Collectables

The ABA Rare Book Fair London’s move to Battersea Evolution was marked by a 20% increase in visitor numbers last month, fulfilling organisers’ hopes for an invigorated event at the trendier location.

A Yorkshire dealer is selling a rare sealed bottle at auction in July near Barnsley after realising it was the real thing and not a reproduction.

The sale of a bug that featured in a James Bond film might not sound like the sort of thing a person would want to pin on their dress.

A 1908 vintage car made by the Thomas Motor Company of New York was the highlight of a sale at Duke’s Auctioneers in Dorset.

An archive of manuscripts and correspondence from Russian avant garde artist Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935) has emerged at Bonhams. It will be auctioned as a single lot in London on June 20.

Three bidders – one French, one Japanese and one Swedish – did battle for half an hour in the chase to acquire the skeleton of a new species of carnivorous dinosaur at a Paris auction this month.

Despite having lost a hand and suffering minor wear and chips to her chin, not to mention being just 5.5in (14cm) high, a doll caused a considerable stir at auction with six phone lines and internet bidders all desperate to succeed.

An auction of tennis legend Boris Becker’s collection of memorabilia is taking place as a timed online sale that runs until June 28.

It may amaze our many younger readers to learn that England once had a team capable of winning the World Cup. And did so.

The arrival of Meghan Markle into the royal family has highlighted the pressure on the monarchy to meet modern expectations, but it is not a new phenomenon. A medal group coming up at a London auction house Morton & Eden (M&E) on June 28 underlines the role of a man who once reportedly told the queen that: “Your job is to spread a carpet of happiness.”