Features

This Victorian dirk – with ensuite knife and fork – sold for 10 times the top estimate, £2000, at McTear’s (24% buyer’s premium) in Glasgow on January 21.

Boss over-and-under guns from the golden age of London gunmaking have long ranked among the most sought by game shots.

At Bonhams in London this single-barrelled 28-bore made in 1877 for one of the sons of Prince Duleep Singh reached £20,000.

Provenance can count for a lot when it comes to gun collecting and two names with quite different connotations came up at Holts (25/20% buyer’s premium).

Nicolas-Noel Boutet and Anton Vincent Lebeda pistols star at two London auctions.

Weapons proved a highlight of the Lockdales (18% buyer’s premium) Coins, Medals & Militaria auction on January 23-24 held during the third lockdown.

Krupp mountain guns made in Nanjing as China modernised come up at Thomas Del Mar auction.

Even the composite parts of weapons now long lost have a value at auction.

The name Boutet appears on many fine presentation guns.

This charming early English-style station below was produced for the export market by German toy manufacturer Märklin.

As with so many other collecting areas recently, the conditions of lockdown – meaning spare money and time for the fortunate – have led to buoyant demand for toys, models and collectables.

An extensive selection of Pelham Puppets came up on the first day of the Piers Motley (18% buyer’s premium) auction in Devon on January 18-20.

Models, props, scenery and scripts linked to Gerry Anderson emerged for sale at Ewbank’s (25% buyer’s premium) in Send, Surrey at the end of last year.

The collecting market for dolls’ house furniture has been enjoying a boom period if recent prices have been anything to go by.

The British Toy Auctions (18% buyer’s premium) sale on January 8 in Runcorn included several Pelham Puppets rarities.

It was not uncommon in the 18th century for a doll to be presented within its own miniature doll-scaled world.

Auction house H&H Classics (15% buyer’s premium) is best known for selling full-sized vehicles but a smaller model impressed in a recent automobilia sale.

A Dinky Supertoys 935 Leyland Octopus flat truck with chains in its original box sold for £8200 at Kent saleroom C&T (22% buyer’s premium) on January 14.

The strong level of prices being paid by collectors for dolls’ house furniture was underlined at a recent C&T sale.

How did toy manufacturers get boys in the rather less PC 1960s to play with dolls?