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Motorcycle mania
Bonhams’ sale of Motorcycles saw a Racing Honda take pole
position. The 1963 125cc CR93 bike made £28,750. Also
doing well was the ex-Carl Fogarty, Michael Rutter, Northwest
200-winning 1993 Ducati 888 Corsa which sold for £23,000.
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of the pops
The letter documenting the break-up of The Beatles in 1969 was
written from three of the group, Lennon, Harrison and Starr
notifying Lee Eastman that he is not to act as their representative.
Paul McCartney had wanted Eastman causing a split in the group.
The letter sold for £48,000 at a recent pop memorabilia
auction at Christie’s. Another Beatles item which heavily
outsold its estimate of just £4,000 – £6,000,
was a French promotional poster Les Beatles from 1964, signed
in green felt tip pen by the fab four. On the day bidding rose
to £14,400. Amongst the non-Beatles items it was The Who
which scored the top two prices. A c.1972 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe
guitar owned and played by Pete Townsend in the 1970s, fetched
£24,000 and a rare concert poster for ‘The Greatest
Big Show’ made £20,400 on an estimate of just £4,000
– £6,000. Amongst the more modern items, an Austin
Les Paul style electric guitar signed and inscribed on the body
in black felt tip by Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers
of The Police, outsold its estimate to make £1,020. Three
U2 albums, Boy, 1980, War 1983 and Live Under a Blood Red Sky,
1983, all signed on the cover by the band made £1,440.
Meanwhile, Madonna proved she still has her pulling power with
several lots including the front cover of an issue of Harper’s
Bazaar magazine from 1999, featuring her and signed by her in
gold ink, which outsold its estimate to make £504.
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Crisalis Collectors’ Club
If
you are a devotee of angels, fairies and other romantic figurines
then the Crisalis Collectors’ Club is for you. It was
started in 2000 for collectors of Christine Haworth’s
wonderful artistic creations. Membership of the Crisalis Collectors’
Club is free, and members receive a twice yearly newsletter
containing information about the designs and up-to-date colour
leaflets on new launches.
Contact
Nigel on 01254 351366 or write to: PO
Box 195, Accrington, Lancashire BB5 5ZQ. Visit: www.crisalis.co.uk
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Caithness Glass Society
The Caithness Glass Society was started in 1976 by
Colin Terris, the man behind Caithness Glass paperweights for
over 30 years, to allow the growing number of enthusiasts around
the world to share in the secrets of glassmaking. On joining,
members receive a pack including a complimentary paperweight,
a membership card, a copy of the magazine Reflections and a
current product catalogue. This year’s complimentary gift
is Weaver. In addition, collectors can purchase limited edition
paperweights exclusively designed for the society and enjoy
free tours of the Caithness Glass house in Perth to see the
skills involved in paperweight making.
UK
Annual membership: £24.50, two years: £43.50.
Tel: 01738 637373 or email collector@caithnessglass.co.uk
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On safari
Alexander Collections have introduced a new miniature
collection of hand-painted ‘Safari’ wildlife crystal
sculptures from Mats Jonasson to join the very popular larger
‘Safari’ pieces introduced last year. They are made
in Sweden from the finest crystal and are hand-painted using
organic paint. These pieces are perfect for animal and crystal
lovers alike and the number of animals makes it hard to choose!
RRP:
£38.
Tel:
01494 434234
or visit www.alexandercollections.co.uk
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Moomin mania
If you enjoyed our Moomin feature in last month’s
issue, you might be interested in these lovely porcelain mugs
by Arabia. There are nine designs to choose from: Moominpappa,
Moominmamma Moomintroll, Snufkin,The Grok, Little My Sliding,
Snorkmaiden, Family and Love, each at
RRP: £13.95.
For those who can’t choose between all the characters,
a ‘family’ of six cups is also available. RRP: £69.75
Tel: 01934 423240
or visit www.cooksparaphernalia.co.uk
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On the ball
Robin Rive have just released a new Rugby Bear. Big Ruck, who
has been created especially for the Lions Rugby Tour 2005 in
New Zealand, is 17” tall and wears a black and red rugby
shirt embroidered with the emblems of England, Scotland, Wales,
Ireland and New Zealand. He is limited to only 50 pieces worldwide
and The Bear Garden is taking advance orders now.
RRP
£259.
