Auction

Every three months, at a hall in London, Richard Reason auctions off 120 pianos of all shapes and sizes. He’s looking for £20,000 for his star lot, but will it reach its estimate? Meanwhile, Sotheby’s are selling a view of Venice by the eighteenth-century artist Francesco Guardi that could fetch over £20 million. But will anyone be willing to pay that price?

At Goodwood, in the Sussex countryside, enthusiasts have gathered for a weekend event featuring vintage and veteran cars. And Bonham’s are there to sell a very special Jaguar E-Type, that could fetch over £1 million. Elsewhere, the University of Sydney has chosen London as the best place to auction a Picasso which was given by a benefactor, with the proceeds of the sale aiding medical research.

100 years after the tragic sinking of the Titanic, a suitcase owned by one of the crew comes up for auction in London, along with a set of newspapers from the time that has a poignant story attached. At Christie’s auction house, the work of sculptor and artist Ron Mueck is coming under the hammer, including a larger-than-life baby! But will any of the bidders be feeling maternal?

A camera that went to the moon is being auctioned in New York along with memorabilia from the Space Race of the 1960s. There’s even a Russian cosmonaut’s suit that may fetch $250,000. In London, the author Jeffrey Archer is having a clear out of his art collection. And, elsewhere, the best impressionist and modern paintings come up for sale.

At an auction in London, a self-portrait by Andy Warhol is up for sale. The auctioneers believe it will fetch £5 million, but will it reach that astonishing amount? It’s part of an auction which includes two bears carved by Jeff Koons that could go for £3.5 million. Also in London, Victorian and Edwardian art is on offer, notably a painting by Poynter that caused a stir when it was first released.

One of the finest private collections of paintings by the celebrated British artist Stephen Lowry, belonging to the late Lord Forte, is up for sale in London. But what will it make? Elsewhere, in an auction of science memorabilia, a rare Enigma machine from World War II goes under the hammer, as well as a single biscuit, a survivor from Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to the Antarctic in 1907.

At an auction in London, a painting of Derby Day by William Powell Frith is up for sale at Christie’s. It could make its owner half a million pounds, even though it had been hanging in an un-locked American beach house for fifty years! Meanwhile, photographs of the ever-popular icon Marilyn Monroe come under the hammer. But how much are eager fans willing to pay?

After the Second World War, Britain benefited from American aid. To help process the funds from Washington, the Bank of England printed some one-million-pound notes. And now one of them is up for sale at a specialist auction house. But how much will it make? Elsewhere, a sculpture of Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt sitting on a bench goes under the hammer.

She was a Hollywood superstar. Now the jewels, haute-couture fashions and art of Elizabeth Taylor are heading to auction in New York. Christie’s expect to make $30 million, but Miss Taylor’s fans think it will be much more. Among the lots is the Krupp diamond she was given by Richard Burton, the tiara from husband Mike Todd and the Prince of Wales brooch once owned by the Duchess of Windsor.

In Paris, the paintings and sculptures of renowned American art collector Darthea Speyer are up for sale. She owned works by some of the planet’s most famous artists. But which one will the connoisseurs be desperate to bid on? In New York, celebrity watches come under the hammer, including one which was a gift from eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes.