Collectables

An upcoming auction at AntikBar features a collection of London Underground posters and memorabilia.

The Star Wars universe is growing.

British summer and bank holiday trips to the coast used to be synonymous with bucket and spade, ice cream stolen by seagulls, greasy fish and chips and… rain. But don’t forget another popular aspect of the golden age of seaside breaks: the saucy postcard.

A lamp from a wagon that once travelled a 50-mile stretch of track linking the docks of Cardiff to the collieries of the south Wales valleys was hammered down at a Bristol auction for £6300.

Not content with writing all those those much-loved children’s stories that are his principal and lasting legacy, Hans Christian Andersen wrote plays, novels, travelogues and, just to fill up his spare time, turned his talents to drawing, creating collages and producing paper-cuts.

A long time ago, way before music downloads came onto the scene, the latest technology involved phonographs, graphophones and gramophones. Not to mention the phonautograph, of course.

Human understanding and exploration of space took off in the 20th century and relics of that time of discovery remain popular today. This summer, two lots appearing on the New York market highlight the continuing enthusiasm for space.

Stephen Fry and Dan Cruickshank were among the guests who turned up to last night’s party at Maggs Bros to open the book dealer’s new premises in London’s Bedford Square.

Times change. While tobacco has now assumed a Social Evil status up there with North Korea, not so long ago children would be proudly displayed in an advert clutching a bunch of fags with the words ‘Mummy’s favourite’ underneath.

If Royal Flying Corps medals are out of your price range, or you want to collect something a bit different, two recent lots show that honours are not the only option for auction purchases.

Five hundred years after it was nailed to a church door, a copy of Martin Luther’s ‘95 Theses’ was hammered down at a German auction at €1.1m.

Certain topics or people are so popular with collectors that they virtually become a market in themselves. Take Sir Winston Churchill for instance.

Lot 1234 made it count for London auction house Dix Noonan Webb despite lurking towards the back of an extensive two-day sale.