UK

From elegant furniture by Scandinavian designers to stand-out lamps and decorative pieces… the lines, materials and simplicity that characterise interiors items from the mid-century modern period appeal to a wide range of buyers.

A watercolour of a dandelion attributed to Beatrix Potter estimated at £200-300 ended up selling at a hammer price of £2600.

Sworders’ run of single-owner sales continues with a two-day auction on May 13-14 titled Paul Atkinson, The Nomadic Collector.

A notable collection of textiles from English aristocrat and society hostess Lady Ottoline Morrell (1873-1938) attracted considerable interest at Dominic Winter (22% buyer’s premium) in Cirencester.

As this year commemorates VE and VJ days, there are likely to be even more collectors and dealers than usual converging on the first of 2025’s biannual Britannia Medal Fairs on Sunday, May 11.

May show at Ripley is always the best attended, says organiser ahead of the 85-exhibitor three-day offering

More people than ever are getting hooked on angling, says the Angling Trust which reported that in 2023-24 as a result of participation events more than 43,000 people tried fishing for the first time.

A large-scale work by Royal Worcester’s near-legendary craftsman George Owen (1845-1912) led a recent sale at Philip Serrell (20% buyer’s premium) in Malvern, Worcestershire.

Chairs were in particular demand at the Dulwich biannual Mid-century event

Fragment found in an attic with receipt for £25 now sells for £39,000 hammer price

A letter from Robert Falcon Scott – aka Scott of the Antarctic – came up for sale at Canterbury Auction Galleries (20% buyer’s premium) on April 11-14.

This rare playbill on silk printed in the Arctic in 1852 sold for £4400 at a recent sale at Keys (25% buyer’s premium) in Aylsham.