Collectables

As with so many other collecting areas recently, the conditions of lockdown – meaning spare money and time for the fortunate – have led to buoyant demand for toys, models and collectables.

Cases of Australian animals stand out among a family home taxidermy treasure trove

A 1640, first English language edition of Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, in a translation by Edward Dacres, was bid to $38,000 (£29,010) in a US sale.

An extensive selection of Pelham Puppets came up on the first day of the Piers Motley (18% buyer’s premium) auction in Devon on January 18-20.

Models, props, scenery and scripts linked to Gerry Anderson emerged for sale at Ewbank’s (25% buyer’s premium) in Send, Surrey at the end of last year.

The collecting market for dolls’ house furniture has been enjoying a boom period if recent prices have been anything to go by.

The British Toy Auctions (18% buyer’s premium) sale on January 8 in Runcorn included several Pelham Puppets rarities.

The final part of dealer Jack Webb's collection displayed his passion for military photographs, especially daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and cartes de visite.

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions

It was not uncommon in the 18th century for a doll to be presented within its own miniature doll-scaled world.

Auction house H&H Classics (15% buyer’s premium) is best known for selling full-sized vehicles but a smaller model impressed in a recent automobilia sale.

A Dinky Supertoys 935 Leyland Octopus flat truck with chains in its original box sold for £8200 at Kent saleroom C&T (22% buyer’s premium) on January 14.

Presented on vellum with luxury colouring and illuminated with silver and gold, this is a rare first edition of Theuerdank.

The strong level of prices being paid by collectors for dolls’ house furniture was underlined at a recent C&T sale.

How did toy manufacturers get boys in the rather less PC 1960s to play with dolls?

This Volvo PV 444 diecast toy is by the Swedish toy distributor Gösta Norén.

The cow catcher and bell on this Gauge 1 clockwork loco gives the game away: although made by German firm Märklin, the set was for the American market.

Furnished dolls’ houses and accessories in general are proving the most dynamic area of the collecting market

Shown below is a page from another early railway-related work that did well at auction.

Dealership offers items from the excellent Sir William McAlpine collection at Forum Auctions