Auctioneers

The auction process is a key part of the secondary art and antiques market.

Firms of auctioneers usually specialise in a number of fields such as jewellery, ceramics, paintings, Asian art or coins but many also hold general sales where the goods available are not defined by a particular genre and are usually lower in value.

Auctioneers often provide other services such as probate and insurance valuations.

Dutch genre painting

Painting showing archduke's gallery visit now attributed to Antwerp artist after research

27 February 2026

After receiving a photograph of this 17th century Dutch genre painting, Lille auctioneer Hugues Watine contacted Old Master specialist Cabinet Turquin.

Praxinoscope

Rare Praxinoscope combining moving images and music flies over estimate at Plymouth auction

27 February 2026

French inventor Charles-Émile Reynaud (1844-1918) was responsible for the first projected animated films.

Evacuation

West London valuation day leads to mass evacuation after live shells, ammunition and landmine emerge from a Harrods bag

27 February 2026

A routine valuation day at Chiswick Auctions led to an evacuation of the venue and the surrounding estate after live shells, ammunition and a landmine were brought in.

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Get a Viz No 1 and a free ice cream too

27 February 2026

All of the first half-a-dozen issues of Viz comic are rarities – each penned by teenager Chris Donald from his bedroom in his parents’ Jesmond, Newcastle, home with help from his brother Simon and friend Jim Brownlow.

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'Perhaps the most significant private collection of British comics ever assembled'

27 February 2026

What is being promoted as “perhaps the most significant private collection of British comics ever assembled” is coming to market with two separate auction houses involved.

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Gentileschi’s Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy acquired by American gallery

27 February 2026

Coinciding with the latest Old Master auction series in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, announced the acquisition of Artemisia Gentileschi’s Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy.

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Bidding battle for battered teaching book shows rising demand for social artefacts

27 February 2026

Pristine first editions from sought-after authors or documents written by the luminaries of times past are usually the ones that command the greatest attention at book auctions.

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Where the 2000AD action starts – the story of the short lived but inspirational predecessor comic

27 February 2026

Fifty years ago a now little-known comic launched that spawned a much more successful title still going strong

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Take it to the bridge: Boney ready for painting

27 February 2026

A preparatory drawing for a famous painting of Napoleon Bonaparte that is in the Palace of Versailles is to go under the hammer.

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This could be a ‘transformational era in comic collecting’ says US auction house

27 February 2026

Records continue to tumble in the vibrant US market. Hardly a week goes by without another new marker being established as comics thrive in a remarkably buoyant collectables collecting scene, or sought-after high-grade copies attract rocketing prices.

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Boxwood sculpture triptych tickles a buyer’s fancy at French auction

27 February 2026

Fantastically detailed boxwood sculpture can be traced to the couple who commissioned the work

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Old Masters look lively as the market shows signs of rising demand

27 February 2026

High selling rates, prices beating estimates and decent auction totals suggest the market is in a good place

Clare Durham

Date of first ceramics sale in Devizes is set

27 February 2026

A new sale for the ceramics and glass department at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes is coming soon.

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French 18th century female painter snapped up by Versailles ahead of auction

27 February 2026

One of the highlights of a sale of Old Master works held by Tajan (26/21/14% buyer’s premium) was a pastel self-portrait by the 18th century French portrait painter Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1749-1803).

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Best known for railway themes, Cuneo constructed another line of commercial income

27 February 2026

When it comes to Terence Cuneo (1907-96), it’s all about the trains right? Well… not quite.

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AA Milne letters to friends come to market for the first time

27 February 2026

A collection of nine letters from Winnie the Pooh author AA Milne sold at Derbyshire saleroom Irita Marriott (24% buyer’s premium) had been passed down through the family of Vincent Seligman and his wife Barbara, who were lifelong friends of the author.

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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

Village School by Robert Tavener

Kent County Council offloads further artworks at auction

26 February 2026

Auction house Sworders is selling a second tranche of artworks consigned by Kent County Council.

Rissoles for the Marines by Elsie Gledstanes

Pictures emerge from attic to serve up a wartime treat

24 February 2026

Two pictures by Elsie Gledstanes (1891-1982) that were found untouched in an attic after 40 years drew notable competition at an auction in Hampshire this month.

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Dresser to impress: chairs take £56,000

20 February 2026

This pair of Aesthetic Movement ebonised and gilt salon chairs designed by Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) sold for £56,000 at Gildings in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, on February 17.

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