Collectables

The record-shattering sum of $41m paid for an extremely rare, 1787 first printing of the US Constitution at Sotheby’s New York last November was covered in ATG No 2520, but a sale held by the same auction house a few days later, on November 23, also contained rare items of American historical interest.

Nelson held his protégé Captain Sir William Hoste KCB (1780-1828) in high esteem.

The first tranche from a large collection of Irish banknotes assembled by the late Gus Mac Amhlaigh of Dublin sold by DNW on November 25 included red and orange Bank of Ireland £20 ‘specimen’ notes from the famous Ploughman series.

If it’s a real mix of topics, genres and ages you are after, this auction had everything

Dix Noonan Webb set a record for a British army Victoria Cross on June 23.

Stamps specialist Harmers is a newcomer to London numismatic sales.

The finest-known example of a New England shilling sold for £220,000 at Morton & Eden in London on November 26.

In response to a decline in the wool trade, a shortage of bullion and the impact of the Wars of the Roses, English coinage was devalued on August 13, 1464.

The Trinidad & Tobago $1000 note, c.1914, is itself a rare beast but this example is a colour proof printed on two sheets by Thomas De La Rue.

A Star Trek journey through time spanning the entire history of the series and film franchise will be the object of a 75-lot auction at Heritage in Dallas on February 22.

With the advent of modern tournament chess in the Victorian era came the issue of game time.

When Ian Fleming sent an initial typescript of his first James Bond book Casino Royale to his good friend Paul Gallico asking if it was publishable, he got the reply “the book is a knockout!”.

The collection of the late Americana book dealer William Reese (1955-2018) is coming to Christie’s from May this year.

Letter to fellow evolutionary pioneer detailed possible response to one of their critics

A great many works written and/or illustrated by Denys Watkins-Pitchford, or ‘BB’ as he was more briefly known, were offered in a December 8 sale.

Published in 1906 in a limited run of just 100 copies on paper and 20 on vellum was an edition of Sir Thomas More’s Utopia employing a red and black Subiaco typeface with red initials designed by Eric Gill.

Although the Victorians rather liked what they called comic Valentines, which were purportedly just a bit of fun and mischief but were often grotesque and cruel, predominantly their Valentine’s cards depicted cupids and poetical posies.

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions. All the sales are viewable on thesaleroom.com

Three letters in the hand of Sir Walter Scott emerged from an old suitcase full of documents found in the attic of an Edinburgh home.

Undoubtedly one of the more unusual lots to have featured in these reports over the years, the 3½in (9cm) wide piece of gold foil pictured here bears an Orphic poem by one Agestratos, who dedicates his brief verses to Apollo in what is thought to be Doric Greek.