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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Popeye toys: Collector who originally sold tank wanted it back so badly he paid a record price

16 May 2022

Specialist toy sales held in April on either side of the Atlantic have yielded some notable prices for items from two specific categories: toys relating to Popeye and a collection of toy boats.

CQD Life-Saving Medal

Titanic twists of fate: tale of two auction lots in the US and UK

11 May 2022

Fate played a cruel hand in the case of two Titanic passengers whose stories have come to light through recent auction lots.

Dolls made by Bergen-Belsen victims after liberation

‘Liberation dolls’ come to auction in Newbury

09 May 2022

When the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was liberated on April 15, 1945, a party of British Red Cross nurses and doctors stayed and tended those they could help back to health.

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By Riccardi for Medici

09 May 2022

A small group of Riccardi Press limited editions, each title produced in runs of 500 copies for the Medici Society, were offered in an April 7 sale held by Thomson Roddick (18% buyer’s premium) of Carlisle.

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Elizabeth I displays her lion heart in letter sold at Sotheby's

09 May 2022

Letter to adviser in 1592 underlines her frustration at the French king’s policies

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Roll out the barrel organ

09 May 2022

Until the widespread advent of the wireless, barrel organs were a familiar sight (and sound) on the streets of Berlin and other major German cities.

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Event builds on resurgence in vintage cameras

09 May 2022

Photographica is back on Sunday, May 22, at the Royal Horticultural Society in London.

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Lost a sheep? I can help ewe

09 May 2022

First published 1817, Joseph Walker’s 'The Shepherd’s Guide' has been updated many times and is still in use today, noted Bill Nelson of 1818 Auctions.

British and Irish book auctions: May 10-24, 2022

09 May 2022

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.

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ATG letter: Chelsea book fair – what a lovely venue

09 May 2022

I went to the Chelsea book fair [The ABA Chelsea Rare Book Fair] at Chelsea Town Hall on Saturday, April 30. What a delightful fair, set in a wonderful building, with a wonderful atmosphere and books on proper bookshelves.

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Eighties toys that young at heart today would love

09 May 2022

To mark the new range of Star Wars toys that came with the release of Return of the Jedi in 1983, the Leicester firm Palitoy commissioned a series of hand-built and hand-painted store displays to send to some of its best retailers.

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Star Wars figures: The force remains strong

09 May 2022

Power of the Force line was launched as the original Star Wars began to lose its shine but rarest figures still bring demand

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Koppitz dancers show the right moves

09 May 2022

'Bewegungsstudie', or ‘Study of Movement’, by Rudolf Koppitz, is the most famous of six tipped-in photogravures, each with a protective glassine sheet, that make up Pictures from the Tyng Collection, a 1931 publication of the Royal Photographic Society.

Diego Maradona’s shirt from the 1986 World Cup

Record for sporting memorabilia as Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup shirt sells for £6m at Sotheby’s

05 May 2022

Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup shirt worn in the quarter final against England set a record for any piece of sporting memorabilia when it took £6m at Sotheby’s.

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Pick of the week: Record price for an RAF Victoria Cross

02 May 2022

The Battle of Britain or Dambusters are usually involved when it comes to sizeable Royal Air Force medal results.

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Rolls-Royce ecstatic at sales figures

02 May 2022

Spirit of Ecstasy has adorned the bonnet of every Rolls-Royce motor car since February 6, 1911.

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The web shop window: 1940s railway sign

02 May 2022

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

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Shell posters sure to create interest wherever they sell

02 May 2022

The You Can Be Sure Of Shell adverts are some of the most familiar and renowned examples in British graphic design.

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BP battered but still four figures

02 May 2022

‘Significant damage and rust’ was spot on as a catalogue description when it came to an enamel sign sold at Cotswold Auction Company (22% buyer’s premium) on February 8. It was a mess.

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Sharpshooter targeted at Banbury sale

02 May 2022

As famous last words go, those of Major General John Sedgwick in the American Civil War take some beating.

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