North-west England

An inscription bearing Winston Churchill’s signature and dated 1948 found in a single volume of his famous history of the Second World War that came to auction in Cumbria was believed to be authentic.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Demonstrating how the internet has transformed the market for potential sleepers, three portraits that drew strong interest recently at different auctions in the UK and Europe all sold to online buyers.

Macclesfield and Liverpool auction house Adam Partridge has expanded its operation into the south-east and south-west of England with the purchase of two existing salerooms.

“All things considered, it’s been a pretty good year and we have high hopes of 2023 being a cracker”, enthused Richard Burgoin, director of Arthur Swallow Fairs as he looked back at its fairs and markets in 2022.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Such was the renown of toy collector the late Jack Tempest that when his collection came up for auction many of the bidders who flocked to the sale on November 10 recognised a lot of the items on offer.

Over the course of 35 years Andy Houldsworth amassed one of the largest collections of Action Man and similar action figures in the UK.

Dealer Damon Revans-Turner of RTS Antiques in Liverpool has put a name and story to a rare Staffordshire figure that has hitherto evaded attribution.

When coming across a female artist who was once quite recognised but now is rather little known, buyers today automatically ask the question: ‘Is she undervalued?’

Walter Crane (1845-1915) designed seven red lustre vases for the Shropshire tile makers Maw & Co of Jackfield in 1889.

Although the box to this bronze medal is dated 1873 (leading the auction house to conclude it was Victorian), the piece itself was struck in 1760.

Lt William Emlyn Hardwick (1885-1918) was born in Brecon but by the time he enlisted to fight in the First World War he was living in Australia.

A selection of Doulton HN series rarities sold at three regional salerooms this month.

The sale at The Auction Centre (20% buyer’s premium) in Runcorn, Cheshire, on September 30 included this rare George III Scottish silver member’s badge for The Edinburgh Skating Club – the world’s first figure skating organisation.

Generating a hammer price of £165,000, the star attraction in Omega’s auction on September 27 was pretty obvious.

A pair of 19th century globes by the Newton family is on offer from FE Anderson of Welshpool at the Chester Decorative Antiques & Art Fair.

Works by one of the finest masters of thrown stoneware come to auction

A substantial collection of works by just one multi-talented and enormously influential figure was presented as part of series of sales held by Adam Partridge (20% buyer’s premium) in its Macclesfield rooms.

Anti-slavery objects are enjoying a particular strong moment in the market as museums at home and in the US seek to fill holes in collections vulnerable to the label ‘pale, male and stale’.