It’s all in the small print: Tiny Bronte manuscript…
...that introduces world to Jane Eyre character Bertha goes up for auction
An unpublished story by Charlotte Bronte is expected to sell for £300,000 at auction next month.
The 4,000-word piece is handwritten on 19 pages each barely larger than a credit card and needs a magnifying glass to be read properly.
Written in 1830 when she was only 14, Bronte's story contains scenes which bear a striking resemblance to Jane Eyre, her novel published 17 years later.
Tiny tale: The colourful tale of murder and madness is part of a 4,000-word magazine with 19 pages, written by the young Bronte
In one passage, a male character sinks into a delirium and envisages setting fire to a bed. In the later novel Mr Rochester's wife Bertha – forever remembered as the mad woman in the attic – sets fire to the bed curtains in his chamber.
The colourful tale of murder and madness is contained in what Bronte called The Young Men's Magazine, Number 2, in which she carefully replicated the periodicals of the day on hand-cut pages.
The story has been held in a private collection and its owners are said to have had no idea of its significance until they approached Sotheby's in London about selling it.
Gabriel Heaton, books specialist at the firm, which will auction the book on December 15, said: 'This minute manuscript provides a rare and intimate insight into one of history's great literary minds.'
Crafted with extraordinary care, this minute manuscript marks Charlotte Brontë's first burst of creativity and, significantly, provides a rare and intimate insight into one of history’s great literary minds.
'It contains a colourful tale of murder and madness which includes a precursor to one of the most famous scenes in Jane Eyre – the moment when Bertha, Mr Rochester's insane wife seeks revenge by setting fire to the bed curtains in her husband’s chamber.'
Size of a credit card: Reading the magazine requires a magnifying-glass as the entire manuscript is in miniature, the pages only 35 x 61mm
The colourful tale of murder and madness is part of a 4,000-word magazine with 19 pages, written by the young Brontë.
With astonishingly meticulous care, the teenager condensed her immaculate hand-writing into a miniscule script to cram it all in.
The young Bronte writes about her male character: 'He constantly raged about the spirits of Caroline Krista & Charles Wellesley dancing before him.
'He said that every now & then they glided through his eyes to his brain where an immense fire was continually burning & that he felt them adding fuel to the flames that caused it to catch the curtains of the bed that would soon be reduced to ashes.'
In another passage, she gives a vivid description of the attic similar to the one which becomes the home of the mentally-ill Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.
Script translated on screen: Actor Rafe Spall (right) played Edward Rochester and Rebecca Hall (left) played his insane wife in the BBC film adaptation of the prequel to Jane Eyre, titled 'Wide Sargasso Sea'
She writes: 'The floor was of wet rotten wood blacker than the back of a chimney. The sides were of the same but... partially concealed by elegant draperies of spiders web.’
Andrew McCarthy, director of the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, once the family's Yorkshire home, said: 'The fact that it's unpublished and unknown makes it extraordinary.'
Brontë's 1847 masterpiece tells of an orphan who becomes governess to a ward of the mysterious Mr Rochester, falls in love with him – only to discover that he is already married.
Rochester's mad wife, imprisoned in a country-house attic, seeks revenge, setting fire to the bed curtains.
The manuscript she penned when she was 14 tells of the adventures of a man after he witnesses a murder.
With hand-cut pages, she replicated the format of printed periodicals of the day, complete with table of contents, articles, poetry and classified advertisements, one of which reads: 'Six young men wish to let themselves all a hire for the purpose of cleaning out pockets they are in reduced CIRCUMSTANCES [sic].'
Inspired by Blackwood's Magazine, to which her father subscribed, she called hers The Young Men's Magazine, Number 2, and dated it August 1830. It is the missing second volume of a series of six.
Orson Welles Falstaff masterpiece ‘hidden manuscripts’ auction at Bonhams
Chimes at Midnight, or Falstaff, was Welles's favourite film from which these notes are for sale
Bonhams is to sell a treasure trove of material about Orson Welles's hidden masterpiece Chimes at Midnight, regarded by the director as his favourite film. It is estimated at between £60,000-80,000.
Chimes at Midnight, (Falstaff in the USA), was made in 1965 and nominated for several awards but post production problems and wrangles over ownership have conspired to made it one of his least known films.
A restored version, screened in the UK in August 2011, was the first cinema showing for decades. Critics, however, have long ranked it among Welles's masterpieces and the director's performance as Falstaff as his best.
