Features

A group of 24 works from the collection of Wilfred and Jeannette Cass provided a boost to Bellmans’ (22% buyer’s premium) latest Modern British and 20th Century Art auction.

The Higgs Deliverer ‘rake iron’ club was an attempt to solve a tricky golf problem: how to hit the ball out of sand, high grass or similar terrain.

A happy football fan in Texas – quite possibly with Caledonian roots – is now the proud owner of the first jersey to come to auction from Rangers’ 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph over Dynamo Moscow.

Works by Surrealist artist Ithell Colquhoun (1906-88) have been rising in popularity.

Murray Rose (1939-2012) became the youngest Olympian to win three gold medals during one Games, aged just 17 in 1956.

Anthemion (20% buyer’s premium) in Cardiff offered an extensive selection of Olympic Games memorabilia at auction.

Female artist at centre of early British Surrealism scene now fetches sizeable sums

William Nicholson (1872-1949) is known today for restrained and sensitively handled still-lifes but in his day he found more success with his portraits.

One of the most eyecatching consignments of Modern British art outside London was a private collection of 14 paintings by David Bomberg (1890-1957).

Amid relief at pandemic restrictions being lifted and encouraging news of auction houses expanding, event organisers faced challenges of rising costs and the trade tackled increasing regulation and restitution demands

Forget names such as Palitoy, Britains, Dinky, Sindy, Bing and Marklin for a moment – recent auctions have shown the demand that can exist for lesser-known manufacturers and brands in the toys world.

This Japanese ‘Super Car’ tinplate vehicle is an unlicensed model, probably based on the Supercar vehicle from Gerry Anderson’s 1960s UK television series.

Nomura was one of the biggest Japanese toy makers post-war and is now particularly renowned among collectors for mechanical toys such as robots.

This wonderful photo taken in 1914 shows the Coghill family plus a rather hairy friend: a rare large Steiff centre-seam teddy bear c.1906.

Lucy Peck ran The Dolls’ Home, a successful business that opened in Regent Street in London in 1893.

Over the course of 35 years Andy Houldsworth amassed one of the largest collections of Action Man and similar action figures in the UK.

Such was the renown of toy collector the late Jack Tempest that when his collection came up for auction many of the bidders who flocked to the sale on November 10 recognised a lot of the items on offer.

Bertha Alexander Behrman – aka Madame Alexander – was probably destined to be a doll maker.

In 1981 the most powerful man in the universe, He-Man, began his fight against the evil Skeletor to save the planet of Eternia and protect Castle Grayskull.

Shown here is one of ‘very few known’ examples of Yonezawa’s c.1962 Diamond Planet Robot – the largest tin windup robot produced, 10in (24.5cm) high.