Hansons

In the early years of the HN collection in the 1920s several companies commissioned Doulton figures to advertise their products.

Fleetwood Mac are famous for the huge-selling Rumours album that propelled the band to superstardom but the original line-up and sound were very different.

Dealer Daniel Hadden is hoping for an early Christmas present with the sale of two tree decorations that once belonged to Queen Victoria.

The Tarleton helmet was named after the dashing but ruthless Sir Banastre Tarleton (1754-1833), who commanded the British Legion during the American War of Independence.

A 1556 first edition copy of Welshman Robert Recorde’s The Castle of Knowledge was estimated at £5000-10,000 and made £12,600 including buyer’s premium at Hansons’ November 1 Library auction.

A never-before-seen photo of soldiers leaving Ulster to fight in the First World War and a serviceman’s diary from the trenches have been uncovered.

An 18th century copy of Tikkunei Shabbat (an amalgam of Hebrew prayers and devotions for the Sabbath) sold for £57,000 to an international phone bidder at Hansons on September 5.

“I get loads and loads of emails and calls all the time from people whose eyes have lit up when they see those words ‘first edition’…”

Metal detectorists continue to be the best supply of ancient and medieval jewels onto the market.

An 18th century wine bottle honouring Thomas Wedgwood, a key figure in the history of the Wedgwood factory, comes for sale in Derbyshire this autumn.

Joseph Towne (1806-79) is best known for pioneering the creation of anatomical wax models, many of which are now displayed at a medical museum at Guy’s Hospital in London.

A poignant description of life as an artist studying at the Royal Academy in the mid-19th century emerged at auction and more than doubled its estimate.

Antiques Trade Gazette reported (No 2600) on the recent opening of my new saleroom at Royston in the name of Hanson Ross.

Almanacs became hugely popular as printing made them widely accessible

Auction house Hansons has opened its sixth saleroom, this time in Hertfordshire.

Sasha dolls are named after their Swiss designer, artist Sasha Morgenthaler and were made in the UK and Germany from the mid to late 1960s.

Mittens worn by British Everest expedition leader Sir John Hunt in 1953 have been reunited 70 years later following a successful auction bid, it has been revealed.