London

The most cherished coin from the reign of Victoria is the 1839 gold £5 piece by William Wyon.

A three-quarters-length bust of a bare-chested Antinous, the favourite of Hadrian, appears on this medallic coin minted in Mantinea, Arcadia, c.134AD.

The 150th Victoria Cross ever awarded sold for £180,000 at London auction house Spink on July 29.

The sale at Sovereign Rarities on September 21 included this Charles I (1625-49), silver pattern unite (20 shillings) dated 1630.

The fourth and final part of the North Yorkshire Moors collection of coins and medals sold by Dix Noonan Webb included some exceptional examples from the Interregnum.

Spink offered 52 coins from one of the ‘lost’ parcels of Alderman Horace Hird (1899-1973), former president of the Yorkshire Numismatic Society.

This ‘cameo’ version of the 1847 gothic crown is one of the finest available for commerce.

January in London – and the days of garden parties and al fresco dining seem a long way off. Yet at the latest Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair, outdoor items experienced strong demand.

This Irish bog oak canoe or trough was among the quirkier – and best-performing – lots in Bonhams’ (27.5/25/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) ‘without reserve’ sale of the Jim Lennon collection in Edinburgh on January 26.

Nelson held his protégé Captain Sir William Hoste KCB (1780-1828) in high esteem.

The first tranche from a large collection of Irish banknotes assembled by the late Gus Mac Amhlaigh of Dublin sold by DNW on November 25 included red and orange Bank of Ireland £20 ‘specimen’ notes from the famous Ploughman series.

Dix Noonan Webb set a record for a British army Victoria Cross on June 23.

Stamps specialist Harmers is a newcomer to London numismatic sales.

The finest-known example of a New England shilling sold for £220,000 at Morton & Eden in London on November 26.

The Trinidad & Tobago $1000 note, c.1914, is itself a rare beast but this example is a colour proof printed on two sheets by Thomas De La Rue.

One of the highlights of the April 2007 London Islamic sale series had been this 2ft 4in (74cm) high white marble bust of Maharajah Duleep Singh by neoclassical sculptor John Gibson.

A collection of works from the descendants of the family that ran the eminent gallery Arthur Tooth & Sons will be offered at south London saleroom Roseberys this month.

When Ian Fleming sent an initial typescript of his first James Bond book Casino Royale to his good friend Paul Gallico asking if it was publishable, he got the reply “the book is a knockout!”.

London Art Week (LAW) has announced that it will take place this summer from July 3-8.

Letter to fellow evolutionary pioneer detailed possible response to one of their critics