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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Door opens to Dorothy Garland at the Dominion Theatre

13 February 2026

Incomparable! Delightful! The one and only! Miss Show Business Judy Garland’s All Star Variety Show – as billed at the time – opened at the Dominion Theatre in London’s Tottenham Court Road in October 17, 1957, for a four-and-a-half week run.

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Order awarded by a doomed Afghan king

13 February 2026

The Order of the Durrani Empire (Nishan-i-Daulat-i-Durrani) was established in 1839 and awarded to British field officers and above during the First Afghan War by Shah Durrani of Afghanistan (1785-1842) in gratitude for his restoration to the throne as Shah Shuja-ool-Moqlk, King of Afghanistan.

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Coins, banknotes and medals: It could have been a terrible year... but it certainly wasn’t

13 February 2026

While fears in these uncertain times such as tariff disputes and the London market potentially moving overseas made 2025 a daunting prospect, specialists can instead look back on an encouraging period full of resilience and high prices

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Trafalgar and Spartan add up to £9100 result

13 February 2026

The clasps (metal bars across the ribbons) signifying participation in particular actions are a key factor driving value when it comes to the Naval General Service medal 1793-1840 awarded retrospectively for Royal navy service.

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‘Car boot’ badge find makes major windfall for owners – twice

13 February 2026

Established in 1687 by James II (also James VII of Scotland), membership of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is in the personal gift of the sovereign, just as it is with the Order of the Garter and the Order of Merit.

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Plenty to bite into at The Winter Decorative Fair in Battersea

13 February 2026

From huge sharks to chocolate pots, The Decorative Fair offered a tempting range to suit all tastes

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Madge pops down to Margate

13 February 2026

Visit from ‘Queen of Pop’ underlines just how much there is to see in Kent town including art and antiques

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Medal marks arrival of a princess escaping as civil war looms

13 February 2026

This 1642 silver medal by the German medallist Sebastian Dadler (1586-1657) celebrates the arrival in the Netherlands of Princess Mary (1631-60), eldest daughter of Charles I and sister of the future Charles II.

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Sitting comfortably as online bidding boosts number of new year auctions

13 February 2026

Along with August, January is traditionally the quietest month in terms of regional auctions.

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Winter in Chester fuels warm feeling

13 February 2026

The February Cheshire Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair marks the event’s first winter outing at Chester Racecourse since 2023.

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An unlikely but warm friendship revealed in a fascinating archive

13 February 2026

Group lot shows how a shared interest in communication linked Louis Mountbatten and a telegraphist

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Bidder demonstrates a burning desire to own a mining model pithead

13 February 2026

‘Coal’ is a dirty word in today’s world of increasingly clean energy but in terms of a model offered at auction it can still generate a strong price.

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Parks highlighted fight for civil rights

13 February 2026

Few photographers were as explicit about the purpose of their work as Gordon Parks (1912-2006), who in 1967 described the camera as his “choice of weapon” against racism, discrimination and poverty.

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Killed over Germany

13 February 2026

The citation for a Distinguished Flying Medal awarded to Act F/Sgt BG Tucker RAF stated he had “completed many outstanding sorties against such heavily defended localities as Berlin, Essen and Hanover.

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Classic Antique Fairs doubles its dates with the addition of two fairs and another in the works

12 February 2026

Classic Antique Fairs has announced that it will launch events in Manchester and Perth this year.

Auctioneer Adrian Biddell holding up a pair of white gloves

White gloves as all lots sell at auction of John Russell Taylor collection

11 February 2026

"Oh goodness me, look at that..." said auctioneer Adrian Biddell as his colleagues presented him with the traditional handwear.

FA Cup trophy design

Original design for FA Cup trophy makes £32,000 at Budds

11 February 2026

A drawing giving a first glimpse of the now instantly recognisable trophy from the oldest national football competition in the world, the FA Cup, sold above estimate at Budds on February 11.

Tudor Heart

British Museum succeeds in raising £3.5m for 'Tudor Heart' pendant

11 February 2026

The British Museum raised the £3.5m needed to buy a gold pendant discovered by a metal detectorist in a field in Warwickshire in 2019.

Two ‘putti’ sculpture

Plea for UK institution to raise £750,000 for Bedford House puttis blocked from export

10 February 2026

A pair of puttis, believed to have been crafted as one of a pair of chimney pieces for Bedford House in London, have been blocked from export.

Portrait of John Russell Taylor

Portrait of the critic John Russell Taylor is among five lots to watch

09 February 2026

With estimates from £300, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week

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