Many of you will have seen the recent Netflix film The Dig about the discovery of Sutton Hoo. There is one notable scene on the excavation when Charles Phillips exclaims that Saxon England “was no longer in the Dark Ages”.
BYZANTINE COPPER COINS IN DARK AGE BRITAIN Read Article »
Under continued difficult circumstances as the UK went into its third lockdown in January this year, I am proud to say that Spink held an incredible total of 23 auctions during the first month of the year, all of course safely conducted behind closed doors by our dedicated teams. I am truly proud to say that the show really does go on no matter how arduous the task may seem, and we will always find a way of bringing fresh material to sale for the enjoyment of our collecting family.
A WORD FROM OUR CHAIRMAN Read Article »
To coincide with the 50th anniversary of decimalisation on 15th February 2021, Spink Books are delighted to announce the release of Tom Hockenhull’s Making Change in collaboration with The British Museum.
MAKING CHANGE: THE DECIMALISATION OF BRITAIN’S CURRENCY Read Article »
Towards the end of 1647 and the first English civil war, Oliver Cromwell moved his family to King Street in Westminster o ‘an old wooden house lying between the Blue Boar’s Head Yard and Ram’s Mews’.
OLIVER CROMWELL’S WATCH Read Article »
Since the creation of the first wristwatch in 1868 for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, Swiss watch manufacturers like Patek Philippe, Omega and Vacheron Constantin have been creating unique watches to meet demand from the ever-growing market.
TIME FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF COLLECTORS Read Article »
Insider readers may remember that we promised to let you know more about the incredible Second World War escape stories of John Humphreys OBE DL, who featured in our Chelsea Pensioners article in Issue 37.
JOHN HUMPHREYS OBE DL – THE GREAT ESCAPIST Read Article »
Waterloo Uncovered founders Mark Evans and Charlie Foinette have a shared history, as well as a deep friendship. They studied archaeology together at University College London before joining the army. Both chose the Coldstream Guards, the British regiment that played a vital role in the allied victory at Waterloo and continues to see
active service across the world today.
WATERLOO UNCOVERED Read Article »
Every collector has a moment that first connected them with their chosen area of interest. My passion for stamp collecting and philately is connected to a 20-minute geography lesson at school using worldwide postage stamps in the autumn of 1993. Holding so many different tiny, seemingly weightless pieces
of other countries in the palm of my hand captivated me completely.
VOICE OF A NEW GENERATION : CROSS-CATEGORY COLLECTING Read Article »
As part of our series looking at what gives some people the “collecting bug” we spoke to Judith Grant, collector of historical documents and ephemera, who is also one very few women professionally involved in the hobby – though we are pleased to see more and more female collectors coming through our doors (please see Voice of a New Generation for young philatelist Katrin Raynor’s fascinating article on astronomy celebrated via philately).
AN INTERVIEW WITH JUDITH GRANT Read Article »
The Roman poet Virgil wrote a mystical poem, which we know as the Fourth Eclogue, in around 42 BC. It is oracular in nature and describes a vision of a returning Golden Age through cyclical time.
THE ENDURING WISH FOR A GOLDEN AGE AT CHRISTMAS TIME Read Article »
