22% buyer’s premium) in Kenardington, Kent, on November 3 included this very rare pair of doll’s shoes dated to c.1700.

Bid to to £400 in an October 6 sale held by Halls (20/12% buyers premium) of Shrewsbury was a simple, partly printed receipt in the sum of three guineas with autograph additions and signature that date it to April 24, 1806.

A group of antique snuff boxes has been recovered after a theft more than 40 years ago.

Guaranteed to attract attention at science and technical antiques specialist Auction Team Breker on November 6 was this remarkable Ericsson telephone.

Prompted by a series of fatal mining disasters in the 19th century, a Royal Commission in 1907 recommended the establishment of a miners’ rescue service.

Sold for £16,000 in a September 23 sale was an album of 41 watercolour studies of birds produced by William Weston Young (1776-1847).

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.

Distinguished naval officer admired by Nelson was also a talented watercolour painter

The largest ever Anglo-Saxon gold coin hoard discovered in the UK has been declared treasure after a complex inquest into the case.

A previously unknown bill for furnishings supplied by Thomas Chippendale (1718-79) has been bought at auction on behalf of The Chippendale Society (TCS).

Multi-estimate sums are not confined to Chinese works of art.

Spider-Man became the most expensive comic book superhero in a Heritage (20% buyer’s premium) sale this autumn.

Poster market thought to be the first such specialist UK event will return for a second instalment

If you wanted to keep the strings of a tennis racket taut, you could do with a tennis racket press – a device consisting of a frame closed by a spring mechanism.

Top lot in a sale held by Mallams (25% buyer’s premium) of Oxford was a 1719-20, first edition set of 'The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe…', 'The Farther Adventures…' and 'The Serious Reflections…' in later but very smart bindings of red morocco gilt by Francis Bedford of London.