London

Stamp and coins dealership Stanley Gibbons Group is pinning its recovery on a revamped shop and the relaunch of Baldwin’s auctions in the autumn.

Simon MacLachlan owns and runs Piccadilly Vaults, a relative newcomer to the fine jewellery scene based in London’s Piccadilly Arcade. Founded in 2017, it is named after the wall of working bank vaults installed in the basement.

On the evening of July 29 the antiquarian community lost one of its great champions and luminaries, Jan Ellen Finch, after a characteristically courageous and defiant battle against cancer.

Gold wedding rings belonging to poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes have been bought by London jeweller Wartski.

A richly illuminated leaf from a late 15th century manuscript account of the life of St Catherine sold at a high-estimate £30,000 at Bloomsbury Auctions (25/20/12% buyer’s premium).

Keeley Rosendale of Discover Vintage is going all-out this autumn with her vintage home shows including the launch of one in London – her first in the south of England.

Armenian manuscript demolishes estimate to take six figures in London saleroom

Among the medal groups that impressed at Dix Noonan Webb's July 21 auction was one awarded to a famous recipient: RAF Group Captain Peter Townsend.

A Grand Tour portrait that came to auction directly from the family of the sitter was among the most contested lots at Bonhams’ (27.5%/25/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) Old Master Paintings sale on July 7.

While Christie’s had by far the top-selling Old Master drawing of the latest series (the £7.5m Leonardo da Vinci drawing of the head of a bear - see ATG No 2501), a good number of other works on paper generated better competition although sold for understandably lower prices.

An intriguing condition report that mentions ‘water and smoke damage’ gives a clue as to what happened to this battered copy of the Encyclopedia Britannia sold in a Charles Miller (24% buyer’s premium) auction.

After a difficult period because of the pandemic, the latest round of Old Master sales in London returned to some kind of normality.

In reply to Victor Burness, ex- Portobello dealer (‘…tat is hiding the arcades’, Letters, ATG No 2503).

A new high for a British army Victoria Cross as 'exceptional’ example also sets a house record for a medal at Dix Noonan Webb

Acquired six months ago from Caroline Penman by the online selling platform 2Covet, the long-established and highly regarded 'Chelsea Antiques Fair' returns to its spiritual home of Chelsea Town Hall next month for its 70th edition.

As his nickname suggests, Wing Commander Sidney Baker (1918-2007) enjoyed the finer things in life.

Letters written by Nelson to his wife make obvious his esteem for Captain Sir William Hoste KCB (1780-1828)