UK

The United Kingdom accounts for more than one fifth of the global art market sales and is the second biggest art market after the US.

Through auctioneers, dealers, fairs and markets - and a burgeoning online sector - buyers, collectors and sellers of art and antiques can easily access a vibrant network of intermediaries and events around the country. The UK's museums also house a wealth of impressive collections

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Carrick gunner and Thornycroft archer sculptures targeted in west London

16 January 2026

A highlight of the sale of European Works of Art, Objects & Silver at Olympia Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) in west London was The Gunner by Scottish monumental sculptor Alexander Carrick (1882-1966).

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‘Springboard at the start of the year’

16 January 2026

London Art Fair stands out as a key early opportunity to showcase works to a domestic audience

A chromolitho trade card

No need to invade, just make a purchase

16 January 2026

In the light of world focus on Greenland, would-be collectors of polar ephemera might head to PBFA member Stuart Leggatt and his website Meridian Rare Books that has masses of it.

FA Cup design

The original drawing for the winning design of the FA Cup in 1911 is coming to auction with saleroom Budds

15 January 2026

A drawing giving a first glimpse of the now instantly recognisable trophy from the oldest national football competition in the world will be offered at auction next month.

Kinning Park Antique Centre

Curious curios – new owners for two antiques centres

15 January 2026

Two dealers are celebrating the New Year by taking on the ownership of antiques centres in the Lake District and Glasgow.

Near the Somme by Paul Nash

Paul Nash WWI scene doubles estimate at Suffolk auction

14 January 2026

Wartime scenes by Paul Nash (1889-1946) are a seminal part of his oeuvre, especially his famous series of paintings from 1917-19 showing the blasted landscape of the Western Front.

2727NE Fake Roman Brooch

Fraudster metal detectorist sentenced after passing off modern reproductions bought online as Roman artefacts

13 January 2026

A man who claimed to have found a significant Roman brooch while metal detecting in Lincolnshire has been sentenced after admitting he had actually bought the item on eBay.

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Arts & Crafts sideboard is among five lots to watch

12 January 2026

With estimates from £400, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week

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Bought for buttons, now worth £48,000

09 January 2026

Bought for just £40 last year, two rare bronze buttons designed by Alberto Giacometti for Elsa Schiaparelli hammered for £48,000 at the latest Modern Decorative Art & Design sale at Bonhams Knightsbridge.

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Penguin egg picked up by Ponting

09 January 2026

An Adelie penguin egg collected by Herbert Ponting (1871-1935) on the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition came for sale in Nantwich on January 8.

Movers & Shakers

Auction house and dealer hires among the latest recruitment round up

09 January 2026

The latest Movers & Shakers in the UK and overseas

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Beatrix Potter mania among collectors brings in father Rupert

09 January 2026

A scarce copy of Beatrix Potter’s 'The Fairy Caravan' sold for £3000 in Tennants’ (24% buyer’s premium) Books, Maps & Manuscripts Sale.

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Bridesmaid’s York Rose brooch rated all white by buyer

09 January 2026

One of the eight York Rose brooches given by Prince Albert to the bridesmaids who attended his marriage to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923 sold for £15,000.

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Smoke detectors in the saleroom: bidders focus on a super tobacconist's figure

09 January 2026

This carved wooden tobacconist figure or ‘Cigar Indian’ came to Ewbank’s (25% buyer’s premium) auction in Send, Surrey, by descent through the vendor’s family.

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Whisper about a Blyton debut

09 January 2026

A rare first edition of Enid Blyton’s first published book, Child Whispers, hammered at £1400 in the Thomson Roddick (20% buyer’s premium) book sale on December 4.

Robert Burns poem

Make it a Burns night to savour

09 January 2026

His image appears in seemingly every possible format, from postage stamps to chocolates and biscuit tins.

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Hero for both Leicester City and Scarborough fans

09 January 2026

Not that many footballers can be “as deeply woven into Leicester City and Scarborough football history as Colin Appleton (1936-2021)”, it is true.

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Member of the still undefeated GB tug of war team pulls in £6000 at auction

09 January 2026

Did you know that Great Britain are still the Olympic tug of war champions? The City of London Police Team competed for GB in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, winning gold – and the category has not appeared since at a Games.

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'Exceptional' vases boast a Brighton Pavilion link bonus

09 January 2026

This imposing pair of 3ft 8in (1.09m) high hexagonal form vases combine both early 19th century Chinese and later 19th century French craftsmanship.

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Sumatran ship banner sails in to London rug and textile fair

09 January 2026

It is rare to find a well-preserved example of a 19th century 'palepai'.

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