Portrait silhouettes were all the rage in fashionable English society of the Georgian period but suffered a rapid decline in popularity in Victorian times as photography began to dominate.

In the race to offer increasingly collectable more modern toys such as Lego and Star Wars, a lot dating from 1896 sold at a Teesside auction shows older items are still in the running when rarity and condition are just right.

The Titanic market throws up many connections and coincidences within a relatively small but ever-popular collecting field, as an elegant gold Asprey cigarette case on offer at a Derbyshire auction demonstrates perfectly.

The guitar that set the Bee Gees on the road to Saturday Night Fever and international disco stardom is to be offered at a Wiltshire sale.

Two extensive private collections of pottery coming up at a North Yorkshire auction will offer the chance to buy items produced by classic British manufacturers with designs by some of the best-known names in that field.

The nickname ‘Lucky’ Lucan seems a strange one seeing as it refers to the infamous 7th Earl of Lucan who disappeared in 1974, shortly after the attempted murder of his, by then, estranged wife and the murder of the nanny of their children, Sandra Rivett.

‘We are selling… we are sellll-iiing…’ as Rod Stewart nearly sang. We all need a good clear-out now and again, even rock stars. Stewart has asked a local auction firm to help out with his.

In our recent ATG jewellery feature we wrote about how the death of silver designer Stuart Devlin earlier this year and a book he published just beforehand could lead to a reappraisal of his work. When it comes to auctions, a very good market test is coming up soon.

Along with national characteristics such as moaning about the weather, constantly saying sorry and an eagerness to join a queue, the British love of gardening is very well known.

The collection of a man described as “a passionate supporter of the decorative arts” will feature in the inaugural sale at a new Melbourne saleroom.