Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Louis XVI bedroom panels on the move yet again after auction purchase
09 September 2024Painted wood panels from a partial Louis XVI boiserie-panelled bedroom were among the 250 lots at the Design for the Home and Garden auction at Andrew Jones (25/18/12% buyer’s premium) in Los Angeles on July 17.
Auction offers ‘truly magnificent’ copy of Irish antiquities work
09 September 2024Blessed with a classical education, a gift for drawing and his father’s fortune, the English militiaman and antiquary Francis Grose (1731-91) is best known for his Views of Antiquities in England and Wales, published in several volumes between 1772-76.
New premises for Catherine Southon saleroom
06 September 2024Catherine Southon Auctioneers & Valuers has moved to new premises with a permanent saleroom.
Jim Spencer starts new chapter as he moves from Hansons auction house to launch his own saleroom
04 September 2024Book specialist Jim Spencer has left Hansons and is launching his own saleroom offering monthly timed online auctions in Lichfield, Staffordshire.
Whoopee - debut Beano complete with free gift sells for a UK record result
03 September 2024A copy of the very first issue of The Beano – and the only one to retain its original ‘free gift’ - has sold at auction for £26,000.
Seven-figure bet on ‘Rembrandt’ as portrait becomes the Maine attraction
02 September 2024The second session of the three-day sale at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries on August 23-25 was dominated by the seven-figure performance of a portrait in the manner of Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-69).
Items from Britain’s best-known metal detectorist surface at TimeLine Auctions
02 September 2024Eighty-seven lots from the collection of Britain’s best-known metal detectorist are on offer as part of TimeLine Auctions’ mammoth sale in Harwich, Essex, from September 3-8.
Whitman’s personal touch creates a surprise performance
02 September 2024An author printed and signed copy of Walt Whitman’s 'Leaves of Grass' sold for $37,500 (£29,400) with buyer’s premium at University Archives.
On an original visit to Busytown
02 September 2024The children’s author Richard Scarry (1919-94) was at the peak of popularity when he published 'Nicky Goes to the Doctor' in 1972.
Military credentials lift watch at Wessex sale
02 September 2024A rare military issue by The International Watch Company sold well above estimate at Wessex Auction Rooms (19% buyer’s premium) in Chippenham, Wiltshire.
Tudor propaganda: Queen Mary’s own copy of Vergil’s history of England comes up for sale boosted by maps
02 September 2024Mary Tudor’s personal copy of Vergil’s history of England comes to auction in Gloucestershire this month.
Breitling dives into Dorset auction
02 September 2024Duke’s September 11 sale of Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Currency includes a fine array of vintage and second-hand branded wristwatches.
Look through the keyhole courtesy of a grand picture book
02 September 2024The 504-lot book sale at Potter & Potter (20% buyer’s premium) in Chicago on July 25 was topped by a four-volume set of one of the great records of the Gilded Age.
Special lots from a locked room
02 September 2024Library items shelved away in now closed college include some of the first North American histories
Driver’s watch in gear
02 September 2024The driver’s watch, with its elongated ‘stirrup’ lugs and rectangular Roman dial, is a classic of the 1930s and early 40s.
Pay for it when the war’s over
02 September 2024A recent sale at Key’s (25% buyer’s premium) in Aylsham included a Second World War prisoner of war Rolex 3525 Oyster chronograph offered together with the original owner’s medals, dog tags and personal wartime diaries.
Famous Five first edition at four figures
02 September 2024'Five Run Away Together' was the third of the Famous Five titles but today the most elusive.
Group of Diana correspondence underlines high demand for Princess of Wales material
02 September 2024More than a dozen letters and cards from Diana, Princess of Wales, to her family’s former housekeeper were sold at a recent auction at Sworders (25% buyer’s premium).
George Jones generates majolica animal magic
27 August 2024The 14in (35cm) high giraffe and stag centrepiece, designed at the peak of the majolica boom c.1875, is considered the most coveted of all George Jones models.
