News topics

Sperm whale teeth, acquired from mammals that had beached on local reefs, had a deep significance to Fijian society.

London auctioneer overcomes power cut to complete sale including a mighty Fresnel lens

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions.

Alchemical work is best-seller as Vishniac lots create a valuable mix in the saleroom

An auction house in Bristol is celebrating its 10th anniversary in business by holding 10 sales in as many days.

Negotiating the sometimes complex world of prints by the 17th century Dutch Master

The Marine Sale at Bonhams (27.5/25/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) included a very rare gold and enamel ring marking the death of Admiral Lord Nelson in 1805.

In what was the auction house’s most successful sale ever in financial terms, and one that boasted a 97% selling rate, a March 4 sale at Potter & Potter (20% buyer’s premium) was led at $65,000 (£49,240) by a 'Narrative of Colonel Ethan Allen’s Captivity from the Time of his Being Taken by the British, near Montreal… in 1775, to the Time of his Exchange…in May 1778'.

It was during the Song dynasty that tea parties became the vogue and tea houses flourished.

Typically, the work of studio potter Joanna Constantinidis (1927-2000), for nearly 40 years a lecturer in ceramics at Chelmsford Technical College and School of Art, has tended to occupy the second tier of the burgeoning contemporary ceramics market.

An historically significant document dating from 1785 and a previously unrecorded campaign handbill concerning the election that saw Thomas Jefferson become the third US president were highlights of a February 17 sale at Freeman’s (26/20/12% buyer’s premium).

Specialist toy sales held in April on either side of the Atlantic have yielded some notable prices for items from two specific categories: toys relating to Popeye and a collection of toy boats.

Two upcoming lots at US book auctions.

The six lots described here are drawn from a hugely successful sale of comics and comic art held in Dallas by Heritage (20% buyer’s premium) over four days, from April 7-10.

Strawser auction group holds a three-day sale series in Indiana on May 25 & 27-28.

Though it is the pineapple that is most prominent, it is the assortment of creatures that flutter around, climb or emerge from its leaves that are the principal attraction of this coloured plate, below.

Try original advertising artwork if you want to capture the atmosphere of an era.

Exhibition devoted to skilled ‘old-fashioned’ painter reveals a particular interest in horses

ATG’s pick of auction lots bought by internet bidders on thesaleroom.com, featuring both the highest prices over estimate and the top prices paid online.