UK

Posters covering band or artist appearances during the embryonic days of their development are proving very popular at auction – a trend underlined by a group of 1966 Pink Floyd designs.

Never out of fashion, the best furniture by Robert Thompson is going through one of its periodic surges – as evident at Wilkinson’s Doncaster rooms last month (ATG No 2369) and at Sworders of Stansted Mountfichet (ATG No 2363) in October.

Illuminated manuscript sales of recent times will be the subject of a future review, but seen here is something a little different in that line offered as the very first lot in a December 1 sale of such material held by Bloomsbury Auctions (25/20/12% buyer’s premium).

A copy of WB Yeats’ The Wanderings of Oisin… offered in a recent Irish sale was an example of Fisher Unwin’s 1892 second issue. That is rare enough, but this copy bore an inscription that made it very special indeed.

Toby Campbell of Rafael Valls specialises in Old Master paintings. The gallery, in London’s Duke Street, St James’s, stands annually at TEFAF Maastricht, which next runs from March 16-24, 2019.

A notable feature of the end-of-year book sales in 2018 was the number of online auctions held by the major salerooms.

The Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair takes place at Battersea Evolution in the new year, offering a wealth of objects from early oak furniture to fine art to 20th century design.

MADAM – Re: ivory ban. I would very much like to add my tuppence worth to this ongoing issue.

"In 2018 we have not seen a great deal of movement in the price of gold and silver, but things could change considerably as we move into 2019," says precious metals dealer Michael Bloomstein of Brighton.

Packed with a varied selection of precisely 1000 lots, a very thick catalogue rounded off one saleroom’s year in a December 11-12 sale.

Showing hardly any signs of wear and signed by JK Rowling – and originally acquired at a special signing at Harrods, as revealed by a laid-in ticket – a near pristine first issue copy of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone' of 1997, appeared at auction earlier this month.

More female talent emerged at Roseberys in the form of this fiery piece of Abstract Expressionism below by American painter Grace Hartigan (1922-2008).

The Victorian Conservative politician Lord Coventry is believed to have commissioned this portrait of favourite hounds Rambler and Marksman.

This seasonal watercolour of figures ice skating in the Lake District (below) sold for a mid-estimate £3600 at local Cumbria saleroom Mitchells (20% buyer’s premium) on November 28.

An antiques dealer for nearly 40 years and the long-time owner of Below Stairs in Hungerford, Stewart Hofgartner, pictured below, is a colourful character.

High-priced luxury handbags and other luxury goods made the most money at Tennants (20% buyer’s premium) sale of Costume, Accessories and Textiles at Leyburn but collectors’ interest was more focused on a private collection of hat pins.

Early works from artist known as Marevna is key feature of family collection sold in London.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from January 4-31, 2019.

The 'London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair' (LARTA) is held alongside the 'Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair' at the beginning of the year.