Collectables

With the advent of modern tournament chess in the Victorian era came the issue of game time.

When Ian Fleming sent an initial typescript of his first James Bond book Casino Royale to his good friend Paul Gallico asking if it was publishable, he got the reply “the book is a knockout!”.

The collection of the late Americana book dealer William Reese (1955-2018) is coming to Christie’s from May this year.

Letter to fellow evolutionary pioneer detailed possible response to one of their critics

A great many works written and/or illustrated by Denys Watkins-Pitchford, or ‘BB’ as he was more briefly known, were offered in a December 8 sale.

Published in 1906 in a limited run of just 100 copies on paper and 20 on vellum was an edition of Sir Thomas More’s Utopia employing a red and black Subiaco typeface with red initials designed by Eric Gill.

Although the Victorians rather liked what they called comic Valentines, which were purportedly just a bit of fun and mischief but were often grotesque and cruel, predominantly their Valentine’s cards depicted cupids and poetical posies.

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions. All the sales are viewable on thesaleroom.com

Three letters in the hand of Sir Walter Scott emerged from an old suitcase full of documents found in the attic of an Edinburgh home.

Undoubtedly one of the more unusual lots to have featured in these reports over the years, the 3½in (9cm) wide piece of gold foil pictured here bears an Orphic poem by one Agestratos, who dedicates his brief verses to Apollo in what is thought to be Doric Greek.

Anthony Moss, the proud owner of 2500 walking sticks and canes, tells us about the extensive collection he and his wife have amassed.

A newly discovered Henry III ‘gold penny’, one of the most fabled coins in all of British numismatics, has sold for £540,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium).

The potent mix of China, horseracing and the 1851 Great Exhibition yielded a strong price for this splendid ‘export’ silver trophy at auction.

If you cannot decide on whether to collect dolls’ houses or toy vehicles, try this lot offered at Lawrences (25% buyer’s premium) of Crewkerne.

Prices for more traditional toys such as dolls and teddy bears may not be at the heights of years gone by, but demand remains strong for the best items and rarities.

As in so many collecting fields, slight variations can be key when it comes to pricing of TV generation toys.

One of 250 copies of a ‘Special’ and signed first edition of Ian Fleming’s 'On Her Majesty’s Secret Service' is shown here.

A rare large-scale Erzgebirge mid-19th century painted wooden market was one of the stand-out lots of the largest-ever Toys, Dolls, Dolls’ Houses and Teddy Bears sale to be staged by Special Auction Services (20% buyer’s premium) in Newbury.

Halls (23% buyer’s premium) offered the Enid and Bruce Moulder collection of toy teawares via a timed online auction that closed on November 23.