Gavin Gardiner’s Modern And Vintage Sporting Guns auction, at Gleneagles Hotel, marked 50 years of auctions. There was an elegant pair of 12-bore sidelock ejector guns by James Purdey & Sons going under the hammer which sold for £30,000; gavingardiner.com
The highlight in the upcoming fifth Evolution Sale from Summers Place Auctions must surely be a collection of four mammoth skeletons. It is thought the family – mother, father, teenage and baby daughter – lived about 12,000 to 16,000 years ago. An eclectic purchase, maybe, but a guaranteed conversation starter. Estimated at £250,000 to £400,000; auction takes place on 21 November; summersplaceauctions.com
Champagne Bollinger Maison
If wine is your bag then Bonham’s dinner and auction, which will raise money for The Institute of Masters of Wine’s Endowment Fund, needs to be on your radar. Super lots include a VIP trip to Bollinger, an all-inclusive 14-day tour of New Zealand and an exclusive stay at Le Pin and Cheval Blanc. The event will take place on 16 November at Bonhams, New Bond Street; email prichards@mastersofwine.org for table enquiries; bonhams.com
