North America

A tin of Horlick’s was one of the odder and cheaper lots in the $3m sale of material from the Martin Greene library on ‘Russian America and Polar Exploration’ held by Christie’s New York (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on December 7.

Where scientific instruments are concerned, recent highlights such as Albert Einstein’s telescope or a working example of the Apple 1 computer could have been selected. However, we begin instead with the improved, four-rotor Enigma cipher machine.

Overall, a Voices of the 20th Century sale held by Bonhams New York (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on December 6 was rather disappointing, with only 100 of 264 lots sold (and only six of the 55 Russian lots). However, among the more curious entries was the ‘Paradummy’ pictured below.

In addition to the 'Winter Antiques Show', another long-standing event on the January fairs scene in the Big Apple is the 'New York Ceramics & Glass Fair', which celebrates its 19th staging this year.

The famous photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson are no strangers to salerooms but it is not every day that you find 120 lots being offered from a single-owner collection.

The War of 1812 was something of a shock to the Royal Navy. Still basking in the glow of victories such as the Battle of the Nile and of course Trafalgar, British ships seemed unbeatable.

Record bids greeted a couple of works by the renowned and influential science-fiction writer Philip K Dick in a November 14 sale held by Swann (25/20/12% buyer’s premium).

A two-day sale to be staged by Morphy auctions in Denver, Pennsylvania on December 16-17 offers almost 1000 lots of antique and vintage toys, juvenilia and ephemera.

An American dealership is offering a significant relic which highlights the start of the military campaigns leading to independence.

Modern designs are not yet booming in price and a mini-golden age remains something of a secret, but that could be about to change as the largest private collection of its kind goes on display in the US...

Harry Clarke worked for three years on his first major book illustration commission, an edition of the Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen commissioned by Harrap.