Collectables

Jimi Hendrix's Fender Stratocaster - 'the guitar that changed music' - is being offered at Heritage Auctions' sale in June

One of the cameras mentioned in John Wade’s fascinating new book 'The Ingenious Victorians' is the Mammoth.

ATG’s weekly selection of items on sale at auctions and dealerships.

We are sad to announce that Roy Davids, formerly head of Sotheby’s book department, died aged 74 on April 30 after a long illness.

Just as CDs and then downloads led to warnings of the demise of vinyl, the vintage camera collecting field was also predicted to be affected with the advancement of digital cameras. But both collecting fields are far from dead.

Despite being one of the best-known American artists of the 20th century, relatively little information exists on the early years of Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) when he began to emerge as a prominent force in the art world.

Frank Herrmann, writer, publisher and auctioneer, died at his home in Essex on April 30, a month short of his 90th birthday, following a long battle with illness.

Following the publication in 1632 of his Dialogo…, Galileo found himself hauled before the Inquisition and tried for his heretical views.

This French etrennes presentation gift set from c.1900 is a type that was popular in the early 20th century with toy and department stores who competed with each other to create the most eyecatching arrangements to attract customers.

Books from the library of neurologist Dr MacDonald Critchley sold as part of an April 20-21 auction held by Charterhouse (19.5% buyer’s premium) naturally included books related to his professional interests, among them copies of his own works. But the lot that attracted most bidding interest was a novel by HG Wells.

One of 170 complete copies of the privately printed Cranwell edition of the 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom, A Triumph', 1926, by TE Lawrence (better known as Lawrence of Arabia) leads the Swann Galleries sale on May 16 in New York.

Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald were among the financial big-hitters when a third part of the extensive Maurice F Neville collection of modern literature was sold by Sotheby’s New York (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on April 24.

Sold for £6000 in a Forum Auctions (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) sale of March 30 was a copy of one of the earliest books on swimming.

“Wait a minute. You’re putting my gloves in jail? This is awful. How can you put my gloves in jail? They ain’t done nothing… yet!”