A lapis-and-limestone eye inlay carved in Mesopotamia around 2600 B.C. and a plush Coca-Cola polar bear from 1998 rarely share a calendar — but this Friday, 26 June 2026, they do. Four UK auction houses are running online-only sales on a single summer day, and the spread is genuinely broad: ancient Egyptian and Iraqi antiquities, modern Arab masters, signed entertainment and space material, charity books, and a riot of advertising and retro collectables. Every sale is bid-from-anywhere, so you can work the lots from the garden with a cup of tea. Here’s what deserves your attention.
What’s in the Hammer Time Auctions Toys, Collectibles and Retro sale?
If you collect for the pleasure of it, start with Hammer Time Auctions’ Toys, Collectibles and Retro sale. The standout is a collection of magic memorabilia and ephemera that includes a Society of American Magicians award plaque presented to John Salisse — a serious name in magic history, and exactly the provenance that lifts a lot above generic stage tat.
There’s a deep seam of soft-drink advertising too. Coca-Cola and Schweppes hunters will find a Coca-Cola Enterprises ‘Shaping Tomorrow Together’ presentation tin set, a limited-edition millennium crystal bottle and pin set, a run of 27 Coca-Cola and Schweppes pinback buttons, six London 2012 Olympic commemorative items, and that 1998 plush polar bear clutching a soccer ball. A Schweppes mirrored wall clock with quartz movement would earn its place in a kitchen or games room.
- Magic history: Society of American Magicians plaque to John Salisse
- Local interest: Bristol Blue cobalt commemorative glassware by Peter St Clair
- Watch oddity: a Rolex Watches of Switzerland ten-slot display case, ref. 8.002
- Pure fun: two animatronic singing fish and lobster wall plaques, and a Queen Mary souvenir cloth sailor doll
- Costume jewellery: charm bracelets, a Queen Victoria veiled-head coin ring, and a pair of Sekonda quartz wristwatches
This is an online-only sale starting at 10:00 am BST on Friday 26 June 2026, run from Unit 5, Midsomer Enterprise Park, Radstock, BA3 2BB (several lots are noted as coming from Bristol). To bid, register through the live catalogue and either bid live or leave an absentee bid. Browse the full Hammer Time Auctions catalogue before bidding opens.
What can you buy at the Chaucer Auctions live autograph sale?
Folkestone’s Chaucer Auctions live autograph sale is the one for memorabilia collectors who enjoy the chase. The remit spans entertainment, sport, space, music and historical signatures — five fields that rarely come together under one gavel. Autograph buyers know the drill: condition, the strength and flow of the ink, and the right paperwork matter as much as the name, and Chaucer specialises in exactly this corner of the trade.
Individual lots are still being catalogued at the time of writing, so set a watch on the sale and check back as the listing fills out. Space material has been climbing steadily with collectors, while signed music and film pieces remain the easiest way into the hobby for a newcomer. This is an online-only auction starting at 10:00 am BST on Friday 26 June 2026, run from Unit 1, Bowles Well Gardens, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 6PQ. Register via the live catalogue to bid live or leave an absentee bid, and watch the Chaucer Auctions page for the latest consignments.
What’s in the Kew Auctions antiquities and Middle Eastern art sale?
The most serious sale of the day is Kew Auctions’ Antiquities, Islamic Art, Indian Art and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, drawn from a single private collection in Richmond. The antiquities alone reward a slow read of the catalogue.
There’s a rare Mesopotamian eye inlay in lapis lazuli, limestone and black stone from the Early Dynastic period, circa 2600–2250 B.C., alongside cuneiform that will make any student of writing pause: a clay tablet fragment circa 3000 B.C., a Sumerian terracotta foundation cone from the reign of Gudea (circa 2141–2122 B.C.), and a matching cuneiform tablet of the same date. From Egypt come a large stone heart scarab carrying the prenomen of Thutmose III, a granite head of a royal official from the reign of Amenophis III, and an obsidian-and-gold-foil kohl pot of the 12th Dynasty. The two Tell Brak stone eye idols, circa 3500–3300 B.C., are striking little objects with a following all their own.
The modern and contemporary side is just as strong, with named works by Arab masters:
- Faeq Hassan (Iraq, 1914–1992), Three Nudes in a Landscape, oil on board, 1968
- Fateh Moudarres (Syria, 1922–1999), modernist scene with horse and figures, 1968
- Shakir Hassan Al Said (Iraq, 1925–2004), Figures, pen and ink, 1970
- Lorna Selim (Iraq, 1928–2021), Old Houses in Baghdad, 1971
- George Bahgory (Egypt, b. 1932), a portrait of Umm Kulthum, oil on canvas
- Moustafa Farroukh (Lebanon, 1901–1957), The Court of the Lions, Alhambra, watercolour
This is an online-only sale starting at 2:00 pm BST on Friday 26 June 2026, run from 16 Bardolph Road, Richmond, TW9 2LH. To bid, register through the live catalogue and bid live or leave a commission bid. With antiquities, study the lot descriptions and provenance — it matters more here than anywhere else on the day. See more sales on the Kew Auctions page.
When is the Chaucer Auctions Michael Sobell Charity Books sale?
Chaucer rounds off the day with its Michael Sobell Charity Books sale, an online-only evening auction starting at 6:00 pm BST on Friday 26 June 2026, again from the Folkestone, Kent rooms at Unit 1, Bowles Well Gardens, CT19 6PQ. A charity book sale is a quietly rewarding way to bid: you build the shelf and support a good cause in the same lot.
Specific lots are still being listed, so book collectors should add this to their watchlist and revisit the catalogue as it grows. Because it runs eight hours after the morning autograph sale, you can take in both Chaucer sales in a single day. Register through the live catalogue to bid, and follow the Chaucer Auctions page so you don’t miss the final line-up.
How do you make the most of Friday’s online auctions?
Four online-only auctions, one Friday, and a span that runs from 3000 B.C. cuneiform to a millennium Coca-Cola bottle. Register early with each house, read the lot conditions, factor in the buyer’s premium before you set your top bid, and leave absentee or commission bids if you can’t follow the lots live. Follow Hammer Time Auctions, Chaucer Auctions and Kew Auctions on Auction Eagle, and keep your watchlist full through the summer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which auctions are on this Friday?
Four online-only UK sales run on Friday 26 June 2026: Hammer Time Auctions' Toys, Collectibles and Retro (10:00 am BST), Chaucer Auctions' live autograph sale (10:00 am BST), Kew Auctions' Antiquities, Islamic, Indian and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art (2:00 pm BST), and Chaucer Auctions' Michael Sobell Charity Books (6:00 pm BST).
When and where is the Kew Auctions antiquities sale?
Online only, starting 2:00 pm BST on Friday 26 June 2026, run by Kew Auctions from 16 Bardolph Road, Richmond, TW9 2LH, drawn from a single private collection. Register via the live catalogue to bid.
What is in the Hammer Time Auctions retro sale?
Magic memorabilia including a Society of American Magicians plaque to John Salisse, extensive Coca-Cola and Schweppes advertising, Bristol Blue glassware, charm bracelets and watches. It starts 10:00 am BST on Friday 26 June 2026, online only from Radstock, BA3 2BB.
How do I bid at Chaucer Auctions?
Both Chaucer sales — the live autograph auction at 10:00 am BST and Michael Sobell Charity Books at 6:00 pm BST on Friday 26 June 2026 — are online only from Folkestone, Kent. Register through the live catalogue to bid live or leave an absentee bid.
Are these sales online or in the room?
All four auctions on Friday 26 June 2026 are online-only, so you bid remotely from anywhere through each house's live catalogue.
Is there a buyer's premium?
Yes. UK auction houses add a buyer's premium on top of the hammer price, so check each sale's terms in the live catalogue before setting your maximum bid.
