Auctions

A handwritten note signed twice by Abraham Lincoln written just days before winning the 1864 presidential election was the toast of University Archives’ (25% buyer’s premium) April 19 online auction in Connecticut.

Estimated at £15,000-20,000, this 8½in (22cm) Elizabeth I or James I pewter bell-based candlestick sold to a private UK collector bidding online for £25,000 (plus 25% buyer’s premium) as part of the Chapman collection at Bishop & Miller in Stowmarket on April 27.

A lively market has emerged for the linocuts of Great Bardfield artist Edward Bawden

Involving a string of spectacular works, the saga of the collapsed French firm is worth a novel itself

A rare souvenir, an example of correspondence between two key figures in the French Revolution, was one of the highlights of a sale held by Osenat (25% buyer’s premium) in Versailles on March 12.

The first 90 or so lots in Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr’s (27.5/26/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) sale of Islamic and Indian Art held in Paris on April 6 were the property of a Royal collection.

Stand-out lots to watch out for in UK, Irish, European and US sales of books and works on paper

The best-selling lot in a recent Carlisle auction was a 1919, Collins first of Heritage, the debut novel of Vita Sackville-West, who at that time was better known for her poetry.

When the Bletchley Park boffins were taking a break from code-breaking in the Second World War, complicated puzzles were one of the diversions.

'A Magician Among the Spirits' by Harry Houdini conjured up one of the highest prices in the Potter & Potter (20% buyer’s premium) Houdini-related sale in Chicago on April 8 when it sold for $15,000 (£12,095).

The Negro Motorist Green Book, first produced in 1936, was the indispensable guide for African-American families travelling.

Disputed sculpture was given the thumbs-up by the French emperor and then greatly admired

Colonial French-influenced Vietnamese painting continues to be a strong market performer with examples regularly turning up in French auctions and making significant sums.

More than 50 lots featuring the illustrative work of Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) were offered in the extensive book section of a March 24 auction.

Now hugely popular, this collecting field actually took many years to get going

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.

Despite volatility in so many markets, the rare book world continues to offer a calm respite, as Rupert Powell of Forum Auctions writes

'Cattle Market, Braintree' from 1937 is a trademark Edward Bawden image. But it is also the artist’s only pre-war editioned print.

François Pierre de la Varenne (1618-78) is the chef credited with bringing French cuisine into the modern era.

This work by Henry Fuseli (1741-1825) is a study for the figure of a kneeling figure of Caractacus’ daughter in the artist’s painting 'Caractacus’ speech before Claudius'.