Collectables

The term ‘collectables’ (or collectibles) encompasses a vast range of items in fields as diverse as arms, armour and militaria, bank notes, cameras, coins, entertainment and sporting memorabilia, stamps, taxidermy, wines and writing equipment.

Some collectables are antiques, others are classed as retro, vintage or curios but all are of value to the collector. In any of these fields, buyers seek out rarities and items with specific associations.

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Barometer and dinner plate from the heroic age of polar exploration up at auction

30 May 2018

When ‘collecting fields’ are talked about it can mean certain eras rather than just ceramics, glass or silver for example. The ‘heroic age of polar exploration’ is a classic example.

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DNW recruits form banknote department

28 May 2018

London auction house Dix Noonan Webb is launching a stand-alone banknotes department and expanding into the next-door premises.

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Masses of Marvel at Golding Young & Mawer

28 May 2018

Marvel comics in considerable numbers were a feature of a May 10 sale held by Golding Young & Mawer (20% buyer’s premium).

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Tintin escapes to Paris saleroom

28 May 2018

An ink and watercolour drawing from one of Hergé’s finest works achieved a stand-out result at a recent auction in France.

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Postal worker delivers top sums

28 May 2018

Science fiction and fantasy were among the lifelong principal collecting interests of the late Stanley Simon, a postal worker from Queens. In a recent 19th and 20th century literature sale held in his home city of New York a number of his books brought record bids.

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Frank Frazetta fantasy art bid is deadly serious

28 May 2018

Bid to $1.5m (£1.11m) in a record-breaking comic and comic art sale in Chicago was a Frank Frazetta artwork.

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'Peanuts strip' by Charles Schulz offered at Swann

28 May 2018

Comic strip artworks to be offered as part of the June 5 ‘Illustration Art’ sale at Swann Auction Galleries will include a 1970 'Peanuts strip' by Charles Schulz estimated at $20,000-30,000.

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Pop artist designs help whisky bottle to auction record at Bonhams Hong Kong

25 May 2018

Whisky bottles decorated with illustrations by pop artists Valerio Adami and Sir Peter Blake set records at Bonhams’ Fine and Rare Wine and Whisky auction in Hong Kong.

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“So thoroughly earned”: Letter of condolence accompanies First World War Military Cross medal at Plymouth auction

25 May 2018

An eyewitness account of an officer’s bravery accompanies the sale of a First World War Military Cross at Eldreds Auctioneers next month.

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Whole historic aircraft hangar with flight pioneer Avro connection sells in Gloucestershire auction

25 May 2018

It is not every day that an auctioneer sells an aircraft hangar. Especially not one which plays such a fascinating part in aviation history as the structure offered by Gloucestershire saleroom Dominic Winter.

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The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director – the book that made Chippendale’s name

24 May 2018

Much of Thomas Chippendale’s renown is thanks to his forward-thinking approach to business in the first decades of consumerism – and in particular the creation of a pioneering catalogue of furniture designs in the style of the great architectural books of the period.

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Matt Busby first Manchester United contract acquired by the club for Old Trafford museum

23 May 2018

Sir Matt Busby’s first contract as Manchester United manager will be going on display at the club’s Old Trafford museum after a deal was agreed as it was about to be auctioned.

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Charles Hanson withdraws ‘Nelson’s telescope’ from sale "pending further investigations"

22 May 2018

Hansons Auctioneers has withdrawn from its July 2 sale a brass telescope purported to have been used by Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, after questions were raised about its authenticity.

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Cars are the sale stars

21 May 2018

Two targets for clockwork toy car collectors on the occasions they appear at auction are the CIJ Alfa Romeo P2 racing car and the Gunthermann model of Captain Campbell’s Blue Bird. Good examples of both came up for sale recently.

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Sales by the sword united

21 May 2018

A quartet of weapons with fascinating histories sold recently at regional UK auctions.

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Bidders keep eyes on the prize

21 May 2018

Bearing a title that translates as ‘The Book of Correction of Optics for those who have Sight and Mind’, an early 14th century Arabic manuscript made a much higher than expected £450,000 during the recent Islamic week of sales in London.

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Your carriage awaits at auction

21 May 2018

Whatever the collective noun is for carriage-driving enthusiasts is – a whip-round? – they were gathered from across Europe for the dispersal of the collection of the UK’s doyenne of the carriage trade.

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Scarce Dun Cow does well second time around

21 May 2018

Offered as part of a recent online sale, a scarce work by Walter Savage Landor that had remained unsold in a New Bond Street auction only last July finally achieved, on April 25 of this year, the high-estimate sum of £2400 that both salerooms had been looking for.

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Previews: £30,000 plus

21 May 2018

Our weekly selection from salerooms and dealerships.

British and Irish book auctions: May 21-June 2, 2018

21 May 2018

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from May 21-June 2, 2018.

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