UK

Boningtons have sold a rare Queen Anne 'Vigo' gold coin for £225,000. One of Britain's rarest coins, it was knocked down to a buyer in the room and set a house record for the Essex auctioneers.

The UK’s regional salerooms turned up a series of six-figure objects during the first of two weeks of designated Asian art sales.

Protestors organised by wildlife charity Action for Elephants are demonstrating outside of The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in London today to make the case for banning the ivory trade in the UK.

Art Recovery Group, founded by Chris Marinello three years ago as a rival to long-established The Art Loss Register, has split the firm to create a not-for-profit organisation called Artive.

Auction house Christie’s will take centre stage in a new BBC documentary this weekend. The company, which celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, is the subject of a two-part look behind the scenes at some of its biggest auctions.

A rare Chinese imperial enamel vase bought for £10 at a car boot sale has been hammered down for £50,000 at Woolley & Wallis’ Asian sale today. It sold on the phone to a Chinese buyer.

It is easy to understand the appeal of a Victoria Cross to medal collectors. Likewise, any honours connected with the name ‘Dambusters’ or those awarded to flying ‘aces’ have a high value.

A charity aiming to redevelop the vintage market end of London’s Portobello Road has revealed a new £10m scheme.

Sotheby’s second dedicated design sale in London is set to appeal to the base of younger buyers whom specialists say have taken an interest in this market.

Plymouth Auction Rooms made a surprise find on a recent visit to a remote Cornish cottage on the banks of the river Tamar. The auction firm was valuing a mixture of Cornish art and collectables at the address when it came across a Pablo Picasso vase.

The new Lord Harlech, music video-maker Jasset Ormsby Gore, is offering 400 items at auction from his family estate.

TV star Vic Reeves may be best known for his zany comedy double act with Bob Mortimer, but he is also said to be an accomplished artist, counting Damien Hirst as a fan.

The first two-day auction held at The Cotswold Auction Company’s new Bankside saleroom in Love Lane, Cirencester, clicked with one buyer especially.

A rare late 19th century Burmese silver bowl has come to auction having previously been used by the vendor’s mother as a waste paper basket.

Sotheby’s sale of David Bowie’s collection got off to a flying start in London last night. The collection was clearly ‘there to be sold’ but the Bowie provenance turned what may otherwise have been a solid sale into a bumper proposition.

Only a handful of pieces of Irish secular silver are known to survive from before the Restoration.

The first Chinese firearm with an imperial reign mark ever offered at auction sold at Sotheby’s yesterday for £1.65m.

The Yorkshire Museum has acquired the Wold Newton Hoard after receiving funds totalling £44,200.

The historic art and antiques districts of Mayfair and St James’s last night received designated protection by Westminster City Council planners as part of a new policy for central London.