Welles himself said, "If I wanted to get into Heaven on the basis of one movie, that's the one I'd offer up".
The archive belonged to the executive producer of 'Chimes at Midnight', Alessandro Tasca, a cousin of Guiseppe Lampedusa, author of the classic Sicilian novel 'The Leopard'.
'Chimes at Midnight' - or Falstaff in the USA - was made in 1965 and nominated for several awards
It includes 23 wash and watercolour drawing by Welles for Chimes at Midnight together with production notes for the film and for Welles's unfinished project to film Don Quixote.
Welles (pictured top right as Othello) and Tasca had an affectionate but tempestuous relationship over many years and the archive contains several letters of contrition from the director who was notorious for losing his temper (he was furious, for example, when Tasca left the set to attend his daughter's wedding).
There are also fascinating glimpses into Welles's working method as in this memorandum about the kind of cameraman he was seeking, "...in my pictures I am, to a very considerable extent, my own cameraman.
All basic decisions particularly as regards the lighting must be made by myself. This means that we require a good technician... (who)..must accept a sort of partnership in which I am, in the crunch, the senior partner."
Source: Paul Fraser
World’s largest fancy vivid yellow diamond tipped to fetch £10m at auction
It is one of the most sought-after diamonds in the world and so rare it was once said to be impossible to value.
But now the dazzling Cora Sun-Drop gem is tipped to make £10 million when it appears at auction next month.
Roughly the size of a woman's thumb and 110 carats it is thought to be the largest vivid yellow pear-shaped diamond in existence.
Impressive: The dazzling Cora Sun Drop gem is tipped to make in excess of £10 million at auction
It was discovered last year in South Africa and is currently owned by New York-based diamond manufacturer Cora International.
Now bidders will have the chance to get their hands on the prized gemstone at Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels sale held in Geneva on 15 November.
It has been given a pre-sale price of £6.9 million - £9.4 million ($11m-$15m) but many anticipate that it will exceed this estimate.
Sotheby's Switzerland co-chairman David Bennett said: 'This stone has immense presence and is truly stunning.
The yellow colour stems from the very small percentage of nitrogen within the carbon structure of the stone and those with a strong saturated colour represent only a tiny percentage of all natural diamonds
'It is also one of the largest diamonds ever to have appeared at auction.'
In February the Sun-Drop attracted crowds of admirers when it went on display at London's Natural History Museum alongside some of the world's rarest treasures.
At the time Alan Hart, the Natural History Museum's minerals curator, told BBC News: 'I've never seen a stone such as this.
'A one-carat diamond is what most people are familiar with, and are really pleased to own. You can see how exceptional this diamond is.'
The unusual yellow colour of the Sun-Drop stems from the very small percentage of nitrogen within the carbon structure of the stone.
Diamonds with a strong saturated colour represent only a tiny percentage of all natural diamonds, and when it is more than 100 carats, it takes on a historic significance as so few exist.
Over recent weeks the precious stone has been on an international tour, showcased with other lot items which include intricate diamond rings, bangles and brooches.
Sotheby’s Geneva has a renowned history of selling exceptional diamonds.
Last year The Graff Pink diamond- a fancy intense pink diamond of almost 25 carats- was sold for $46.1 million setting a new world record for any jewel auctioned.
Souce: Daily Mail Website
Elvis Presley autographed photograph in Army uniform (PF274)
A charming previously unseen autographed photograph of Elvis Presley in his Army uniform
The "King of Rock and Roll", Elvis Presley (1935-1977) dominated the music charts, starting with 1956's number one hit Heartbreak Hotel, the same year he made his film debut in Love Me Tender.
His showbiz career was interrupted when he was conscripted into military service in 1958. Two years later, Elvis returned to performing live on stage. Aloha from Hawaii, Presley's 1973 concert, was the first concert to be broadcast globally via satellite.
Forever popular with collectors, Elvis continues to wow audiences 30 years after his death. Presley is regularly top of the highest earning dead celebrity list, generating $52m income in 2008 alone.
Elvis Presley, candid photo
This candid photograph of the star, taken in the summer of 1959, shows Elvis in Wiesbaden, Germany, in full military uniform shows Elvis Presley's autograph on the reverse.
The photograph was originally acquired by the Aunt of one of Priscilla Presley's classmates, in Wiesbaden, Germany.
