The stuff of legends

From topless staddle stones outperforming complete ones to two versions of the same desk selling on the same day 212 miles apart, bizarre occurrences are par for the course at contents sales

Armigers from the Tudor and Stuart era had their moment last month, with a seal ring linked to Royal Exchange founder Sir Thomas Gresham and a ruffler once owned by philanthropist Sir Edwin Rich causing a stir at auction

The forthcoming Treasure House Fair lives up to its name, with pieces on offer including a flag flown by HMS Royal Sovereign at Trafalgar, a games compendium box made for Edward VII and a fairground carousel pig

Back in 1979, David and Linda Williams felt ready to move to a spacious, light house with a good-sized garden. Ideally, it would be low maintenance so as not to encroach on David’s job as head of art

William Blake, Samuel Palmer and Beatrix Potter all inspired Maurice Sendak, as demonstrated by a sale of his own drawings and those he collected

A17th-century beadwork basket, with visual references to the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in 1660, was a star lot at Roseberys’ Fine & Decorative sale. The beautifully preserved piece was from t