London

People out for an early morning jog or dog walk on Hampstead Heath, London had a bit of a surprise today as heads were turned by seven artworks on display to promote the forthcoming return of the Affordable Art Fair.

The 59th London International Antiquarian Book Fair (or “book paradise” as described by author Mark Beech in an admiring Facebook post), drew more than 180 book dealers to Olympia. View ATG's exclusive photogallery from the drinks reception held at the end of the fair’s second day.

The auction of Pelé’s personal collection became most lucrative sale of football memorabilia in history with the 2000 items totalling £3.6m including premium with 100% of the lots sold.

An auction record was set for any football medal as Pelé’s 1970 World Cup winner’s medal was knocked down at £280,000 in London this evening.

The auction of Pelé’s vast collection of memorabilia concludes in London today where the highlight on offer at the third and final day of the sale will be the Brazilian legend’s winner’s medal from the 1970 World Cup.

Two large Old Master paintings worth up to €180,000 (£123,530) have been returned to Italy 22 years after they were stolen.

Antiques Trade Gazette’s London Summer Capital of Art 2016 supplement, published this week along with the weekly newspaper, has received the support of culture minister Ed Vaizey.

In 1996 Frank Skinner, David Baddiel and the Lightning Seeds sang about ‘30 years of hurt’. Sadly for English football fans, it is now ‘50 years of hurt’ since the national team actually won something. Or have even reached a final.

Brian Sewell’s art collection will come up for auction at Christie’s in September, it was announced today.

New books and works on paper specialists Forum Auctions will hold their first London sale at the Westbury Hotel in Mayfair on July 13-14.

A private US collector spent £2.48m at Christie’s, acquiring all four of the early William Shakespeare folios on offer in a specially-staged auction.

The owner of a new company operating High Road Auctions in Chiswick has told ATG he will be investing in the refurbishment of the premises and has already created escrow accounts to separate client’s money from day-to-day business expenses.

Christie’s have announced that a major landscape by John Constable will be among the works on offer at their Defining British Art sale in London this summer.

Royal Museums Greenwich are attempting to raise £10m to buy a version of The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I. The work currently belongs to descendants of Sir Francis Drake but the institution say that unless the required funds are raised, the painting “could be sold on the open market and even go overseas”.

Christie’s have admitted to “an honest and genuine mistake” by putting up for sale an ivory and kutch silver trophy that contravened CITES regulations.

Although its launch was only announced in February, the ‘Modern Art Fair’ planned for September in London has been postponed, but will run in 2017.

Japanese works of art specialist Malcolm Fairley is the latest dealer forced to relocate while Crown Estates refurbishes the building they rent space in St James.

A large scrimshaw-decorated nautilus shell by Charles B Wood sold for an unexpected £8500 at Charles Miller’s latest sale of maritime antiques in London. It sold to a UK private collector.

Chiswick-based High Road Auctions have closed their satellite branch in Twickenham.

Two landscapes by 19th century European artists have been donated to the National Gallery by Asbjørn Lunde, an American of Norwegian extraction who is one of the world’s top collectors in the field.