News

Letter

Huge collection of Nelson letters valued at up to £6m heads to Sotheby’s

22 September 2026

A collection of letters relating to Vice-Admiral Horatio, Viscount Nelson (1758-1805) and his family will be offered at Sotheby’s.

Letter from the doomed Titanic tops estimate at Henry Aldridge

18 September 2026

Such messages from second-class passengers on the liner are some of the rarest to be offered at auction

Beatrix Potter family collection comes to auction in Cumberland

11 September 2026

A group of books, letters and photographs from the family of Beatrix Potter’s (1866-1943) great-nephew, the late Brigadier John Heelis OBE (1921-2008), will come to auction next week.

Shipwrecked but survived: first-hand account from the 19th century

28 August 2026

The highlight of the latest Militaria and Ethnographica sale at Tennants (24% buyer’s premium) was an extraordinarily detailed first-hand account of shipwreck in the Indian Ocean.

Letter from cellist Jacqueline du Pré among personal possessions coming to auction

25 August 2026

A copy of a handwritten letter in which 21-year-old Jacqueline du Pré tells her mother she has finally decided to dedicate herself to playing the cello is part of a collection of the famed musician’s personal possessions to be auctioned.

Hammer total climbs to nearly £35,000 at auction for Arthur Wakefield archive detailing the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition

03 August 2026

A fascinating archive of diaries and photographs shedding light on the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition has sold for almost £35,000 in total at auction.

Scottish stories cast a spell

17 July 2026

Bonhams offered the Contents of Monreith House: A Historical Seat of Clan Maxwell in two July sales from its Edinburgh saleroom.

Linnaeus letter to Ludwig sets a record in Sweden

10 July 2026

A letter by Carl Linnaeus (1707-78), father of modern botany and taxonomy, has set an auction record in his native Sweden.

The Glasgow slums revealed by a pioneering photographer

03 July 2026

Thomas Annan’s famous book is now rated as ‘one of the finest photographic works of the 19th century’

As Starmer steps down, an auction lot reveals the inside story of how British prime minister Thatcher was set on the road to the top post

25 June 2026

As yet another British prime minister steps/is forced aside, a lot coming up at Lewes saleroom Gorringe’s on July 7 gives a reminder of an earlier momentous change in power.

A photo of a letter written by Oscar Wilde

Well played: Oscar Wilde letter bought for a tenner, now £10,000 hammer

19 June 2026

It all started, as things often do – by pure chance.

Wilberforce letters stay local after East Yorkshire auction

19 June 2026

Two personal letters written by William Wilberforce, the Hull-born anti-slavery campaigner and influential politician, were on offer at East Yorkshire saleroom Hawleys (22% buyer’s premium) on June 13.

‘Off we go for the pole’ wrote doomed Antarctic explorer

12 June 2026

A four-page letter written by Edward ‘Bill’ Wilson to a friend during the early days of the doomed British Antarctic Expedition sold for £19,000 at Fieldings (26% buyer’s premium) in Stourbridge.

Letters from French and Scottish queens who shared tragic fates

15 May 2026

The sales at Stargardt (20% buyer’s premium) in Berlin are an important rendezvous for autograph dealers and collectors.

Keats’ love letters returned to family after theft now come to auction

12 May 2026

A rare group of eight autograph letters by John Keats (1795-1821) to his fiancée Fanny Brawne that had been stolen in 1989 but later recovered are now heading to Sotheby's.

First days of the US and much more

08 May 2026

Ahead of a very busy period for the trade, we kick off our guide to the events coming up with a London fair marking the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.

Big bucks for British documents as James I royal warrant and Trafalgar order of battle emerge

01 May 2026

Two choice British documents emerged across two different sales at Amherst, New Hampshire firm RR Auction (25% buyer’s premium).

Stolen books and letters valued at more than $3m recovered after 35 years thanks to book dealers

24 April 2026

A group of rare books and a bound collection of 37 love letters written by the Romantic poet John Keats to his fiancée Fanny Brawne have been recovered and returned to the family.

Florence Nightingale opines on the first Geneva Convention

17 April 2026

A letter written by Florence Nightingale in which she discusses the creation of the Red Cross and the Geneva Convention is being sold by Sworders.

Pick of the week: A barnstorming tale of murder most foul attracts bidders at Essex auction