Auctions

THE silly season is upon us. The widow of London psychiatrist Michael Tarsh is selling his 500 pigs - in porkelain, pottery, silver, glass, wood and leather - collected over 40 years. The pigs, to appear in Phillips' furniture and general sale on Monday (10am), are expected to fetch pounds 20,000. A Wemyss pig carries the highest estimate: pounds 1,500- pounds 2,000. A lot consisting of 20 small pottery pigs is pounds 80- pounds 120, a butcher's pottery pig pounds 100- pounds 200 and two beaten-up Liberty leather pigs (one a footstool), pounds 50- pounds 80 the lot.

Plaited hair of George IV, contained in a pair of Regency bracelets, is estimated pounds 600- pounds 800 at Phillips' sale of period costume, textiles and lace, Tuesday (11am). There is also a christening robe of ivory satin ( pounds 1,000- pounds 1,200) and a pair of children's stays ( pounds 600- pounds 800), both said to have been worn by him. They were given by George, when Prince of Wales, to his foster mother, Mrs Margaret Scott.

There are 100 musical boxes in Christie's South Kensington's sale of mechanical music, Thursday (2pm), including 34 from a private collection. The most elaborate is estimated pounds 6,000- pounds 8,000, but estimates for other boxes start at pounds 100. A box playing 10 airs, with three bells and butterfly strikers, is estimated pounds 250- pounds 350. In the same sale, four HMV gramophone recordings of vocals by Mrs Henry Wood, with a background of the only known recordings of her husband playing the piano, are estimated pounds 200- pounds 400 each.

Two book and map sales, at Sotheby's, Thursday and Friday (2.30pm daily) and Bloomsbury Book Auctions, Thursday (1pm). Sotheby's sale includes collections of nautical books, books relating to Scandinavia and works about the Holy Land. The 115 nautical lots, the library of the late William Salisbury, include a folio of 36 pencil, pen, ink and watercolour maritime scenes of the 1830s by Colonel John Luard. These works - cabin interiors, shooting an albatross, crossing the line - were drafts for his book Views in India, St Helena and Car Nicobar. The Bloomsbury sale has 14 Bibles (some 16th-century), mostly rather battered, offered for pounds 200 each or less.

COUNTRYWIDE

Billingshurst: The cartoonist Norman Thelwell has sent three of his humorous watercolours for sale at Sotheby's Summers Place sale, Tuesday (10.30am). Riding School shows nine small girl riders on ill-matched mounts ( pounds 1,000- pounds 1,500), Free Range Christmas Poultry, small girl on pony wielding lariat, turkeys fleeing ( pounds 2,000- pounds 3,000) and No Coaches, occupants of a horse-drawn coach pelting the landlord of a 'no coaches' pub with snowballs ( pounds 2,000- pounds 3,000). A collection of paintings by Bryan Organ includes Laurentian Hills with Lester Piggott up, estimated pounds 4,000- pounds 6,000 (0403-783933).

Frome: More than 300 musical instruments including clarinets, flutes, trumpets, trombones, tubas, saxophones, pianos, organs, violins, guitars, cellos, today (1pm) at the United Reformed Church Hall, Wittox Lane. Players (0373-472685).

Langar, Nottinghamshire: on-site portion of the contents of Langar House: pictures, prints, furniture, ornaments, Thursday (12 noon). Spencer's (0777- 708633).

Swindon: More than 1,000 lots of computers and peripherals at Park South Junior School, Priory Road, tomorrow (11am). Clarendon Centre (0722-413337).

Oxford: Mostly from a single estate: Japanese and Burmese swords, Chinese export porcelain, early Worcester, Wednesday (11am) at Mallams, Bocardo House, St Michael's Street (0865-241358).

Oldham: By order of marine surveyors, loss adjusters: 300,000 yards of fabric, including cotton, cambric, shirting, linings, lace, embroidery, also 80 dozen towels, 500 aprons, 1,000 curtain valances, 50 rolls of curtain tape, sewing thread, zips, trimmings, at Thornton Mill Auction Rooms, Oozewood Road, Royton, Tuesday (10.30am). D Charles Astle (061-633 1681).

Liphook: On-site contents of Coles Field, Bramshott: 12 rosewood brass-inlaid Regency dining chairs, pounds 15,000- pounds 20,000, two Victorian pony carts, pounds 200- pounds 400 and pounds 400- pounds 600, Satsuma ware, animalier bronzes, Thursday (11am). John Nicholson (0428-653727).

Cranbrook: 1,000 lots from four estates: aesthetic movement furniture and ornaments, Deco ivory figures, miniature apprentice furniture, pistols, paintings, Monday (11am) at Wealden Auction Galleries (0580-714522).

Leckhampton: Office furniture, computer equipment, televisions and videos, engineering and woodworking machinery, builders' and garden equipment, vehicles, at Unit 5, Church Farm Business Centre, Church Road, Wednesday and Thursday (11am). David Foyle (0242- 241111).

FAIRS

Birmingham Antiques: 1,200 stands and stalls, St Martin's Market, Edgbaston Street, Wednesday (0889-508527).

Harrogate: Great Northern International Antiques and Collectors, New Exhibition Centre, Yorkshire Showground, Tuesday (1pm) and Wednesday (9am). (0325-380077). Detling, Kent: Mammoth Kent Antiques and Collectors, Kent County Showground, today and tomorrow (Four in One Promotions 0455-233495).

Aboard HMS President, Victoria Embankment, London EC4, next Sunday (Ridgeway Fairs 0702-710383).

Countrywide: Antiques Trade Gazette (071- 930 4957) and Government Auction News (071-928 9001, hotline 0891-887700).

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