Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire

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Police 'truncheon' from 1804 coming up at auction is the short arm of the law

18 July 2017

A very early police ‘truncheon’ up at auction on July 25 was more about the short arm of the law than long.

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Superb 17th century armour result at Sotheby's thought to be an auction record

17 July 2017

The musket and pistol ball test dents in the surface of a superb set of armour sold at Sotheby’s tell the story of how warfare was changing in the 17th century.

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Not amused – but happy to crochet

17 July 2017

While it is well known that Queen Victoria sent her troops tins of chocolate boxes for Christmas in the second Boer War (1899-1902), the eight scarves she personally crocheted to send to individual soldiers are not so familiar.

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Sword cane owned by Battle of Waterloo cavalry commander sells at auction

12 July 2017

“By god, sir, I’ve lost my leg.” “By god, sir, so you have.” One of the most famous verbal exchanges in military history was recalled when lot 342 was sold by London auctioneer Thomas Del Mar on June 28.

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Wimbledon memorabilia served up in North Yorkshire auction

11 July 2017

It’s that time of year again, although Murray and Konta (at the time of writing) are spoiling the now traditional game of ‘how early are the Brits going to crash out of Wimbledon’ and a double win is actually a possibility.

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Rare early photographs at auction reveal a snapshot of the Second Boer War

05 July 2017

Militaria archive material such as documents, letters and log books has been delivering strong results at auction recently, aided by cross-over appeal to photography enthusiasts.

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Australian Holey Dollar coin from 1813 sells in London auction

03 July 2017

The Holey Grail of the Australian coins world… hang on, we used that pun in a 2013 ATG story. Nevertheless, it is Holey appropriate:  the Holey Dollar remains a must-have for collectors of Australian coins.

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Scarf crocheted by Queen Victoria for a humble British Army sergeant comes to auction

03 July 2017

The popular image of Queen Victoria in the latter days is of a sombre, dressed in mourning black, unsmiling monarch who was definitely not amused. However, an intriguing item coming up at auction shows her compassionate, caring side.

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Early Suffragette banner – a £13,600 charity shop find

03 July 2017

For more than 10 years after its donation, this Suffragette banner sat stowed away in a cupboard at a little charity shop in Leeds. On June 20 it sold at local saleroom Gary Don for £13,600 (plus 21% buyer’ premium).

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D-Day relics fly high in US sales

03 July 2017

Original D-Day invasion flags may be fragile and rare but a spate of them has appeared on the market recently in the US.

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Suffragette banner stowed away for 10 years in charity shop makes £13,600 at auction

30 June 2017

For more than 10 years a banner sat stowed away in a cupboard at a little charity shop in Leeds after it was donated. Little did the staff know that one day that same once-forgotten item would sell at auction for a hammer price of £13,600.

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Dambusters bouncing bomb release button on offer at auction for the first time

28 June 2017

The bomb release button from the Lancaster bomber of 617 Squadron that released the ‘bouncing bomb’ which destroyed the Möhne Dam on May 17, 1943 is being offered at auction for the first time.

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Focus on the war artist friend of Eric Ravilious who also went missing in action

27 June 2017

It may seem a blindingly obvious thing to say, but being a war artist can be a dangerous business. Eric Ravilious, now one of the most sought-after Modern British artists, was never seen again after joining a Second World War rescue flight which itself ended up as missing in action.

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Death Railway survivor's sword comes to Cornish auction

22 June 2017

The ‘value’ of an auction lot cannot always be summed up by price alone. While not at a high estimate level, a sword coming up in a Cornish saleroom has a fascinating background. And whatever the final result is, the historical value can be viewed as priceless.

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Early views of Australia emerge at auction

21 June 2017

A lifelong interesting in collecting can be sparked off by so many different things. For Australian Denis Joachim it was a purchase in a second-hand bookshop when he was just 18 years old.

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Ornate 16th century gun emerges from talk to local Cheshire group

12 June 2017

Autograph albums, pocket watches and vases are the more usual fare for a valuer who gives a talk to a local group and asks people to bring along interesting items. A superb late 16th century gun is a very different matter.

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Mysterious 1776 US pewter dollar coin at auction in New York

08 June 2017

One of the earliest coins in American history is coming to auction at Spink in New York.

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Medal at auction recalls when England won the first World Cups

07 June 2017

When you hear that a team with ‘Auckland’ in the title won the first football World Cup, two obvious questions immediately come to mind: the first World Cup was surely won by Uruguay in 1930, wasn’t it? And... when have the Kiwis ever been any good at footy?

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Tony Curtis cut-out from Sgt Pepper's album cover up at auction

05 June 2017

You may have, possibly, maybe, perhaps, gleaned by now that 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest albums of all time.

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Opulent Art Deco luxury liner SS Normandie relics sail into auction

31 May 2017

Once a flagship of the glamorous age of luxury liners, redolent of the Art Deco style and dripping with opulence, the SS Normandie ended her days broken up for scrap after being ravaged by fire.