London

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.

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.

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.

A collection of works from the descendants of the family that ran the eminent gallery Arthur Tooth & Sons will be offered at south London saleroom Roseberys this month.

When Ian Fleming sent an initial typescript of his first James Bond book Casino Royale to his good friend Paul Gallico asking if it was publishable, he got the reply “the book is a knockout!”.

London Art Week (LAW) has announced that it will take place this summer from July 3-8.

Letter to fellow evolutionary pioneer detailed possible response to one of their critics

The earliest work in Modernity’s exhibition on Paavo Tynell (1890-1973) is a 1930s ceiling lamp (model 1926).

Undoubtedly one of the more unusual lots to have featured in these reports over the years, the 3½in (9cm) wide piece of gold foil pictured here bears an Orphic poem by one Agestratos, who dedicates his brief verses to Apollo in what is thought to be Doric Greek.

Marigolds by Alexander Galt (1913-2000) is among the pictures on offer in Panter & Hall’s The Scottish Show 2022.

Three recent dealer moves in London and Edinburgh

A newly discovered Henry III ‘gold penny’, one of the most fabled coins in all of British numismatics, has sold for £540,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium).

A set of six 17th century portraits depicting Ottoman sultans sparked an extraordinary bidding contest at a Sotheby’s online sale.