UK

This ‘cameo’ version of the 1847 gothic crown is one of the finest available for commerce.

A 1926 London Transport poster with artwork by Montague Birrell Black (1889-1964) imagining what the capital may look 100 years into the future was offered at Ewbank’s (25% buyer’s premium) in Woking on January 21.

January in London – and the days of garden parties and al fresco dining seem a long way off. Yet at the latest Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair, outdoor items experienced strong demand.

This Irish bog oak canoe or trough was among the quirkier – and best-performing – lots in Bonhams’ (27.5/25/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) ‘without reserve’ sale of the Jim Lennon collection in Edinburgh on January 26.

Nelson held his protégé Captain Sir William Hoste KCB (1780-1828) in high esteem.

The first tranche from a large collection of Irish banknotes assembled by the late Gus Mac Amhlaigh of Dublin sold by DNW on November 25 included red and orange Bank of Ireland £20 ‘specimen’ notes from the famous Ploughman series.

If it’s a real mix of topics, genres and ages you are after, this auction had everything

Dix Noonan Webb set a record for a British army Victoria Cross on June 23.

Stamps specialist Harmers is a newcomer to London numismatic sales.

The finest-known example of a New England shilling sold for £220,000 at Morton & Eden in London on November 26.

The Trinidad & Tobago $1000 note, c.1914, is itself a rare beast but this example is a colour proof printed on two sheets by Thomas De La Rue.

Among a flurry of historical portraits coming to the regional market at the start of this year, arguably the most notable appeared at Oxfordshire saleroom JS Fine Art (20% buyer’s premium).

A group of Sotheby’s former employees are considering further action against the auction house’s plan to close its ‘defined benefit’ pension plan.

One of the highlights of the April 2007 London Islamic sale series had been this 2ft 4in (74cm) high white marble bust of Maharajah Duleep Singh by neoclassical sculptor John Gibson.

With the advent of modern tournament chess in the Victorian era came the issue of game time.