Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
George Medal awarded to brave boxer who foiled Princess Anne kidnap comes to auction
06 February 2020When a kidnap attempt was made on Princess Anne on the Mall in London it was handy that nearby was a brave 6ft 2in, 17 stone former heavyweight boxer who without thought for his own safety rushed to her aid.
Antique arms fair moves from Olympia to Hammersmith
27 January 2020The arms fair held in the Pillar Hall in Olympia is moving to another venue in west London which provides greater space.
Whitby working life in focus at Swann sale
27 January 2020An album dating to c.1887 containing 64 evocative albumen prints by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, documenting Whitby, England, is on offer at New York auction house Swann.
Medals earned by a Hardy band of brothers
06 January 2020Peninsular War medals featuring 13 or 14 clasps – showing how many actions the recipient fought in – are impressive enough in themselves. But three of them awarded to brothers who served in the same regiment, offered as a single lot at auction, takes demand to a different level.
Bobby Moore's first international cap as England captain sells for £11,000 at auction
30 November 2019The first cap as England captain won by 1966 World Cup winner Bobby Moore sold for £11,000 at a Shropshire auction along with an array of FA Cup and Manchester United programmes.
Sounding the Thunderer for the first penalty kick in a World Cup Final
11 November 2019The whistle that blew after just a minute of play to signal the first penalty kick ever awarded in a World Cup Final has sold for £4200 at a London auction.
Pick of the Week: Rediscovered Nelson portrait surfaces at sale
11 November 2019A hitherto unknown portrait of Nelson sold for three times the top estimate at the Charles Miller (24% buyer’s premium) auction on November 5.
Bunker Hill blast from the past
11 November 2019Musket that fired the first shot in 1775 American revolution battle appears in US saleroom.
Stroud Auctions gets to the point with a huge collection of bayonets for sale
29 October 2019Tom Mason’s collecting bug began when his father used to send him postcards and gifts from places he had been posted to in the Second World War, and on his return brought home a number of items of military memorabilia.
Missing in action but spotted shooting at a bottle of schnapps
28 October 2019‘Highly unusual’ is how the Duke’s (25% buyer’s premium) cataloguer described a Second World War medal group ahead of its sale in Dorchester on August 22 for £420, just over top estimate.
Wheelbarrow fells Waterloo hero
28 October 2019Just imagine: you have been through the horrors of the Battle of Waterloo in a regiment which suffered 217 casualties out of 396, and were wounded yourself, and then your career is ended by… a wheelbarrow.
Silver tureen salutes captain’s fighting spirit
28 October 2019American naval expertise and gallantry came as a big shock to the British, who had become used to the Royal Navy ruling the waves.
Poignant plaque for Women’s RAF
28 October 2019A Great War bronze memorial plaque – the ‘Death Penny’ – awarded to Violet Porter, Women’s Royal Air Force, is estimated at £4000- 5000 in the Spink Orders, Medals and Decorations auction in London on November 27-28.
Bicorne bidder from the US
28 October 2019This felt bicorne hat is of a type worn by all ranks of the British heavy cavalry and most light cavalry officers until replaced in 1812 by crested helmets and shakos.
Great War mascot fits the Bill
28 October 2019The Old Bill motorcar mascot was a popular item during and after the Great War.
RAF helmet soars above estimate
28 October 2019An RAF Second World War brown leather Type C flying helmet with goggles estimated at £400-500 in the Halls (23% buyer’s premium) Books, Medals & Militaria Auction on August 21 soared to £3400.
Fan adulation for naval hero Nelson
28 October 2019Nelson’s naval heroics earned him many fans – and among the many souvenirs they bought to mark his greatness were fans of the cooling variety.
Extra award marks ‘Forlorn Hope’ bravery
28 October 2019The ‘Forlorn Hope’ was well named: a band of soldiers, often volunteers, chosen to take the lead part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high. Its usage was especially common in accounts of the Peninsular War (1808-14).
Shako of sadness emerges at Tunbridge Wells sale
28 October 2019This shako worn by an officer of the 26th Regiment of Bengal Native (Light) Infantry is a reminder of tragic times in India.
Bayonets sale that gets to the point
28 October 2019Tom Mason’s collecting bug began when his father sent him postcards and gifts from places where he was posted during the Second World War. By his early teens he had started his own collection of military memorabilia and began what would become a lifetime obsession with the American Civil War. Pen pals in the US and Canada helped him search for relics.