Tel: 020 8974 6177
or visit www.thebeargarden.co.uk
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Hommage to Hundertwasser
Building on the great success of the Hommage à Hundertwasser
collection, Frey Wille is now launching both sets in white gold
décor and has added a brand new colour for the coming spring
and summer season. The predominant colours of red, blue and violet
in the yellow gold sets, have been replaced in the white gold
designs with effervescent and cheerful colours of turquoise, pink,
mint green and raspberry, creating a brilliant highlight to mirror
the vast array of colours in springtime and the warming rays of
light in summer. All the designs applied are exclusively created
by hand using a unique process of fusing gold into fine enamel
to produce breathtaking jewellery.
Tel: 0207 629 6647
or visit www.freywille.com
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Blue
Poppy Art
New introductions from Cmielow Porcelain this spring include
their charming frog family decorated especially for the UK in
black and white. The historic Polish factory closed down in
the late 1960s and when reopened five years ago original moulds
of over 100 sculptures were discovered thrown away in the basement.
Following some three years of renovation, production started
again in the original factory. They use the original moulds
and are still entirely handmade and painted. Originally sculpted
in 1957 by Hanna Orthwein, the frogs were first decorated in
green but already the new black and white models have proven
to be far more popular. The three – Father, Mother and
Baby – come like all of the Cmielow collection individually
boxed, numbered on the base and supplied with a certificate
of authenticity.
Prices range from £21 – £37.
Tel: 01793 759000.
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Fresh from the press
Newspapers Remembered offers a gift of an original and complete
archived national paper from over 3.5 million newspapers in their
stock dating back to the early 19th century. It is a suitable
present for anyone as they can read about what happened on their
birth date, or reminisce over good times gone by – an anniversary,
a 21st birthday or another day with special meaning. A gift box
can mark an anniversary such as the date of marriage, the birth
of a child or another date of fond memories. All newspaper gifts
are personalised to the recipient with the Certificate of Authenticity
showing their name, the occasion being celebrated and a personal
message. Many of the newspapers sent out are decades old, but
are well preserved in the archive and sent out freshly ironed
and in pristine condition.
Tel: 0870 950 4450
or visit www.newspapersremembered.co.uk
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Pinned down
Badge collecting has moved into the new millennium with a new
easy to navigate and secure website. www.badgetrading.com
enables all you badge collectors to finally complete your
collections or to start new ones by buying and swapping badges
online. The annual subscription fee to buy and swap badges is
£10, but if you just want to browse it’s free.
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Star
Wars
DK have published a series of books to accompany the upcoming
third and final instalment of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
The Visual Dictionary is the ultimate guide to all the characters,
illustrated with a staggering wealth of photographs showing
the costumes, important devices and technology from the movie.
For all you spacecraft enthusiasts, the Incredible Cross Sections
gives you a detailed view of all the vehicles and for the ultimate
experience, why not read Star Pilot and Galactic Crisis! and
imagine you are a character in the film yourself!
Tel:
020 7010 3000
or visit: www.dk.com
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Jaggets
Launched last summer, Jaggets were an instant hit with their
mix of baby cuteness and teenage street fashion style. The grungy
gang
of six, Megan Byte, Suzy Sprint, Peter Play, Sashi-Mi, Paula
Pop and Mini Model received a makeover and are sporting some
great high-tech accessories and new outfits for 2005. Their
new innovative accessories include flashing shoes and a funky
three-wheeler pushchair.
Prices range from RRP £7.50 to £49.99.
Jaggets
are available at every good toy shop.
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Blessings
from Benedict
German teddy bear manufacturer Hermann Spielwaren has announced
a splendid limited edition ‘Pope’ Bear to celebrate
the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. This edition
is limited to 265 pieces in honour of the fact that Pope Benedict
is the 265th Pope, and it will be exclusive to the UK. Word is
out that an earlier limited edition of 200 was sold out within
hours of release in Germany, unsurprising when you consider that
the new Pope is of German origin. The suitably devout-looking
bear is expected in the shops in early June, priced in the region
of £160. Contact your nearest Hermann Spielwaren stockist
to check availability.
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Soldier Boy
The 60th anniversary celebrations for VE Day have been and gone
but you can still remember this momentous occasion with Soldier
Boy, part of Robin Rive’s VE Day Collection. A limited
edition of 400, Soldier Boy measures 38cm and is created from
antique taupe mohair. He is dressed in a British WW2 jacket
made from reclaimed vintage WW2 fabric.
Tel: 01202 603600
or visit www.robinrive.com
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