Auctions

Matchbox can sell well even when there isn’t an actual vehicle in sight.

Elements of an avant garde silver and malachite table service designed by Josef Hoffman for the Palais Stoclet in Brussels sold to a single buyer for £505,000 (£636,300 including 26% buyer’s premium).

A work by Rebecca Solomon (1832-86) originally offered at Sotheby’s and later blocked from export to the US has been bought by two UK museums.

A 14th or 15th century Persian mirror that emerged at auction in Lincolnshire took a five-figure sum.

A handwritten letter by the 26-year-old Mozart coming up for auction at Christie’s reveals a tricky love life.

Merchandise relating to an early show from the Thunderbirds creator makes a surprise sum at Kent auction

Latest results for works by the stars of the Scottish market show strong prices but a bit of a mixed picture

Long records of ownership have become one of the crucial factors to get a good result in this market

Sasha dolls are named after their Swiss designer, artist Sasha Morgenthaler and were made in the UK and Germany from the mid to late 1960s.

A rare work of 1767 called A Journal of a Voyage Round the World in His Majesty’s Ship The Dolphin… was offered by Thomson Roddick (20% buyer’s premium) in Carlisle.

The Matchbox Magic sale at Teesside saleroom Vectis (20.83% buyer’s premium) on May 30 lived up to its billing by entrancing bidders.

Not everything offered in the model railway market has to involve a glamorous name such as Flying Scotsman to make a good result.

Being a devil is profitable for a Pelham Puppet.

Showing little sign of their huge popularity slowing down, Star War figures made a significant contribution to a two-day TV and film-related auction.

Refugee artist provided first-hand experience of cutting edge style

Novelty biscuit tin toys delivered a number of tasty sale successes for South Yorkshire auction house BBR (15% buyer’s premium).

When the (Louis) Marx toy company produced a friction-drive model Batmobile in the 1960s the plastic car that resulted was really a model of the 1951 General Motors Le Sabre concept show car designed by Harley Earl.

The first lot in Pook & Pook’s (25% buyer’s premium) May 4-5 sale was also the top result. And if you follow the toy boat market, it was also strangely familiar.

It is not just Star Wars figures or film posters bringing the big bucks.