Metalware

This sector comprises artefacts made from both base and precious metals. Many antique items were originally used for domestic purposes but are now collected on account of their craftsmanship, decorative quality and social interest.

Items can range from include pewter jugs, tin pots, brass bells, copper weathervanes and cast iron benches.

While this area offers plenty of affordable material, rare historical survivors can command high prices.


Doyle 01 Silver Ewers 2742IE

Buyer splashes out on British wine and water ewers connected to American high society

01 May 2026

A pair of Edwardian wine and water ewers by London silversmith Sydney Bellamy Harman, 1910, tied for the most-expensive lot at a recent Doyle (28% buyer’s premium) auction.

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The collection of dealer Paul Fitzsimmons: a life in oak told across 700 lots in a Salisbury saleroom

27 March 2026

Specialist dealer sells items from his collection in two-day auction as he heads towards semi-retirement

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Newcastle silver tankards toasted as ‘a real pleasure’ by west London auctioneer

20 March 2026

Specialist from west London saleroom delighted to handle not one but two Newcastle rarities in a year

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Furnished in the grand manner: Corby Castle brought grandeur to Cumbria

27 February 2026

Extensive contents of Cumbrian castle take three days to sell in North Yorkshire auction

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English silver impresses at two US salerooms on the same day

13 February 2026

Two lots of antique English silver trounced their estimates on the same day at New York state auction houses located less than 30 miles apart.

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Pick of the week: Pair of andirons designed by EW Godwin head to Texas

16 January 2026

Cotswolds dealer Paul Shutler has sold a pair of EW Godwin-designed andirons to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Gordon Russell bowl

Arts & Crafts collector Ray Leigh's treasured items come to auction in Gloucestershire

17 November 2025

On November 25, Gloucestershire auction house Chorley’s is selling the personal collection of Ray Leigh (1928-2025), one of the more significant figures in post-war British design.

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Tiffany vase enamelled in Stourbridge period

03 November 2025

A 9in (22cm) high vase Tiffany Studios copper and enamel vase sold for a surprise $20,000 (£14,800) at Roland Auctions (30/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on September 21.

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Double mazer goblet grabs the attention

27 October 2025

In the 16th century, so-called double mazer goblets were highly treasured works of art.

Alms dish

Museum successful in bid to secure Russell alms dish

13 October 2025

The Gordon Russell Design Museum in Broadway, Worcestershire ran a successful campaign to purchase a Lygon brass alms dish by the English designer and craftsman that came to auction in West Sussex last week.

Brass dish

Cotswolds design museum launches fundraising appeal to buy Gordon Russell dish

08 October 2025

The Gordon Russell Design Museum in Broadway, Worcestershire is fundraising ahead of an auction.

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Tiffany Japonesque test: four mixed metal lots on offer

08 September 2025

The market for Tiffany’s Japonesque style demonstrated its strength at Heritage Auctions (25% buyer’s premium).

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Arts & Crafts sunflower andirons in hot demand

01 September 2025

A pair of wrought iron Arts & Crafts sunflower andirons were offered at Copake Auctions (20% buyer’s premium) in Copake, New York with an appealing guide of $150-250.

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Indian bowl rarely seen on the market causes a stir

23 June 2025

This unusual 19th-century Indian enamel-on-copper footed bowl soared to 26 times its top estimate at Lindsay Burns (22% buyer’s premium) in Perth.

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Bone models story fleshed out: by prisoners of war or craftsmen?

26 May 2025

Some ‘prisoner of war’ productions are now thought to have been made by skilled craftsmen

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Seventeenth century Newcastle silver rarity emerges

17 March 2025

A rare example of 17th century Newcastle silver holloware sold for £7500 at Chiswick Auctions’ (26% buyer’s premium) latest specialist sale of Silver and Objects of Vertu.

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‘It is time to declutter’ declares earl as Holkham Hall contents hit the auction block

24 February 2025

Cellars and attics at famous Norfolk estate are cleared out as part of ‘housework’ to allow guided tours

William III silver beaker

Rare surviving pieces of Newcastle silver emerge at Chiswick Auctions

20 February 2025

Two rare pieces of 17th century Newcastle silver come for sale in London on February 26.

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Pick of the Week: Souvenir seized from George IV coronation feast

27 January 2025

Even when set against the standards of royal pageantry, the crowning of George IV at Westminster Abbey on July 19, 1821, was a lavish affair.

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Extraordinary late imperial Russian enamels on offer in US saleroom

20 January 2025

Market for imperial Russian works of art appears to have shifted to US given global circumstances

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