Scott's Ill-Fated Journey In Pictures

The Guardian have a selection of photographs to mark the 100th year of Scott's ill fated journey to be the first to the South Pole.  It includes a few of Ponting's beautifully haunting stills of the ice.  Click here to see more.

Hawkins & Scuffell Window

Hawkins & Scuffell are Auckland's newest antique shop.  Located at 236 Jervois Road, Herne Bay.
Featured in their window at the moment are: a carved French gilt 19th C mirror, a rare 19th C Egyptian Revival metal wash stand, a bronzed and gilt late 19th C table lamp and a late 19th C mahogany Gainsborough chair. 

Season's Greetings

Geffrye Museum London 1930s room, decorated for the season

All the best for the Christmas holidays. Thank you to all those who contacted me this year, I very much appreciate your business. I will be around for most of the time so drop me an email if you need something valued.

Miniature Bronte Book Sells For 690,000 Pounds

This tiny book, handwritten by the teenage Charlotte Bronte (and sister) has sold in London to a French manuscript Museum.  The Bronte Parsonage who has the rest of the set, closely missed out.  It is an early untraced  book with strands of stories yet unwritten. Guardian article here.

Gormley Marquette Sells For Three Times Antiques Roadshow Valuation

Recently on the British Antiques Roadshow, Philip Mould made history by giving the highest valuation for anything on the show.  An Antony Gormley marquette of the Angel of the North was valued by him for a record 1 million pounds.  Just a few months ago a similar (or maybe the same one as it is an edition of 5) sold at Christie's in London for 3.4 million pounds. 

Amy Winehouse Dress Sells To Chilean Museum

The chiffon dress worn on the cover of Back to Black above was auctioned by Kerry Taylor in London last week.  It sold for 43,200 pounds including BP.  The Disaya designed dress sold to a Chilean museum, with proceeds going to the Amy Winehouse foundation.  Other star lots from the auction was Lady Di's back up wedding dress which sold for 48,000 pounds to possibly the same museum.  Read article here.

Astrolabe With NZ History Up For Auction in London

An astrolabe dating from 1396 bought out from England in the 1860s, has been sent to London for auction.  The piece has been in Australia since the family in NZ died out and ended up in a 'bag of old pipe fittings'.  Learning the significance of it through the internet and then Queensland Museum, it is up for auction next month at Bonhams for between $300,000 and $400,000 NZ.  Article from Science Media Centre here.