South-west England

In November, Spink of London will offer a Spitfire pilot’s Battle of Britain group of eight awarded to Warrant Officer (later Squadron Leader) Ernest Mayne, No 74 (Tiger) Squadron, RAF.

Specialist auction house Onslows’ November 29 auction includes a rare group of British and Irish recruiting posters form the First World War and a near-complete set of the Parliamentary Recruiting posters.

An auctioneer who relocated to the West Country after working at a London saleroom for eight years has launched two antiques fairs.

This 18th century mahogany card table was part of a collection of furniture from Earnshill House in Somerset offered by Busby (25% buyer’s premium) in Bridport, Dorset.

Prices are on the rise for Yorkshire-born painter Anne Brooke (1916-2002).

The only known painting of London by an 18th century Irish female artist came for sale in Salisbury earlier this month.

An example of how a high-end fair can work very well in areas where such events are completely unknown is the biannual Enys House Antiques Fair at Penryn in west Cornwall.

A rare military issue by The International Watch Company sold well above estimate at Wessex Auction Rooms (19% buyer’s premium) in Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Mary Tudor’s personal copy of Vergil’s history of England comes to auction in Gloucestershire this month.

Duke’s September 11 sale of Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Currency includes a fine array of vintage and second-hand branded wristwatches.

Dealer who was invited to organise a fair at nearby estate holds the second edition this month

The first section of the Dominic Winter (20% buyer’s premium) Historic Textiles & Antiques auction on July 26 contained 33 lots of textiles from the collection of the Quaker antiquary Martha Spriggs and her descendants.

A pale blue and white striped garment offered at Martin & Pole’s (22% buyer’s premium) General Auction on August 7 was simply described as an “antique silk dress, appears in a photograph worn by Esther Palmer in around 1925”.

Two religious works were among an intriguing archive of items relating to a famed Falmouth packet ship commander and family that impressed at Lay’s (21% buyer’s premium) auction in Lanner, Cornwall, on August 8.