Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Stan Mortensen 1953 FA Cup final hat-trick football to be offered at Derbyshire auction
06 January 2018With a full weekend of FA Cup action kicking off last night, it is a perfect time to reveal that the only football ever used to score a hat-trick in an FA Cup final at the original Wembley Stadium is coming up at auction.
Create your own home cinema with film posters and seats on sale at auction
04 January 2018Televisions are so large these days that watching films in your own house has its own big screen quality. You could enhance the home cinema experience thanks to lots coming up at a Gloucestershire saleroom.
Early coin proof sets prove to be in high demand at London auction
28 December 2017Judging by the number of coin proof sets that have been issued in Elizabeth II’s reign, they have become very popular with collectors. But these Royal Mint sets date much further back and are now sought-after at auction.
Nelson and Lawrence of Arabia footwear stroll to Hansons auction success
23 December 2017Footwear is always topical at this time of year thanks to careless Cinderella and her mislaid slipper. So it’s a perfect chance to bring news of a couple of intriguing items sold at Derbyshire saleroom Hansons.
Psychedelic music poster by Martin Sharp captures Sixties spirit at Batemans auction
20 December 2017The psychedelic posters produced to promote the likes of Bob Dylan, Cream and Jimi Hendrix encapsulate the spirit of the Sixties – and can catch the eye at auction, such as the Batemans sale this month.
Single-owner Cartier-Bresson collection in the New York picture
18 December 2017The famous photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson are no strangers to salerooms but it is not every day that you find 120 lots being offered from a single-owner collection.
Marilyn’s sultry happy birthday song to JFK
18 December 2017The night, just three months before her death, that Marilyn Monroe sang ‘Happy Birthday’ in sultry tones at a Democratic Party fundraiser celebrating John F Kennedy’s 45th birthday caused quite a sensation.
Lawrence of Arabia sandals emerge from supermarket carrier bag into Derbyshire auction
14 December 2017A supermarket carrier bag concealed a battle-weary but still wearable pair of sandals worn by Lawrence of Arabia.
Miner turned vet then art historian comes to Winchester exhibition
13 December 2017In covering art and antiques, it is easy to overlook the role of the collector in among the people who created objects in the first place, and of course the dealers and auctioneers who sell them. But one collector, the late David Brown, is the subject of a show coming up in Winchester.
Rare and record Henry VII testoon coin sold in London auction is bought by Royal Mint Museum
12 December 2017A scarce coin showing a portrait of the first Tudor monarch has been bought at auction on behalf of the Royal Mint Museum for £44,000.
Rare engraving of the Canterbury Magna Carta is bought at local auction by the city's cathedral
11 December 2017A rare engraving of ‘Canterbury’s Magna Carta’ of 1215 has been saved for the Kent city after it appeared in a sale at The Canterbury Auction Galleries.
Gold box marks freedom of New York awarded to American naval hero who captured British ship
11 December 2017The War of 1812 was something of a shock to the Royal Navy. Still basking in the glow of victories such as the Battle of the Nile and of course Trafalgar, British ships seemed unbeatable.
Victoria Cross trio includes a record
11 December 2017Tis the season to sell Victoria Crosses… three have come up at auction recently and posted strong results, including a world record.
Sit up and take notice of wartime posters
11 December 2017Gadgets fascinate collector Maurice Collins but wartime posters on display at a January fair also proclaim his social history interest.
Civil war posters recall memory of a Republican fighter
11 December 2017Evocative propaganda posters are being offered by specialist auction house Onslows on December 15 from a conflict that raged between the world wars.
Beating the U-boats - a Victoria Cross record
11 December 2017We know how it usually goes with most stand-out Victoria Crosses offered at auction: Lord Ashcroft buys them and they go on display at his gallery in the Imperial War Museum in London. But the record for a VC sold at auction, which has recently been set at London saleroom Morton & Eden, actually went to another bidder with very deep pockets – but thankfully for medals enthusiasts, someone else who is looking to put it on public view.
Birmingham auction house sells bell from Falklands War Royal Navy ship
11 December 2017Amid current stories in the media of drastic Royal Navy cutbacks, it is difficult to imagine a sizeable task force of British ships sailing thousands of miles to fight a war. But in 1982 HMS Brilliant (F90) was part of that fleet heading to the South Atlantic to take on, and beat, the Argentinians who had invaded the Falkland Islands.
For U the bell tolls
11 December 2017Marine and scientific specialist Charles Miller (20% buyer’s premium) featured several U-boat-related lots from various owners in his November 7 sale at the west London auction hub of 25 Blythe Road.
Eastern weapons and cased pistols point to high prices
11 December 2017Among the weapons in demand from collectors are Eastern arms and cased pistols, judging by recent auctions. Here we take a look at a few examples – and a specific arms and armour feature will appear in an upcoming issue.
Tibet in the frame from golf to gore
11 December 2017Wiltshire auction house Henry Aldridge & Son (17.5% buyer’s premium) has established a reputation for Titanic memorabilia thanks to two specialist sales a year. Thanks to a lot sold in the November 11 auction, the Devizes firm also has a handy sideline in early photographs of Tibet.