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

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Premier Fairs launches Penshurst event

09 June 2025

Midlands-based Richard Burtonshaw, organiser of glass and ceramic fairs under the banner Premier Fairs, is moving south for the second of his three events this year.

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John Bonham drumhead saved from bonfire (but not Alice Cooper guillotine)

09 June 2025

The only known bass drumhead featuring John Bonham’s personal symbol – the interlocking rings that became his mark after Led Zeppelin’s fourth album – hammered at $70,000 (£53,000) at Heritage (25% buyer’s premium) in Dallas.

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Sharp shakes up Bob Dylan as Mr Tambourine Man including a poster proof version

09 June 2025

A suitably psychedelic 1967 poster of Bob Dylan, designed by Martin Sharp, fetched £900 at the James & Sons (25% buyer’s premium inc VAT) auction in Fakenham on January 15.

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‘Running soap opera’ of Church Street ready to entertain buyers

09 June 2025

The annual extravaganza in north London features 40 visiting traders as well as the regular shops and centre

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Games play their part in Essex sale

09 June 2025

Nine-strong collection of Georgian and Victorian games counts as a highlight of mixed auction

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A selection of splendid cigarette cases

09 June 2025

Pictured below are three fine silver and enamel cigarette cases dating from the turn of the 20th century sold at auction in recent weeks.

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Posters show how bands graduated from uni gigs to much bigger stages

09 June 2025

Now famous for a career of filling stadiums as one of the biggest and most successful bands in the world, Pink Floyd played more humble venues back in the day.

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Silver: York items set to shine in the Michael Baggott collection

09 June 2025

The popular dealer amassed an impressive array of items assayed in the city

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Birmingham silver ‘toys’ played with practical objects

09 June 2025

From the late 18th century, Birmingham was the centre for the making of ‘toys’ – small decorative objects including boxes, nutmeg graters, buckles, caddy spoons, vinaigrettes and rattles, fashioned from silver.

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Silver gorilla evolves to double estimate sum

09 June 2025

The many models of anthropomorphic primates that proliferated British decorative arts in the 1860s typically reference Charles Darwin’s provocative and often lampooned 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection', first published in 1859.

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Petworth art and antiques fair's feel good factor

09 June 2025

Traders give positive feedback for an event that consistently gets the summer season off to a good start

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The ‘Holy Grail’ record sleeve with nothing inside

09 June 2025

“A Holy Grail moment for collectors worldwide” was the promise from Merseyside auction house Omega (29/35% buyer’s premium inc VAT) when a scarce picture sleeve came for sale.

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Light shed on the Arctic

09 June 2025

This 2ft 6in (75cm) high five-light candelabrum hallmarked for Sheffield 1844 and the firm Creswick & Co (Thomas, James and Nathaniel Creswick) is both an impressive example of early Victorian table silver and a memento of the heroic era of polar exploration.

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Tens of thousands of records collected over more than 60 years come to auction

09 June 2025

“This has been the biggest single cataloguing job of my career - an extraordinary experience,” said John Silke, vinyl specialist of Surrey saleroom Ewbank’s (25% buyer’s premium).

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Spoon that survived War of the Roses bid over three times estimate

09 June 2025

Spoons are among the very few pieces of English silver surviving from the period of Wars of the Roses.

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Prof Zacron/Robert Drew was drawn in by British art exhibition posters

09 June 2025

As part of a Fine Art auction in Surrey on June 25, Catherine Southon is selling a collection of British art exhibition posters from the estate of Professor Zacron (Robert Drew), the maverick artist best known for the album cover of Led Zeppelin III.

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Top stories this week including news of a portrait of John Prescott bought by his son at auction

08 June 2025

The most viewed stories on this website over the last week included news of a portrait of the late John Prescott being offered at a Yorkshire auction.

A Native of Sierra Leone by Nathaniel Sparks

Nathaniel Sparks’ ‘masterpiece’ flies over estimate at Cambridge sale

06 June 2025

A work described ‘the masterpiece of Nathaniel Sparks (1880-1957)’ set a major record for the artist at Cheffins last month.

Room for a collector

Art and antiques dealers from Treasure House Fair are part of latest WOW!house installation

05 June 2025

Ten art and antiques dealers have loaned art and objects to this year’s WOW!house in Chelsea.

Micromosaic

Midlands antiques dealer sells micromosaic to Houston museum

05 June 2025

Sutton Coldfield dealer Thomas Coulborn & Sons has sold another artwork to a US museum following a major art fair.

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