Auctions

Rediscovered books and manuscripts that once belonged to former antiquarian book dealer John Percival Love and had been stored away in a bank vault for nearly 50 years captivated collectors and the trade alike at auction.

Market shows strength only for select works as sourcing high-quality material proves inceasingly difficult

The Barbier-Mueller family is well known as a collecting dynasty, especially for its ethnographic art.

The Royal Doulton figure Guy Fawkes designed by Charles Noke was issued as HN98 from 1918.

The British and US postal clerks aboard transatlantic liners had the duty of sorting the mail during the passage.

A faience dinner service that belonged to the famous French novelist George Sand sold for €7000 (£5980) at the Rouillac (24% buyer’s premium inc tax) auction on February 10.

Richard Potter (1783-1835) is considered the first successful stage magician born in the US and African-American celebrity.

Portrait of monarch impresses as château of the Comtes de Marcellus delivers treasures to auction

Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s offered notable works by French artist Hubert Robert (1733-1808) at the latest Old Master auction series in New York.

Lalique, the epitome of inter-war glamour, took centre stage at the Chiswick Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) Design sale.

Actress cheated by the Prince of Wales turned to a campaign based on ‘injustice of mental subordination’

A printing of George Washington’s 1795 Thanksgiving Day proclamation sold way above hopes at Sarasota Estate Auction (23% buyer’s premium) in Florida.

Blue-glazed decoration thought to have been invented by king’s architect takes £55,000 at auction

A Chinese blue and white dish recognised by bidders as a fine example of bleu de Hue porcelain flew to $26,000 (£20,500).

The most eagerly contested lot at the Echoes Antiques & Auction Gallery (23% buyer’s premium) sale on January 23 was a Japanese cloisonné miniature teapot bearing the mark of the great Namikama Yasuyuki.

Our regular listing of UK and Irish book auctions

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.