North America

Bidding on an exceptionally fine, virtually mint first edition of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone offered in the special Firsts into Film section of a December 9-10 sale opened at $75,000.

Milestone Auctions recorded some buoyant prices for rare variants of toy motorcycles in its sale last October (see ATG No 2516).

Phillips has appointed Jean-Paul Engelen to the newly created role of president, Americas. In addition, he will continue as worldwide co-head of 20th century and Contemporary art.

Two British sporting scenes by French artist Raoul Dufy (1877-1953) were among the best-sellers in auctions held within a day of each other on either side of the Atlantic.

A rare black and white Disney production image of Mickey Mouse will feature as one of the highlights in the Animation Art auction at Heritage in Dallas from February 4-7.

There will be no shortage of international travel destinations featured in Potter & Potter’s next vintage posters auction in Chicago.

Dealers on both sides of the Atlantic are hopeful 'The Winter Show' in New York will take place in the spring, after its January staging was postponed at the eleventh hour.

Pook & Pook will hold a wide-ranging Americana and International auction on January 13-14 in Downington, Pennsylvania.

An early Märklin Central Station dating from c.1901-10 and made for the English market was one of the top-sellers in the large autumn toys sale held by Bertoia (20% buyer’s premium).

Copy of ‘most influential work in the history of microscopy’ surfaces in Chicago saleroom.

Single page was used as a promotion for this classic Conan Doyle work.

The sale of Native American art and artefacts at Thomaston Place in Maine on January 14 will include a collection of historical items that mostly date from the 14-year period between the Battle of the Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee.

A single-page letter sent on the day before Steve Jobs’ 19th birthday to a close school friend, Tim Brown, sold for $400,000 (£292,825) in New York.

A rare work by Sarah Biffin (1784-1850), the early 19th century artist born without limbs, sold for £9000 at Sworders on December 15.

Catalogued as ‘fine and exceptionally rare’, a north German parade cuirass is on its way to the Art Institute of Chicago after being sold at auction.

A select 13-lot auction of works from the collection of Amalia de Schulthess at Bonhams (27.5/25/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) in New York on December 7 was led at $8.4m (£6.36m) by a classic René Magritte (1896-1967) Surrealist painting.