Auctioneers

The final day of Gardiner Houlgate’s latest guitar auction included a remarkable Victorian-era instrument: a rosewood and mother of pearl inlaid harp-guitar or ‘guitarpa’.

Christie’s posted a spate of record prices at three New York sales from September 10-12 offering Paul Allen’s extraordinary collection of scientific and technological items.

In November, Spink of London will offer a Spitfire pilot’s Battle of Britain group of eight awarded to Warrant Officer (later Squadron Leader) Ernest Mayne, No 74 (Tiger) Squadron, RAF.

In the 1870s, French artist Émile-Auguste Hublin (1830-91) made frequent trips to the villages of Brittany, producing a large body of work recording the customs – and costumes – of traditional rural life as the region rapidly industrialised.

A collection of cinefilms belonging to Brigadier Dudley Clarke (1899-1974), a key figure behind British military deception operations during the Second World War, was sold by Chiswick Auctions (26% buyer’s premium) on August 7.

Coinex, the most important event on the British calendar for many serious coin collectors, opens at the Biltmore Hotel in Mayfair on September 27-28.

A one-off find in the shape of a military tailor’s pattern book from 1895 has been bought by the National Army Museum (NAM).

Copy of well-known enlightened work featuring portraits and biographies comes to London saleroom

The latest sale of Objects of Vertu at Toovey’s (24.5% buyer’s premium) in West Sussex included two impressive examples of mid-20th century Australian goldsmithing.

Edinburgh auction includes possible record for the design achieved by an example worn by a member of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers

Anderson & Garland (25% buyer’s premium) of Newcastle upon Tyne offered the private collection of militaria and weapons belonging to Douglas Napier Anderson (b.1927).

Specialist auction house Onslows’ November 29 auction includes a rare group of British and Irish recruiting posters form the First World War and a near-complete set of the Parliamentary Recruiting posters.