Entertainment Memorabilia

The response among Sixties regulars at a north London pub to the fly poster, below, advertising a gig by the High Numbers may well have been: The who?

The artist John Hurford was a key figure in the British psychedelia movement of the late 1960s.

Only around five examples of this rare ‘Big Beat’ concert poster are thought to exist. It advertises a 1958 tour by Rock and Roll promoter Alan Freed, whose photo appears at the top above the 16 different 1950s top musical acts (all also pictured).

As foreign travel is greatly restricted for now, we can feast our eyes instead on this extravagant poster of the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco.

A section of maritime antiques offered at Adam Partridge (20% buyer’s premium) in Liverpool included an otherwise pedestrian Spode cup and saucer made c.1910.

This Star Wars Kenner Blue Snaggletooth action figure, undented toe version, complete with original weapon, is estimated at £80-120 in the Special Auction Services October 27 Toys for the Collector sale.

It’s admittedly not much to look at and just 2 x 3½in (5 x 8.5cm), but if you are a Star Wars collector this badge on offer estimated at £4000-6000 at East Bristol Auctions on July 24 means a great deal.

A memento of the last great age of transatlantic ocean travel can be found at the sale of Peter Karbstein in Düsseldorf on July 11.

A round-up of art and antiques news from the previous seven days, including a Star Wars action figure droid from 'The Empire Strikes Back' making over 50-times estimate.

The American magician William Ellsworth Robinson not only adopted the stage name of Chung Ling Soo but stayed in character as a Chinese magician on and off stage.

The sale held by Swan Fine Art (20% buyer’s premium) in Tetsworth on May 6 included a fine-quality ventriloquist’s doll, c.1930.

This original poster marks Live Aid, the dual-venue benefit concert held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985.

This set of 10 detective novels is by ‘Jim Dollar’, the pseudonym of Soviet author Marietta Shaginian (1888-1982), whose writing is described as ‘satirical fantasy fiction’.

Among 83 lots of film and entertainment memorabilia offered at Lacy Scott & Knight (20% buyer’s premium) in Bury in St Edmunds was a British quad-size poster for 'Dr No', the first James Bond film starring Sean Connery released in 1962.

Well before the darker Batman film versions of directors Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan there was a more innocent era of Batman on the big and small screens.