UK

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Letter from cryptology expert describes his analysis of a Monte Carlo betting system

Antarctic maps take highest prices in collection relating to key Terra Nova crew member

Eye-catching and ear-pleasing, this early example of a monkey chamber orchestra musical automaton picture was one of the star performers at Tennants’ (20% buyer premium) Scientific and Musical Instruments sale.

A group of early 19th century microscope slides mounted with specimens of fossilised wood sold for £11,500 (estimate £1000-1500) to a Canadian private collector at Special Auction Services (25% buyer’s premium) in Newbury.

Two micro-mosaic pictures took a six-figure sum at a Cirencester saleroom – 10-times their low estimate.

Emile Berliner (1851-1921), a German clerk in a Washington DC haberdashery, is credited with inventing both the first commercially successful disc record and the first machine to play it.

The top two UK auction houses have announced a string of high-profile consignments coming to auction in the autumn/winter season.

A wealthy US donor and a London antiquities dealership helped ensure a hoard of Roman bronzes recently discovered by metal detectorists will soon be on public display.

Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) designed two electroplated claret or water jugs for Elkington & Co of Birmingham in 1885 – both of them daring designs inspired by vessels from antiquity.

It has been a busy season for ornithological favourite Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935) with a number of quality pictures previously sold by leading dealers reappearing at auction and attracting keen interest.

Given that most antique furniture at auction tends to be good value only for the buyer these days, one can perhaps understand why it occasionally does not always receive the attention it once merited from auctioneers and valuers. As a result, occasionally a special item slips through.

Among the Charles Tunnicliffe works drawing the most attention at Halls’ sale on September 15 (see main story) were pictures bought by the vendor directly from the artist’s family, with whom they were acquainted.

This autumn, galleries Willoughby Gerrish and Tomasso have joined forces to hold a ‘conversation in stone’ between the Contemporary sculpture of Emily Young (b.1951) and a selection of antique works.

This earthenware charger was painted by Catherine Sparkes (1842-1910), a genre, flower painter and illustrator who made a significant contribution to the development of faience pottery at Doulton Lambeth.

Twin events returning to London park generate encouraging overseas interest

Illustrated from drawings made by William Gibb, printed under his supervision and signed by the author, George Petree, one of 16 special copies of Dundee, its Quaint and Historic Old Buildings that were printed on Japanese paper in 1895 made a far higher than expected result at auction.