Collectables

Running to just 60 or so pages, a little promotional work called ‘Autotypography: Or Art of Nature-Printing...’ coming up for sale in Devon on March 26 proves to have a rather complex tale to tell.

In 1977, three years before his untimely death, Joy Division’s singer songwriter Ian Curtis wrote the lyrics to ‘Failures’: “Wise words and sympathy/Tell the story of our history.”

A previously undocumented archive of writings by Edward Carpenter, the well-connected socialist poet and gay rights pioneer, sold for a hammer price of £4200, more than eight times its upper estimate, at Bamfords in Derby this month.

A rediscovered melody by Sir Edward Elgar will be offered at auction in Lichfield after it was found in an autograph book.

A small piece of Star Wars action figure history comes for sale at Vectis Auctions in Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees next month.

A tape thought to contain “possibly the first ever demo version” of David Bowie’s 1972 hit ‘Starman’ drew strong competition at Omega Auctions’ latest sale.

Letters from Princess Diana written in the late 1980s and early 90s to a leading fashion magazine editor are coming to auction in New York.

A fine copy of the very first issue of the Beano has sold at auction for £8700. Beano Comic No 1 from July 1938 debuted characters such as Big Eggo, Morgyn the Mighty, Contrary Mary and the long-running favourite Lord Snooty and his Pals.

Ninety-two first edition copies of Beatrix Potter’s 1907 ‘The Tale of the Faithful Dove’ go under the hammer in Surrey this month.

Today marks World Book Day, and while the occasion is aimed at young people, it could also be a chance for rare book collectors to take stock of their libraries and investigate some top lots in store at future auctions.

A simple toy steam locomotive left a vendor chuffed as it made a hammer price 115 times its top estimate.

‘Lost’ episodes of TV series have become sought-after items, not least among Doctor Who fans. Of interest to collectors is an archive of photographs and copies of plans from The Power of the Daleks – the completely missing third serial of the fourth season first broadcast by the BBC in six weekly parts from November 5-December 10, 1966.

The archive of Labour’s longest-serving MP Tony Benn (1925-2014) has been accepted by the British Library.