Auctioneers

Plucked from a box of bric-a-brac brought in for a general sale, a Commonwealth gilt brass sealing wax box sold for £5200 at Lawrences of Crewkerne. A clever pun gives a clue to its maker’s identity - and perhaps his political leanings.

The Swinton Estate, which spans approximately 20,000 acres of North Yorkshire, has been in the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1880s.

Actress Jane Horrocks took to the rostrum at Ewbank’s in Surrey on September 19 for Diary of a Wardrobe - A Celebrity Charity Auction for Marie Curie.

A recent Vintage Posters sale at Swann Galleries (25/20/12% buyer’s premium), a summer staple of the New York auction house, was dominated by three large early 20th century magic posters, each hammering for $22,000 (£16,650).

Pulling out a suitcase from under a bed during a probate valuation, Dawsons’ valuer could scarcely have guessed what they would find hidden inside.

Large urban landscapes, lorry parks, shantytowns and thronging markets feature heavily in the work of Ghanian painter Ablade Glover (b.1934).

Of numismatic interest in the Swinton sale were two George VI silver seal matrices made for the County Palatine and the Duchy of Lancaster.

Aboriginal painter Namatjira’s evocative Australian work makes rare appearance in a British saleroom

Memorabilia collected by a founding father of modern computing makes for a remarkable auction

This medieval (probably 14th century) small bronze cauldron or posnet is a recent detecting find, dug late last year in a field in Norfolk.

A medieval walrus ivory gaming piece, recently found by a Gorringe’s valuer in a sock drawer, comes for sale in Lewes on October 8. As part of the Interiors & Decorative Arts Sale it has an estimate of £10,000-15,000

Much of the market for ‘country house’ antiques is now in the hands of UK’s regional auctioneers. Here we review two recent bellwether sales.