Auctions

A Chinese porcelain wucai fish vase sold for £810,000 at Fellows on Monday – 450 times its estimate. Such large wucai or 'five colours' fish jars tend to date from the reign of Jiajing (1522-1566) but Fellows believed it to be 20th century.

It ain’t rocket science: rarity adds value. While various other factors come into play, the number of a particular item in existence is a clear driver of auction prices, and in militaria the defence of Rorke’s Drift is a classic example.

Auction Technology Group, parent company of Antiques Trade Gazette, has issued guidance to auctioneers on how to display fees and charges alongside estimates.

This sturdy-looking ‘stagecoach trunk’ accompanied the great American writer Mark Twain on a great many of his travels. It will be offered for sale at Heritage Auctions in New York on March 8 where the starting bid is $25,000.

The first sale by dealers-turned-auctioneers Kingham & Orme made a hammer total of £289,490 and was led by a Martin Brothers bird.

Kitchener’s moustache-adorned stern visage staring out with finger extended demanding that you join your country’s army is not only one of the best-known First World War posters but one of the most familiar posters overall.

Three Hermès Birkin handbags were among the leading pieces at Fellows’ latest Designer Collection auction this week.

This dramatic study for the last masterwork produced by the Danish artist Peder Severin Kroyer (1851-1909) will be one of the highlights of the paintings and drawings sale at Bruun Rasmussen in Copenhagen later this month.

The white shirt bears a dark ‘V’ across the front more like St Helens rugby league team, but the ball underneath is unmistakably round rather than oval. Then the words ‘Manchester United’ emblazoned below the figure give the game away.

Qi Baishi’s painting of bees and chrysanthemums is coming up for sale at Chiswick Auctions, featuring both a charming subject and history as it once belonged to a journalist who trod on Chairman Mao Zedong’s toe.

Works collected by the late Lord Weidenfeld, founder of the publishing firm that first brought out ‘Lolita’ in English, go under the hammer at Christie’s in May. The single-owner sale includes drawings of the female form by Egon Schiele and Alberto Giacometti.

A selection of Ming dynasty objects are to be offered for sale at Sotheby’s New York next month.

Bonhams has announced the appointment of Ben Walker as head of modern and decorative art and design in the US.

The sale of an early 20th century artwork attributed to Paul Nash has been cancelled after recent tests have thrown doubt on its origins.

A Bristol filming session for the BBC's TV show Flog It! series saw the multi-estimate sale of this Victorian gold ring.

A French collection comprising 70-lots documenting historical attempts at achieving flight will be offered at Bonhams on March 1.

Vintage Dior jewellery regularly takes thousands of pounds at auction, but buyers at an upcoming Catherine Southon sale have the chance to score some classic pieces at three-figure sums.

Three paintings by Shaun Greenhalgh, the faker who was sentenced to four years in prison in 2007, are being offered at Bolton Auction Rooms later this month.