Auctioneers

The sale at garden statuary specialist Summers Place Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) in Billingshurst on March 24 (the day after lockdown) was among the first conducted under new government restrictions on social distancing.

A recent sale conducted by Michael Bowman (17.5% buyer’s premium) in Newton Abbot, Devon was a homespun affair – held in the auctioneer’s house, with his wife handling phone and commission bids and two assistants operating the bidding platforms remotely by way of a loudspeaker mobile phone link.

Bonhams Australia is holding its first auction behind closed doors in Sydney on May 13 with bidding online and by phone.

Specialist auction house sells early versions hailing from the US

The three magazines shown here were all produced by students of the Royal College of Art in the years 1925-27 and sold online for £1000 in a sale at Mellors & Kirk (24% buyer’s premium) of Nottingham.

The photograph seen at bottom right is a group of Chinese men convicted of spying and awaiting “…execution by Imperialists”.

Brought into Wolverhampton firm Cuttlestones (17.5% buyer’s premium) on a valuation day, this early-19th century anti-slavery tobacco box sold to a UK bidder on thesaleroom.com for £480.

Essay warns about considerable perils of the ‘indecent custom’ of burials in churchyards

Held over three pre-lockdown days on March 5-7, Evesham saleroom Kingham & Orme’s (23% buyer’s premium) auction was rich in the best of English and European decorative arts.

Appearing in 1937, a couple of years after the locomotive itself was launched, the LMS Princess Elizabeth was the biggest and best locomotive that Hornby ever made.

The timed sale of Oriental ceramics and works of art to be held by Hotlotz Singapore running until May 3 features a selection of items from the descendants of Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke, GCMG, KCVO, KBE, KStJ, who was governor-general of Ceylon from 1954-62.

Sworders is launching a new calendar of online-only and timed online auctions to satisfy demand from clients for sales next month.

This monumental English longcase clock sold in a Massachusetts auction is a remarkable exercise in antiquarianism.