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The War of 1812 was something of a shock to the Royal Navy. Still basking in the glow of victories such as the Battle of the Nile and of course Trafalgar, British ships seemed unbeatable.

The £1.1m paid for this Graff yellow diamond ring at Fellows on December 7 makes it the top price achieved in the UK regions this year.

The protocols around selling antique firearms and ordnance are increasingly strict. We talk to auctioneer Angus Ashworth about the perils that even an ex-army man can face.

A two-day sale to be staged by Morphy auctions in Denver, Pennsylvania on December 16-17 offers almost 1000 lots of antique and vintage toys, juvenilia and ephemera.

Wiltshire auction house Henry Aldridge & Son (17.5% buyer’s premium) has established a reputation for Titanic memorabilia thanks to two specialist sales a year. Thanks to a lot sold in the November 11 auction, the Devizes firm also has a handy sideline in early photographs of Tibet.

Modern and contemporary art gallery Belgrave St Ives is in the midst of its annual winter show, offering prints, drawings and three-dimensional works in its two adjacent Cornwall shops.

MADAM – I write on behalf of Action for Elephants UK in response to Ian Harris’ letter published in ATG No 2320. Our group has been calling on the government to fulfil the promise made in two election manifestos and impose a total ban on the UK ivory trade.

This 17th century Indian painting attributed to one of the best artists of the Mughal court sold for £42,000 at Sworders’ December 5 Country House Sale.

Marine and scientific specialist Charles Miller (20% buyer’s premium) featured several U-boat-related lots from various owners in his November 7 sale at the west London auction hub of 25 Blythe Road.

Engraved 18th century glassware opened the sale at Woolley & Wallis (22% buyer’s premium) in Salisbury on October 18.

Record bids greeted a couple of works by the renowned and influential science-fiction writer Philip K Dick in a November 14 sale held by Swann (25/20/12% buyer’s premium).

Tis the season to sell Victoria Crosses… three have come up at auction recently and posted strong results, including a world record.

The theme of death was of particular interest to the Italian industrialist Giancarlo Beltrame (1925-2011).

Update (July 2019): auctions resumed at Bloomsbury in 2018 following Gurr Johns' purchase of Dreweatts and Bloomsbury in 2017. In February 2019 it expanded the number of sales at its London office at 16-17 Pall Mall. The original story is below.

This carved wooden figure of Guanyin dating to the Song dynasty (900-1279 AD) will be the headline entry of the Asian art sale to be held by Leclère at Drouot on December 16.

ATG’s selection of auction lots bought by internet bidders on thesaleroom.com from the period November 30- December 6, 2017. This includes both the highest prices over estimate and the top prices paid online.

Employing a translation made in the 16th century by William Adlington, the 1924 Ashendene edition of The Golden Asse of Lucius Apuleius was printed in the press’ proprietary Subiaco type in an edition of just 124 copies, of which 16 were printed on vellum but only 13 offered for sale.

The latest Old Master auctions in London gave encouragement to the sector as keen competition came for a noticeably higher number of works pitched at relatively attractive levels.

Modern British art by blue-chip names drove demand during the week-long series of November sales in London.