A clean-shaven Elvis is shown smiling generously, a woman's hand on his shoulder. His uniform badges are clearly visible, and a cap covers his cropped hair.
Elvis Presley, autograph
On the reverse, Elvis has written his autograph in blue ballpoint. The piece is in very good condition and measures 2.25x2.25. Small mounting remnant to top of reverse. Some surface loss affecting a single stroke of last name.
Elvis Presley’s Cadillac limousine could rock ‘n’ roll to $150,000 at Bonhams
You'll have the chance to live - or, rather, ride around - like the King at Bonhams' upcoming sale of Elvis Presley's limousine.
This car has certainly 'seen things', having been used by Elvis to transport his band to concerts all over the Southern United States. The limo will appear for sale at Bonhams' Classic California sale, happening on November 12.
Actually a 1955 Cadillac Series 75 Fleetwood limousine, the car will sell with its full documents which reveal that the King first bought it in January 1956. In true rock 'n' roll style, he immediately had it re-sprayed black.
As with many collectibles from Elvis's early era, the limo's documents show that the King was still tied to his parents' apron strings at the time. The 1956 contract was co-signed by Elvis's father.
This isn't the first Elvis limo to appear for sale on the collectors' markets. But many past examples have had dubious provenance. This example, on the other hand, is fully-documented with clear proof it was once owned by Presley.
Bonhams' pre-sale estimate for the vehicle ranges from $100,000-150,000.
This estimate is higher than the sale total achieved by Elvis's powder blue Mercedes-Benz Limousine back in December 2010.
Restored to a very high standard, the rare piece of Elvis's history attracted a great deal of interest and in the end went to a German buyer. It brought £80,700.
That car was one of two 600 Mercedes owned by the King. Presley owned the car for two years before he gave it to one of his friends, James Leroy Robertson.
Presley's fan club later attempted to get the car quarantined as they considered it a national treasure that should not leave the USA.
This 1955 Cadillac Series 75 Fleetwood limousine has yet to attract any controversy - but should attract plenty of bidders at Bonhams' California sale as Elvis memorabilia is highly sought after.
Why do his collectibles remain so popular? Well, the proof is in the pudding... More than 30 years after his death, Elvis still tops Forbes' annual poll over the top earning dead celebrities.
Meanwhile, 600,000 people still visit Graceland every year. And the PFC40 autograph index shows the value of Elvis's autograph is up 333.3% in 11 years.
We have this example of an autograph for sale (pictured above). It was signed by Elvis just two years after he was drafted into the army, and proves that his collectibles are as varied as they are sought-after on today's markets.
Source: Paul Fraser Website
The worlds most expensive ashtray?!
This 18th century Chinese vase was taken to Adam Partridge auctioneers valuation day by a lady from Leek in Staffordshire who said she doubted that they would want it as it was damaged and had been used by her grandmother for "stubbing out her fags"!
The 32cm vase a blue ground Famille Rose pattern Jiaqing (1796 - 1820) with a flared neck, stepped handles to the neck and character mark to base was estimated at the valuation day at £10,000-£15,000 - and if that wasn’t enough to make the owner fall of her chair, it was then contested at Adam Partridge Auctioneers 28th October sale over 6 phone lines and the hammer finally fell at £60,000 - making it probably the most expensive ashtray in the world!
Sir Francis Drake rediscovered? Queen Elizabeth I’s pirate may have been found
Recently we've had the opportunity to talk about Titanic memorabilia as some items which were saved from the famous disaster were offered for sale. But now the sea seems to have offered up a wholly unexpected treasure: the final resting place of Sir Francis Drake and his ships.
Drake is remembered fondly by Englishmen as one of the most charismatic men of the Elizabethan age. A navigator, privateer and vice-admiral, Drake explored the new world of the Caribbean and even became only the second seafarer in recorded history to circle the globe.
A team of researchers has discovered two ships from Drake's fleet lying on the seabed off the coast of Panama: the 195-ton Elizabeth and 50-ton Delight. Both were scuttled shortly after the naval hero's death, and his body is believed to have been buried at sea nearby, in full armour within a lead casket.
That is still to be confirmed, but the discovery of the ships themselves is an incredible find.
In Drake's later life, he was a 'privateer' - effectively a pirate with a license: one country might encourage individual captains to attack the ships and property of another and provide assistance.
Attacked whilst on a voyage to Caribbean near San Juan de Ulua, Drake vowed revenge on the Spanish who had carried out the raid, and carried out a number of attacks.
