Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Uniform for a (very) small soldier
04 April 2022This Victorian tailor-made military uniform by A Succaram Tookaram & Sons, Tailors, 273 Main Street, Poona was estimated at £150-200 at Lockdales (18% buyer’s premium) in Ipswich.
Sound purchases in Canada
28 March 2022The Edison Class M cylinder phonograph was initially intended for business dictation but in time entertainment became its main role.
Wilde and Joyce bring taste of Ireland
28 March 2022Potter & Potter’s Fine Literature & Modern Firsts Sale on April 26 in Chicago includes a copy of Oscar Wilde’s (1854-1900) The Ballad of Reading Gaol.
Previews: issue 2536
28 March 2022A selection of 13 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.
Previews: issue 2535
21 March 2022A selection of 13 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK and Ireland.
Photo record of a First World War nurse’s work
14 March 2022The Voluntary Aid Detachments (VAD) comprised volunteer civilians providing care to British, Empire and allied troops during the First World War, both in field hospitals near to the battlefield and in more established places of recuperation back home.
Tank Museum buys blueprint for the monstrous Mark 1
14 March 2022The only known blueprint of a Great War British Mark I tank has been sold by Carlisle auction house Laidlaw (18.5% buyer’s premium) to The Tank Museum in Bovington.
Walter Sickert’s way to Tipperary
14 March 2022A patriotic Walter Sickert (1860-1942) painting bought by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London is earmarked to be displayed among the exhibits in the new art, film and photographic galleries opening next year.
Medals and militaria: Demand for medal groups backed by stirring accounts of bravery shows no sign of easing up
14 March 2022The healthy demand for top-notch medals with interesting back-stories shows no sign of decreasing, judging by recent results.
If you can’t afford a full-size VC try a miniature version
14 March 2022If a full-size Victoria Cross medal group is beyond your price range, a lot sold at Adam Partridge (20% buyer’s premium inc VAT) is perhaps the next best thing.
Two quality collections stand to attention at Thomas Del Mar auction
14 March 2022David Jeffcoat (1945-2020) was a man with many interests, not least setting up dining clubs such as the Lunardi Society celebrating the achievements of a hot air balloonist and another named after a local vicar turned highwayman.
Story of a redoubtable Irish nationalist and social reformer
14 March 2022Kathleen Lynn can be seen very much as a modern woman of her time. The daughter of a County Mayo Church of Ireland rector, her upbringing was conservatively Protestant and Unionist but she became politically radicalised through her exposure to the poverty of Dublin’s slums while she studied medicine.
Caterpillar and dolphin dangers
14 March 2022RAF Wing Commander Terence Helfer’s Distinguished Flying Cross citation stated: “He has undertaken many hazardous missions…”
Gothic Revival regulator for sale in Cincinatti
07 March 2022Hindman will cover four centuries of American artists and craftsmen in its March 10-11 American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts auction in Cincinatti.
New appointments in US salerooms including Eleanor Walper joining Christie's
07 March 2022Christie’s Jewels has appointed Eleanor Walper as associate vice president and specialist at Christie’s in Los Angeles.
Previews: issue 2533
07 March 2022A selection of 16 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.
Goalie shirt saved since 1879 single appearance
28 February 2022One of the earliest items of football memorabilia to appear at auction emerged at Bonhams in Knightsbridge: an England international goalkeeper shirt from 1879.
Previews: issue 2532
28 February 2022A selection of 13 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.
Busby Babe belongings come to Budd auction
21 February 2022Poignant items related to ‘Busby Babe’ Duncan Edwards that were kept safe by his girlfriend after his death following the Munich air disaster are for sale in a Sports Memorabilia auction to be held by specialist Graham Budd on March 8-9.
Previews: issue 2531
21 February 2022A selection of 15 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.