West Midlands

It may be military gallantry medals that usually get all the glory but honours awarded to a lifeboat crew member sold in a Devon auction typify civilian bravery.

A successful sale tempts further consignments. The recent string of excellent results for Zulu War medals has certainly encouraged fresh batches of honours to auctioneers.

A copy of a pioneering work that has been described as “the first practical statement of socialist doctrine”, Robert Owen’s ‘A New View of Society...,’ of 1813-14, will be a major attraction in a Dominic Winter sale next month.

Stoke-on-Trent’s Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is hopeful of raising nearly half a million pounds to buy a Wedgwood First Day’s vase after it was awarded a £90,000 grant from the Art Fund.

What is thought to be the earliest example of Iron Age gold ever discovered in Britain was unveiled to the public this week at The Potteries Museum in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.

A Chinese porcelain wucai fish vase sold for £810,000 at Fellows on Monday – 450 times its estimate. Such large wucai or 'five colours' fish jars tend to date from the reign of Jiajing (1522-1566) but Fellows believed it to be 20th century.

The Cotswolds will be welcoming a new auction firm when two ceramics dealers launch Kingham & Orme Auctioneers next week.

Star Wars, Action Man and plastic soldiers are just three of the toy collectable fields growing in demand as buyers get all nostalgic about their childhoods. Another biggie in this market is Lego.

The War of the Worlds 1953 British quad film poster is regarded as a scarce must-have in that collecting market.

A Chinese cinnabar lacquer brush pot sold for £155,000 at Shrewsbury auctioneers Halls earlier today.

The original ‘It’ bag, a Hermès Birkin, has proved yet again that it remains the world’s most desirable bag after setting an auction record for Fellows Auctioneers this week.

A new Antiques for Everyone Fair is to launch in London in January 2017.