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ContentsVOL 59 NO 8 FEBRUARY 25
SALE RESULTS INSIDER'S GUIDE TO ORIENTALISM BEST PUZZLES
REGULARS 3 Editor’s Welcome: Georgina Wroe introduces the February issue with a focus on Valentine’s Day
6 Antiques News: All the action to excite collectors this month, as well as a round up of three unmissable exhibitions
10 Your Letters: Questions over
‘Mouseman’ pews in a Hertfordshire church continue, while Punk badges cause consternation
11 In the Knowles: Eric Knowles is all at sea with excitement when a fragment from the hull of the legendary ship the HMS Bounty appears for sale
SALEROOM SPOTLIGHT
DRESS FOR SUCCESSDiscover the headwear of the Indian Naga
Inside: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE A GUIDE TO ACROSTIC JEWELLERY DECKED OUT THE HISTORY OF TAROT CARDS
FEBRUARY 2025
FEBRUARY 2025
Mutiny on the Bounty Mutiny on the Bounty Mutiny on Hull fragments from the famous ship appear at auction
Mutiny on the Bounty Hull fragments from the famous ship appear at auction
BARE ONES
BARE BONES
Why dinosaurs inosaurs turning prices are returning record prices
VALENTINE’S DAY Special We look at the oddest lovers' gifts through the ages, from apple corers to knitting sheaths
ALSO INSIDE BARRY HUMPHRIES' COLLECTION • LATEST NEWS • BOOK OFFERS
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COVERA Naga cane hat decorated with boars’ tusks, It has an estimate of £200-£300 at Woolley & Wallis’ sale on February 19
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12 Around the Houses: A Sèvres cup and saucer sells for more than 80 times its estimate in Derbyshire, while Margaret Thatcher’s desk defeats its low guide price in London
16 Waxing Lyrical: English antique furniture expert David Harvey discovers a stunning Davenport desk which exceeds all expectations
22 Saleroom Spotlight: A 180-lot sale of artefacts from the Naga people of north India appears for sale in Salisbury
26 Subscription Offer: Make the most of our latest offer by saving a third on the RRP and receiving not one, but two, free gifts
27 Lots to Talk About: Catherine Southon deciphers the love language of acrostic jewellery, which was all the rage in Georgian and Victorian times
34 Saleroom Spotlight: The collection of the legendary Australian comedian Barry Humphries goes under the hammer at the London auctioneers Christie’s
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42 Puzzle Pages: Sharpen your antiques and fine art know-how with two pages of posers from our resident quiz editor Peter Wade-Wright
46 Top of the Lots: This month’s treasures include a lifetime collection of museumquality European porcelain and a very rare
Stradivarius violin
59 Fairs Calendar: Our guide to all the latest events near you and around the country
60 Fair News: All the latest from the UK’s fair organisers, including one event in the National Botanical Museum of Wales and another in the spa town of Harrogate
61 Auction Calendar: Up-to-date listings of the UK’s best sales from the country’s leading auction houses, in one easy-to read guide
66 Marc My Words: Antiques Roadshow expert Marc Alum shares his off-camera life, this month revealing the secrets of his chaotic workshop
FEATURES 18 Bared Bones: With the recordbreaking sale of a fossilised stegosaurus in 2024, Antique Collecting digs deep into the exciting and controversial world of dinosaur bone collecting
28 Attic Finds: For the first time in its
300-year history the 18th-century Palladian mansion of Holkham Hall in Norfolk offers up its treasures at a very special on-site sale
38 All Hands on Deck: Antique Collecting charts the amazing history of the tarot card, from its origins as a trick-taking parlour game, to their use for mystical divination in the 19th century
48 Eastern Magic: In the start of a new series, London fine art dealer Adrian Mibus celebrates significant art movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, starting with Orientalism
44 Book Offers: Save more than a third on the latest titles from our sister publisher ACC Art Books, with this month’s subjects ranging from Marilyn Monroe to baroque Rome palaces
54 Love Me Sender: Romantic gifts haven’t always been chocolates and fl owers, Antique Collecting reveals how apple corers and knitting sheaths once sent women swooning
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