East Midlands

This pair of Aesthetic Movement ebonised and gilt salon chairs designed by Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) sold for £56,000 at Gildings in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, on February 17.

In the last ATG (No 2731) we featured an Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide Football sold on January 22 at Truro Auction Centre for £4200 and mentioned others sold at Hansons in 2022.

So much silver has sold based solely on melt value of late. One wonders exactly how many decent antiques and collectables will have been lost once the bubble has deflated.

Judging by recent auctions, once live acts in the circus are now thrilling eager collectors via memorabilia.

Book dealers and auction houses are all saying the same thing about fantasy and sci-fi novels: once derided as not serious objects of desire, they are now eagerly sought after by collectors and achieving really big prices.

This Meissen plate painted with a view of Delft was among the contents of Lamb Close House sold by Mellors & Kirk in Nottingham on February 11.

Latest sale of props from renowned company features several surprises such as Spanish revivalist chairs

Dealers praise the friendly atmosphere of a Buxton event that has been running for nearly 50 years

Once renowned for achievements wearing goalkeeping gloves, Pat Jennings (b.1945) achieved an auction white-glove result when his memorabilia collection sold out at Budds (24% buyer’s premium).

Paul Parker will be fondly remembered by many England fans of a certain vintage for his role in the 1990 World Cup campaign (ignore the deflection over Peter Shilton for West Germany’s semi-final opener).

Bizarrely, Ralph Fremlin – a devout Christian who founded Fremlin’s Brewery in Maidstone, Kent, in 1861 – was anti-drinking.

This 18th century hardwood tea caddy, boldly carved in imitation of gnarled rootwood and mounted in white metal, is an Anglo-Chinese production, made for export in Canton (modern-day Guangzhou) c.1780.

Sustained scrap silver prices of more than £30 an ounce have sent large quantities of middle-of-the-road Georgian and Victorian domestic silver to the melting pot. Today, to sell well above the bullion price, it helps if silver comes with a strong narrative. ATG reports on a few great storytellers.

The annual specialist Antique Tile Fair has now, sadly, been cancelled.

Serendipity had it that three jewels by the Guild and School of Handicraft emerged for sale across three UK salerooms on November 5-6.

Seven international phone bidders competed a blue and white porcelain vase to nearly 1000 times its high estimate at Hansons (25.5% buyer’s premium) in Etwall, Derbyshire on October 9.