His most successful raid was capturing the Silver Train, the regular mule train which the Spanish sent carrying its huge burden of treasure from Peru back through Spanish territories to Spain. Drake's relatively small force overcame the train and captured a vast amount of gold and silver.
So great was the plunder, in fact, that Drake and his men were unable to carry it all back and whilst they took a fortune in gold, they had to leave a fortune in silver. Much was buried, which may have initiated the idea of pirates' buried treasure.
An example of Drake's autograph sold for $37,000 in 2010 at Alexander Autographs, though the buyer may have snaffled themselves a bargain there.
Queen Elizabeth I described him as "her pirate", and he played a crucial part in defeating the Spanish Armada when it came to invade Britain, perhaps the event which both Drake and Elizabeth are best remembered for.
Elizabeth I's autograph can be very valuable too, of course. We have an absolutely unique example for a collector to buy which is actually accompanied by her great seal. In fact, the piece is so extraordinary that it qualifies for our 120% guarantee.
Source: Paul Fraser
‘Bad show’: Douglas Bader’s stoical logbook entry…
...on crash that cost him his legs set to fetch £30,000
t was a disaster that changed his life and might have crushed the spirit of a lesser man.
When Douglas Bader crashed his plane while performing aerobatic stunts, he suffered horrendous injuries that cost him his legs.
But despite the devastating impact it would have on his flying and his passion for rugby and boxing, there was not a trace of self-pity in the entry Bader made in his logbook for the events of that fateful day near Reading on December 14, 1931.
With stoic understatement the 21-year-old pilot simply wrote: ‘X country – Reading. Crashed slow-rolling near ground. Bad show.’
Bader never let the consequences of his ‘bad show’ get the better of him and went on to become a Second World War flying hero despite his artificial legs.
The log containing his assessment of the crash is being put up for auction for the first time and is expected to fetch £30,000.
It also reveals how he struggled to learn to fly after joining the RAF in 1928 and was rebuked by his instructor for his ‘poor performance’ in taking too long on solo practice flights.
Original transcripts detailing an extraordinary operation by the RAF and the Germans to supply Bader with a new wooden leg after he was taken prisoner in 1941 are also being auctioned.
Bader, by now a wing commander, lost his right artificial leg when he bailed out of his Spitfire over Nazi-occupied northern France.
The Battle of Britain legend was so respected by the Germans that when they announced his capture in a radio broadcast they also asked Britain for a replacement leg to be dropped.
A handwritten account by the RAF officer in charge of the drop describes how the leg was delivered into France by parachute after the Germans guaranteed the aircraft safe conduct.
Stoic: Despite detailing an accident which saw him lose both legs, Bader remained remarkably understated in describing it as a 'bad show'
Criticism: In one log, tells how Bader was rebuked for a 'poor performance' when he took too long in the air
Flight Lieutenant H.R. Spencer wrote: ‘The new leg was dropped by Blenheim of 18 Squadron just west of St Omer. The enemy fired at the descending package but did not damage it.’
The Germans confirmed its safe arrival via another broadcast.
It is the first time this document or the logbook have come on to the open market. The teleprinter message flashing news of the German radio broadcast that announced Bader was alive and had been captured is also being sold.
Insight: The detailed, handwritten notes in Bader's flying logbook describe the moment he lost both his legs as a 'bad show'
The logbook covers the start of his flying career in 1928 through to the near-fatal crash in 1931. It was acquired from Bader’s widow Joan by aviation enthusiast Ron Mitchell in 1990.
Mr Mitchell, 65, has loaned it to the RAF Museum in Hendon, North London, several times but has now decided to sell it.
The retired engineer from Norwich said: ‘It has sat in my safe for so long now I felt it really ought to be put out there to be seen again.’
Despite having no legs Bader was credited with more than 20 aerial victories in the Second World War and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
As a prisoner of war he made a number of attempts to escape and was eventually sent to Colditz where he remained until it was liberated in April 1945.
Respected: A transcript of a message sent by the Germans tells how they asked for Britain to send over an artificial leg for the captured Captain Bader
Rare: The auction of the logbook will be the first time it has ever come on to the open market
His story was told in the 1956 film Reach for the Sky starring Kenneth More, based on the biography of the same name by Paul Brickhill.
After the war Bader worked in the oil industry. He also campaigned for the disabled, for which he was knighted in 1976, and continued to fly until ill health forced him to stop in 1979. He died in 1982, aged 72.
