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Providing a major boost to Bonhams’ first sale in London with room bidding since the lockdown, a portrait of the writer EM Forster by Roger Fry (1866-1934) set an auction record both for the artist and any Bloomsbury Group picture.

International Antiques and Collectors Fairs (IACF) kicked off its return to business with its first event after lockdown.

The collector, author and businessman Malcolm Shields was born in Hull. It was in the Yorkshire city where his company flourished and he gained much of his knowledge of antiques, coins and paintings – interests he pursued most enthusiastically.

Jewellery auction house Elmwood’s has opened a new office in London and hired two new staff as business begins to return to normal after the lockdown.

Sotheby’s held the first of this summer’s ‘super sales’ last week as it combined a series of three Modern and Contemporary art auctions into a marathon four-and-a-half hour live-streamed event.

A record price of £10,200 was paid last month for a pen and ink sketch by fell-walking legend Alfred Wainwright at 1818 Auctioneers of Milnthorpe, Cumbria.

Estimated at just £60-80, a rare Ericsson telephone sold for £10,500 (plus 17% buyer’s premium) at Wessex Auction Rooms in Chippenham.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from July 7-23, 2020.

On July 23 Stair of Hudson, New York, will be offering paintings, works on paper and sculpture from the collection of art consultant and adviser Matthew Rutenberg (1956-2019).

ATG’s selection of auction lots bought by internet bidders on thesaleroom.com from the period June 25-July 1, 2020. This includes both the highest prices over estimate and the top prices paid online.

This pair of early 19th century Neoclassical Sheffield plated wine coolers proved to be one of the more sought-after entries in the Doyle (25/20/12.5%) sale of silver furniture and decorative arts in New York.

Not to be confused with the modern reissues, the original Vulcain Cricket was marketed in 1947 as the world’s first wristwatch with an alarm.