UK

The United Kingdom accounts for more than one fifth of the global art market sales and is the second biggest art market after the US.

Through auctioneers, dealers, fairs and markets - and a burgeoning online sector - buyers, collectors and sellers of art and antiques can easily access a vibrant network of intermediaries and events around the country. The UK's museums also house a wealth of impressive collections

Mousehole harbour by George Hammond Steel

Charity shop discovery takes four-figure sum at auction

13 February 2026

A painting by Modern British artist George Hammond Steel (1900-60) which was discovered in an RSPCA charity shop in Royal Wootton Bassett drew strong interest at auction earlier this year.

Meissen plate

Meissen with a Delft touch emerges in Nottingham

13 February 2026

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.

Elizabethan Lambert table

Elizabethan table stands out in Fitzsimmons sale

13 February 2026

Paul Fitzsimmons of Marhamchurch Antiques in Bovey Tracey, Devon, is one of the foremost early English oak specialists in the UK, with over 30 years of experience in the trade.

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Art Stable in Dorset hosts father and daughter art exhibition

13 February 2026

Art Stable in Dorset is holding a pair of simultaneous exhibitions on Humphrey Jennings (1907-50) and his daughter Charlotte.

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Antique props once seen on screen, now starring in the saleroom

13 February 2026

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

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Indian service in the spotlight

13 February 2026

Several lots linked to a George Henry Robertson who served in Victorian campaigns in India impressed at Toovey’s (25% buyer’s premium) of West Sussex .

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Derbyshire Shrovetide football scores £4200 many miles away in Cornwall

13 February 2026

The ancient game of Royal Shrovetide Football has been played in the Derbyshire town of Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday since the 17th century.

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‘Death penny’ medal group makes nine times estimate

13 February 2026

While a First World War memorial plaque (‘death penny’ or ‘dead man’s penny’) is not usually worth that much on its own, when presented with an associated medal group the price can rise considerably.

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Clinch a Klimt deal at just four figures

13 February 2026

Prints proved popular at this year’s London Art Fair (LAF), with a rare first reproduction of Gustav Klimt’s 'Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer' among the early highlights.

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Bradbury Wilkinson saved for posterity

13 February 2026

Two collections of banknote designs and specimens from engraving and printing firm Bradbury Wilkinson & Company were offered at either end of 2025.

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Customer leaves it to last minute for rug purchase as LARTA celebrates a strong event

13 February 2026

Sales at this year’s edition of The London Antique Rug and Textile Art Fair (LARTA) continued, literally, until the doors were shutting on the final day.

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Show of ‘magnificent courage’

13 February 2026

A First World War Distinguished Conduct Medal casualty group of four sold for £2800 at Tennants (24% buyer’s premium) in Leyburn on December 10.

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New antiques dealers believe The Decorative Fair at Battersea ‘is the perfect mix’

13 February 2026

Each edition of The Decorative Fair brings new faces and this season Sheldrake Collection, founded by friends Alice Dickie and Chloe Shann, was one of them.

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Here comes the Heavy Brigade

13 February 2026

The disaster of the Charge of the Light Brigade inevitably dominates the tale of the Battle of Balaclava on October 25, 1854, but far more successful actions also took place that day: the Charge of The Heavy Brigade and The Thin Red Line.

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Door opens to Dorothy Garland at the Dominion Theatre

13 February 2026

Incomparable! Delightful! The one and only! Miss Show Business Judy Garland’s All Star Variety Show – as billed at the time – opened at the Dominion Theatre in London’s Tottenham Court Road in October 17, 1957, for a four-and-a-half week run.

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Order awarded by a doomed Afghan king

13 February 2026

The Order of the Durrani Empire (Nishan-i-Daulat-i-Durrani) was established in 1839 and awarded to British field officers and above during the First Afghan War by Shah Durrani of Afghanistan (1785-1842) in gratitude for his restoration to the throne as Shah Shuja-ool-Moqlk, King of Afghanistan.

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Coins, banknotes and medals: It could have been a terrible year... but it certainly wasn’t

13 February 2026

While fears in these uncertain times such as tariff disputes and the London market potentially moving overseas made 2025 a daunting prospect, specialists can instead look back on an encouraging period full of resilience and high prices

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Trafalgar and Spartan add up to £9100 result

13 February 2026

The clasps (metal bars across the ribbons) signifying participation in particular actions are a key factor driving value when it comes to the Naval General Service medal 1793-1840 awarded retrospectively for Royal navy service.

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‘Car boot’ badge find makes major windfall for owners – twice

13 February 2026

Established in 1687 by James II (also James VII of Scotland), membership of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is in the personal gift of the sovereign, just as it is with the Order of the Garter and the Order of Merit.

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Plenty to bite into at The Winter Decorative Fair in Battersea

13 February 2026

From huge sharks to chocolate pots, The Decorative Fair offered a tempting range to suit all tastes

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