Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Legendary rare 1970s album from Courtyard Music Group sells for £1200
07 March 2017It will come as no surprise that signed Beatles albums are some of the top sellers in the entertainment memorabilia collecting field. But have you heard of the Courtyard Music Group?
Lord Ashcroft buys yet another Victoria Cross for unrivalled collection
06 March 2017Lord Ashcroft has added another Victoria Cross to his mightily impressive and ever-growing collection. He bought the VC awarded to Yorkshire hero George Sanders for bravery at the first day of the Somme in 1916 and other honours Sanders had earned, including a Military Cross.
Photo album returns to ‘Downton’
04 March 2017AN album of photographs of Highclere Castle in Hampshire, immortalised as the home of the fictional Earl of Grantham in the TV series Downton Abbey, has been sold to the owners of the estate in a private treaty sale arranged by Lawrences of Crewkerne.
Swann animal magic drives perpetual auction motion
04 March 2017“THE more things change, the more they stay the same,” goes the saying based on Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr’s 1849 epigram. Or as American baseball great Yogi Berra supposedly said: “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”
The sword with strong connections from the Cotswolds and Sweden to Nepal, India and Australia
01 March 2017The worldwide reach of UK regional auctions is summed up beautifully by a militaria lot sold in the Cotswolds: a kora fighting sword given by a Nepalese ruler to a British field marshal who commanded in India and was revered by the Australians and Gurkhas.
Rorke's Drift medal and Somme Victoria Cross up at auction in London
27 February 2017It ain’t rocket science: rarity adds value. While various other factors come into play, the number of a particular item in existence is a clear driver of auction prices, and in militaria the defence of Rorke’s Drift is a classic example.
Auctioneers negotiate private sale of ‘Downton Abbey’ photographs
27 February 2017A photo album giving a glimpse of late 19th century life in one of Britain’s most distinguished country seats is heading back home.
Duke’s to offer Parliament’s Queen Victoria statue
25 February 2017BILLIONS of pounds worth of urgent renovation work could force MPs out of the crumbling Houses of Parliament, but a statue of Queen Victoria discovered in the shrubbery of a Hampshire garden underlines that the buildings have needed frequent repairs.
Gladitorial battle for rare sestertius
25 February 2017THIS rare sestertius showing one of the earliest views of the Colosseum made £310,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) as part of a sell-out collection of Roman bronze coins offered at Dix Noonan Webb on February 15. The saleroom says the total hammer price of £675,605 for 194 lots was “437% of the pre-sale low estimate – a record for DNW”.
American First World War propaganda posters flagged up at auction
24 February 2017Kitchener’s moustache-adorned stern visage staring out with finger extended demanding that you join your country’s army is not only one of the best-known First World War posters but one of the most familiar posters overall.
Manchester United enamel pin badge sold at auction for 20-times estimate
22 February 2017The white shirt bears a dark ‘V’ across the front more like St Helens rugby league team, but the ball underneath is unmistakably round rather than oval. Then the words ‘Manchester United’ emblazoned below the figure give the game away.
Trio of 1930s barn find classic cars come to auction
20 February 2017“Non-runners but ripe for restoration” is how Cheshire auction house Peter Wilson describes three 1930s cars found in a garden. It also sums up what fans of classic car ‘barn finds’ are after.
How family values can boost the auction values of medals and militaria
16 February 2017One challenge that auctioneers face is whether to sell a collection as a whole, or in several different groups, or individually. Finding the right strategy is vital to getting lots away with decent prices.
Gareth Edwards Welsh rugby jersey up for auction
14 February 2017Saturday’s last-gasp, nail-biting England victory was hailed as one of the greatest games of the Six Nations championship. Talking of rugby ‘greats’, a jersey coming up at auction on February 18 is a reminder of an earlier international player who falls into the ‘legend’ sports category.
Rare slides sold at auction reveal scenes from 1922 British Everest Expedition
13 February 2017THESE days climbing Everest is a bit old hat. Don’t get me wrong – people still die in the attempt and it is a massive achievement – but more than 4000 people have climbed the world’s highest mountain since it was first conquered in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
So much Mucha in one auction
11 February 2017More than 100 lots from the Art Nouveau poster master on offer from Maryland collection
Empress of Russia's Fabergé gift to her Yorkshire godchildren comes to auction
09 February 2017The tragic story of the last of the imperial Russian family does not have an immediately obvious connection with a Yorkshire spa town but it is nonetheless a strong one.
Rolls-Royces from different eras gear up for auctions
07 February 2017Sheffield Auction Gallery uses the rather euphemistic term ‘weathered patina’ when describing the condition of a Rolls-Royce it has estimated at £1000-1200 in its February 24 sale.
Viking silver sets a penny record
04 February 2017A COIN struck for the last Viking ruler of ‘old’ York sold for a record hammer price of $130,000 (£106,560) in a New York auction on January 11.
Hong Kong Plague Medal 1894 on offer at Catherine Southon auction
31 January 2017Some collectors go for military medals. Some prefer civilian awards. An honour coming up at auction on February 22 is a fascinating example of a medal awarded to both military and civilians.