Auctioneers

Furniture attributable to Gillows demonstrates demand for desirable pieces

A lucernal microscope is a rare survivor.

Almanacs became hugely popular as printing made them widely accessible

The 40 trays of British butterflies in this handsome mahogany four-section cabinet by JJ Hill & Son of London were collected by Geoffrey Alfred Cole.

Interest in wireless telegraphy, that was piqued when Guglielmo Marconi successfully sent a message from Poldhu, Cornwall to St John’s, Newfoundland in 1910, prompted many amateurs to build and develop their own sets based on the ‘Coherer’ principle for sending and receiving Morse code.

A Tennis Match at Manchester is a very rare print marking one of the first British tennis tournaments.

A group of Victorian rowing memorabilia generated plenty of bidding at Claydon Auctioneers (19.5% buyer’s premium) in Buckinghamshire on June 25-26.

The HMV 900 was one of first television receivers designed by the Marconi-EMI Television Company, the firm that also provided the technology for Britain’s first television service.

The best-known type of Maori jewellery is the pounamu (greenstone) hei tiki pendants, the figural carvings representing ‘the first man’ that were typically worn by women.

Heritage Auctions (20% buyer’s premium) in Dallas broke the record again for what it terms “the most valuable original work of comic book or fantasy art” during its four-day Comics & Comic Art sale held on June 22-25.

The Harrison semi-automatic pedestal knitting machine was designed c.1900 for producing rib socks.

This 15th century gold ring, set with a rhomb-shaped table-cut sapphire, is engraved with lilies and other flowers issuing from a crescent bowl.

Book specialist Simon Vickers is retiring from his full-time role at Lyon & Turnbull to become a consultant.

A telephone exchange removed from Buckingham Palace during refurbishment 25 years ago sold in west London for £3000.

Underwear soars above estimate at a Richard Winterton auction

Sworders’ (25% buyer’s premium) June 13-14 Fine Interiors sale included a collection of Norwich 17th century silver assembled by one of East Anglia’s best-known families.