News

UK regional auctioneers have defended credit card fees charged to buyers amid pressure from consumer campaign groups to slash charges.

English wines are steadily gaining a reputation for decent quality, with sparkling styles in particular starting to challenge Champagne as an alternative patriotic option. Back in 1889, it was Welsh whisky throwing the gauntlet down to Scotland in the hope of supping long-running success.

A rediscovered chalk portrait by Andrea d’Angiolo, called Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530), has set an record for any Old Master drawing sold at auction in France.

Haughton International Fairs has cancelled its annual ‘Art Antiques London’ fair in the face of “adverse market conditions and rapidly rising costs”.

Julian Dawson is retiring from Gorringe's and held his last auction yesterday at the Lewes auction firm.

Property developer and collector Harry Hyams, who died in December 2015, has left much of his £487m estate to a charity that will preserve his collection for the nation.

Pete Waterman, Neil Young, Roger Daltrey and Peter Snow all do it. Frank Sinatra and Peter Sellers did it. Rod Stewart apparently hires extra hotel rooms on tour to indulge in it. ‘It’ being the innocent and highly popular pastime of model railways.