A cast-iron Guinness zookeeper, a Cornish market hall stacked with 800 lots of die-cast and vinyl, and a timed Reading sale of silver and paintings — all opening on the same Friday. Today, 21 August 2026, four online auctions come to the boil across England, Cornwall and the Irish border. Here’s what’s worth your bidding time, house by house.
What’s in the Thimbleby & Shorland Antiques and Collectables sale?
Reading auctioneers Thimbleby & Shorland open the run with a broad, generalist sale that rewards patient scrolling. The catalogue spans books, silver, jewellery, decorative wares, paintings and furniture — the sort of mix where a good eye finds value the specialists overlook. If you furnish rooms or deal in the trade, this is where honest brown furniture and useful silver still change hands sensibly.
This is a timed online auction. Bidding opens at 4:00 pm (BST) on Friday 21 August 2026, with lots beginning to close from 5:00 pm on Sunday 30 August 2026. The rooms are at 31 Great Knollys Street, Reading, and as Berkshire auctioneers they’re a useful reference point if you buy antiques near Reading. Browse the full Antiques and Collectables listing, or bid live through the the-saleroom catalogue before lots start dropping.
Why bid at Carn Brea Auctions in Camborne?
Down in Cornwall, Carn Brea Auctions bring a Collectors sale of over 800 lots from their base at Trevithick Market, Camborne. It’s a proper enthusiast’s catalogue, deep in every direction:
- Die-cast — the place to chase boxed models and variants
- Militaria and model railway
- Silver, gaming, comics and magazines
- Vinyl records, vintage toys and unusual one-off items
The scale is the draw: 800-plus lots means depth, and depth is where the sleepers hide for die-cast and vinyl buyers who know their variants. It runs online only, starting 5:00 pm (BST) on Friday 21 August 2026 from Trevithick Road, Camborne, TR14 8LQ. See the Collectors sale listing, register on the live Bidspirit catalogue, and if you follow West Country sales keep an eye on Cornwall auctioneers generally.
When is the Reeman Dansie Fine & Affordable Art sale?
Colchester house Reeman Dansie take a different tack with Fine & Affordable Art — a dedicated pictures sale pitched, as the name promises, at buyers who want good work without a fine-art hammer. It’s a natural entry point for first-time art buyers and interior designers dressing a wall on a budget, and a reliable trawl for dealers.
The sale is online only, starting 6:00 pm (BST) on Friday 21 August 2026, run from Reeman Dansie’s rooms at 8 Wyncolls Road, Severalls Business Park, Colchester. As one of the better-known Essex auctioneers, they’re worth following for regular art and antiques sales. View the pictures in the Fine & Affordable Art listing, place absentee bids early, or watch them close on the live the-saleroom catalogue.
What’s in the Michael Collins Historical sale in Dundalk?
The most characterful catalogue of the day comes from Michael Collins Historical Ltd in Dundalk, Ireland — a weekly sale of collectable, antique and vintage items, artworks and jewellery. Breweriana collectors will make a beeline for it. Standout lots include:
- Guinness “Zookeeper — My Goodness My Guinness” advertising figurine
- Guinness St James’s Gate Brewery Dublin arrow sign and an original stout amber glass bottle
- Jameson Irish Whiskey embossed metal advertising sign
- Belleek ivory porcelain table lamp base with butterfly and iris relief
- Wade England copper lustre floral pitcher and a Crown Staffordshire African elephant and calf figurine
- Tyrone Crystal Dalriada thistle vase — a proper piece of Irish glass
- Irish Local Defence Force Emergency Service Medal 1939–1946, boxed
Beyond the pub-wall favourites the range is wide: a Nanrich Pottery “Laughing Cavalier” cabinet plate, a Hubley American League baseball mascot cast-iron still bank, a vintage cast-iron boat-tail racer, a late-19th-century Rococo Revival cast-brass double inkstand, an Elevation acoustic classical guitar, and a Cornish Mead Co. salt-glazed stoneware mead jug. The 1939–1946 Defence Force medal is an evocative bit of Emergency-era history for militaria buyers.
It runs online only, starting 6:00 pm (BST) on Friday 21 August 2026, from Jenkinstown, Dundalk. Everything is in the weekly sale listing, and bids go through the live Bidspirit catalogue — worth ten minutes even if breweriana isn’t usually your thing.
Ready to bid?
Four sales, four very different moods — a generalist Reading catalogue, 800 Cornish collectors’ lots, an affordable Colchester art sale and a Dundalk run of Guinness and ceramics. Follow Thimbleby & Shorland, Carn Brea Auctions, Reeman Dansie and Michael Collins Historical on Auction Eagle to catch their next sales, and browse more upcoming UK and Irish auctions while these catalogues are still open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which auctions are on Friday 21 August 2026?
Four online sales open that day: Thimbleby & Shorland (Reading) at 4:00 pm, Carn Brea Auctions (Camborne, Cornwall) at 5:00 pm, and both Reeman Dansie (Colchester, Essex) and Michael Collins Historical (Dundalk, Ireland) at 6:00 pm BST.
When and where is the Thimbleby & Shorland sale?
An online-only timed Antiques and Collectables auction run from 31 Great Knollys Street, Reading, Berkshire. Bidding opens 4:00 pm BST on Friday 21 August 2026; lots begin closing from 5:00 pm on Sunday 30 August 2026.
What can I buy at the Carn Brea Auctions Collectors sale?
Over 800 lots of die-cast, militaria, model railway, silver, gaming, comics and magazines, vinyl and vintage toys. It's online only from Trevithick Market, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8LQ, starting 5:00 pm BST on 21 August 2026.
How do I bid at Michael Collins Historical in Dundalk?
The weekly sale is online only via the live Bidspirit catalogue, starting 6:00 pm BST on Friday 21 August 2026. Register in advance to bid on the Guinness breweriana, Belleek and Wade ceramics, and the boxed 1939–1946 Irish Local Defence Force medal.
Are these auctions online or in-room?
All four are online-only sales, so you bid remotely without attending in person. Register on each auction's live catalogue in advance to place live or absentee bids.
Is there a buyer's premium?
Yes — most UK and Irish auction houses add a buyer's premium, plus any VAT, on top of the hammer price. Check each sale's terms in its live catalogue before bidding so you know the full cost.
