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As West Ham and Manchester United prepare to play the final match at Upton Park tonight, the East London club have announced that fans will have the chance to buy their own slice of Hammers’ history with an extensive auction of memorabilia, including fixtures and fittings from the stadium itself.

Oxford’s Bodleian Library has acquired a map of Middle-earth annotated by JRR Tolkien (1892-1973).

Made under the watchful eye of the third Qing emperor, a Chinese porcelain vase valued at just £12 in the 1950s sold for £750,000 at the latest sale held by Mallams in Cheltenham.

Bonhams set a record auction price for any British motorcycle with the sale of a 1938 Brough Superior 750cc BS4 for £331,900.

The Union Customs Code (UCC), designed to standardise how customs information is processed, became law on May 1.

Christie’s have announced details of their latest ‘themed’ sale – an evening sale of British art which will take place in London on June 30.

Interesting oddities that were ironed out in subsequent editions bump up demand when it comes to book collecting. A good example of this is coming up at Wolverhampton auction house Cuttlestones on May 6.

Fears are growing that independent London art dealers will be priced out of new premises being built in Cork Street as property developers have started targeting high-end international galleries.

A large Indian gouache on paper miniature was the unexpected highlight of a specialist Islamic & Indian Arts sale at Roseberys in London last week.

A selection of works by David Tindle (b.1932) will be offered at Grand Auctions in Folkestone on May 9.

A portrait by Eugène Delacroix redolent with associations to Nineteenth century French Romanticism has been secured by the Paris museum dedicated to his work.

Certain moments in films stay razor sharp in the mind long after you have seen them. Mention ‘Jack Nicholson’ and it is odds-on a mental image will spring up of that terrifying ‘Here’s Johnny’ scene from The Shining.

A rare American stamp stolen in 1955 in one of the most famous thefts in philatelic history has been recovered after turning up at Spink.

A large drawing by Edgar Degas (1834-1917) which has never been exhibited before has gone on display at Pallant House Gallery after being acquired by the Chichester gallery via the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.

In the space of just 48 hours, two paintings by the self-taught Welsh artist and horticulturalist Cedric Morris (1889-1982) raised the auction bar for his work to a new level.

A conference on the history of UK dealers opened in Leeds yesterday with delegates hearing how the practices and identity of British antique dealers have changed during the past century.

The great and the good of the art and antiques world descended on The Royal College of Surgeons in central London last night for a party to celebrate ATG’s 45th anniversary. Flick through the image slideshow here to get a flavour of the event and see who you recognise. The event was sponsored by Auction Logistics from Mailboxes Etc.

A watercolour by Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) drew serious bidding at Sworders this week, overtaking a £40,000-60,000 estimate before it was knocked down at £85,000.

Three leading specialists in orders, decorations and medals are leaving Spink to join rival London firm Dix Noonan Webb.