South-east England

Called to look at some toy trains in the home of a lady who had recently died at a great age, Special Auction Services (17.5% buyer’s premium) specialist Hugo Marsh was surprised to be shown two early and rare Bing items. They had been collected by the lady’s first husband and stored away since he was killed in the Second World War.

“We’ve had two-day antiques and collectors’ fairs at the Newbury Showground before but not on a Saturday and Sunday – the weather was downright miserable but we had a really successful first weekend,“ said IACF’s Grant Nicholas, talking about the recent weekend event on April 28-29.

Whether you’re in the market for mammoths or missiles, for 10 years Summers Place Auctions has been a likely destination. In 2008 SPA held its first auction, having been formed the year before.

A 1940 painting of Valle Crucis Abbey is one of the key pictures in Bohun Gallery’s exhibition 'John Piper: A Very English Artist'.

Estimated at £400-600, a Satsuma censer by Kinkozan provided more evidence that there is considerable life in the market for top-quality Meiji works of art when offered by Surrey auctioneer Catherine Southon (18% buyer’s premium).

What is your bidding technique? This Bateman cartoon on offer at John Nicholson’s on May 23 should strike a chord with ATG readers who remember the days before bidding paddles.

The Colt Clavier collection of historical keyboard instruments will be offered on June 7 in a sale held by Canterbury Auction Galleries in association with London specialist Piano Auctions.

Hetty Purbrick and Caroline Zoob believe that small is beautiful. That’s not to say that the annual Decorative Living Fair in Eridge Park they launched 13 years ago is in any way under-used – they simply know that size isn’t everything.

The stellar sporting entry to John Nicholson’s (24% buyer’s premium) sale in Haslemere on April 25 was an early oil by the prolific equine painter, John E Ferneley (1782-1860).

Since the start of the Chinese boom at UK auctions many, if not most, estimates have been little more than here-to-sell signals. Settling on a figure with which vendors are happy with, and then leaving it to the worldwide market on the net, is now common practice.

Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair is bigger than ever this year as it returns for its fourth staging.

The theft of a piece of pottery from an antiques centre in Hampshire has been met with responses from other shop and centre owners reporting similar occurrences.

An ideal marriage of skills, rather than a clash of cultures, put a pair of c.1790-1800 Chinese export vases into the limelight at Hannam’s (20% buyer’s premium) sale at Selborne.

Early works painted before an artist has adopted their signature style can make for intriguing viewing – especially if that artist is widely known.

Lady McAlpine says she is now more determined than ever to make the Décor- Architectural architectural salvage event a success after the death of her husband, Sir William, on March 4.

An old photo of a former owner and a memorial inscription will seldom add commercial value to a Victorian locket. However, the example by the Phillips Brothers of Cockspur Street offered by Mallams (20% buyer’s premium) in Oxford on March 21 carried the inscription 'Julia Hay Norman, Died 3rd October 1873'.

If a 74% selling rate points to continued selectivity among furniture bidders, the hammer total of £534,000 achieved at Dreweatts’ (24% buyer’s premium) 275-lot Fine Furniture and Works of Art sale showed they also have money to spend – “a trend we’ve seen for a while now”, said auctioneer Ben Brown.

An 18in (45cm) figure of Shiva Vinadhara c.12th century – £220,000.