The items are being sold by Dominic Winter Book Auctions of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, on November 16.
Iconic cape from classic 1931 Dracula film is set to fetch £1.25m at auction
An iconic Dracula cape worn in the 1931 classic Hollywood vampire movie is set to fetch £1.25 million at auction.
The legendary black cape was sported by Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi as the vampire count in the Universal Pictures film Dracula.
It is being billed by auctioneers as the 'greatest single horror garment in cinema history'.
Quintessential: Bela Lugosi as Dracula in the 1931 classic Universal Pictures version of the vampire story
After the huge success of Dracula, Lugosi became the quintessential Hollywood horror actor, appearing in two Frankenstein films.
Before he died in 1956, Lugosi asked his wife of 20 years, Lillian, to keep the cape for their son Bela Jr.
Lugosi was buried in a lighter-weight version of the cape that he used for personal appearances along with his signature white tie and tails.
Lillian left the original costume to Bela Jr on her death in 1981. He is now selling it through Californian auction house Profiles in History with a pre-sale estimate of £1.25 million.
Racy: This nude painting of Marilyn Monroe by Earl Moran has been given an estimate of £60,000.
The three-day Icons of Hollywood auction from December 15 also boasts ruby slippers from 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz that are tipped to fetch £1.9 million.
They are the pair used by 16-year-old Judy Garland as Dorothy when she clicked her heels together three times to return to Kansas, saying 'There's no place like home'.
Seller Philip Samuels, a textiles entrepreneur from Missouri, snapped them up as an investment in 1988 for just £100,000.
Where we're going, we don't need roads: The DeLorean time machine from the Back To The Future series is expected to make £300,000
The Cowardly Lion costume from the film fetched £500,000 at a previous auction.
Also up for grabs is Marilyn Monroe's wedding ring from her marriage to Joe DiMaggio, estimated to fetch £300,000, and a nude painting of her by Earl Moran, valued at £60,000.
The DeLorean time machine from Michael J Fox hit Back to the Future III is tipped to raise £375,000.
Vase carried to WI meeting in carrier bag turns out to be rare relic worth £500,000
An elderly woman who took an old vase wrapped in a carrier bag to her local WI fair was stunned to discover it was a rare 250-year-old Chinese relic worth £500,000.
The Chinese porcelain moonflask which had been gathering dust on a shelf in the pensioner's Dorset home was identified as an ancient Imperial Qing Dynasty treasure from the 18th century.
Excited specialists have now advised the shocked woman to contact Asian art experts, after valuing the rare 11.5-inch piece at around £500,000.
Relic: The 18th-century Qing Dynasty Chinese vase which had been gathering dust on a pensioner's shelf is thought to be worth £500,000
The woman, who is in her 80s but has not been named to protect the artefact, inherited the vase from her late father, Edward Whittington-Ince, in 1976.
The pensioner inherited the vase from her late father, Captain Edward Whittington-Ince, who acquired it while serving in the Far East
He was a Royal Navy captain and former Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies from 1925 to 1927, which is when and where he acquired the vase.
It has now been put up for sale at auction where it is expected to fetch £500,000.
The estimate reflects the rarity and quality of the vase as well as the burgeoning Asian art market, caused by the newly-rich Chinese looking to buy back their heritage.
The vase, described as being of 'the highest quality', is painted with delicate cobalt blue designs of birds perched on a prunas branch - a popular theme for porcelain painters.
The theme remained popular through the Ming dynasty - 1368 to 1644 - and was revived for the Qing dynasty - 1644 to 1912.
It is recognised as such a fine example that it will be included on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow 'Basic, Better, Best' feature on the show due to be broadcast next Spring.
A spokesman for auctioneers Woolley and Wallis, of Salisbury, Wilts, said: 'The woman didn't know what she had really.
'She valued the item simply because it was a family heirloom and had no idea of its true monetary value.
'She kept it on display like an ornament on a shelf where it gathered dust for years.
'Then earlier this year there was a WI antiques day at the village hall in her village and she took it along to that.
'Luckily the specialist who was there knew his stuff and knew there was a bit about the object and advised the woman to take it to us.
'We took it off her to do some research and our head of Asian art, John Axford, was satisfied it was 18th century and is a fine and rare Ming-style Moonflask.
'The vendor was quite astonished by the price.'
The moonflask will be auctioned by Woolley and Wallis on November 16.