2025: The Year at Auction
30/12/2025
As the hammer falls on 2025, the C&t team have been taking a moment to review some of their highlights of the year. Read on to hear what our specialist team has to say…
“We’ve handled some really fine single owner collections, with more on the horizon for 2026!”
- Matthew Tredwen
Mentioned several times by the C&T team, the private collections handled this year have been truly memorable.
Alongside numerous private collections which have constituted part of larger auctions, we’ve had the opportunity to organise four separate single-owner collection auctions. These were the Fine Arms, Armour & Enthnographica auction, the sale of the King & Empire! Scottish collection, as well as the Jeremy Brewer collection of Toy Soldiers and Fine Figures. Not to mention our final auction of 2025 - the Jeffrey Everett Militaria Collection, a white glove sale!
We are grateful to all the clients who entrusted us with the preparation and sale of their collections this year.
“The timed auctions have grown so much over the year, we're continually sending and consigning all over the world”
- Eddie Mayne
Our Militaria Department has seen impressive growth throughout 2025, including the addition of Vince as a departmental specialist. The bi-monthly Military Collectibles timed auctions have gained a reputation as gone from strength to strength, growing to a staggering 844 lots in the November auction. Across these auctions, we have seen an expanding and considerable international client base for consignments and purchases.
We are also thrilled to announce that Mark Holden will be joining the C&T team in 2026 as our Northern representative, allowing our clients in the North of England an easy and direct point of contact - more on this in the new year!
It’s not just militaria though! We are very excited to say that we have experienced growth across several of our departments across 2025. Our Coins, Watches and Jewellery timed auctions have gone from strength to strength this year as they have transitioned into a bi-monthly format, allowing a swift turnaround for clients.
Furthermore, it has been a great year for our retro toy vendors and collectors, commencing with the fantastic auction of a Scarce Star Wars Vinyl Cape Jawa in January. In light of the growing interest in collecting retro toys, we are excited to introduce a new live auction format in 2026, with Retro auctions taking place on Sunday afternoons to allow more people than ever the chance to get involved. These will be kicking off on Sunday 1st February and there’s already some unmissable pieces consigned - join Rob over on the C&T YouTube channel to hear all about it!
“I’ve enjoyed the live auctions this year - seeing how unique pieces will perform under the hammer! I particularly enjoy being on the line with a telephone bidder and watching the bidding play out”
- Sally Pettengell
Our animated auctions have resulted in spectacular results when lots went under the hammer this year. When you enter something into auction with us, it’s important to us that we get you the best result possible.
This year, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of passenger rail travel with the remarkable sale of a Locomotion No.1 model in March, hammering at £3,800. We have also been honoured to handle one-of-a-kind historical items, including an extensive range of D-Day documents and ephemera in July (£7,800).
Other notable lots have been the Bluebird Proteus scratch model sold in June (£2,100); the nostalgic Andy Pandy, Teddy and Looby Loo 1950s puppets in November (£21,400 total); and the personal archive of DCS Ernest Millen, including original crime scene photographs from the notorious Great Train Robbery of 1963 (£3,150).
We have had so many more fantastic lots over the thousands that have sold this year and you can view them all in the auction results here.
"When someone says thanks, it does mean a lot."
- Glen Chapman
The whole team have put a lot of work into ensuring our clients achieve the best outcome and have a positive experience. Of course, no thanks are necessary, but it doesn't hurt!
We hugely appreciate when clients take the time to let us know how we've done - whether by email, feedback form or by leaving a Google review. Whether it’s all great, or there are points for improvement, your feedback is what shapes how we move forward.
Thankfully, this year we have received a high volume of positive feedback, acknowledging the work which has gone into cataloguing consignments and packing sold lots. This gives a real boost to the whole team, so thank you for all your lovely feedback!
Happy New Year!
Thank you for all your support through 2025. We wish you a very Happy New Year and we look forward to more memorable moments at auction in 2026.
Want to get involved?
2026 could be the year you venture into auctions! Learn about the process of buying and selling with our quick guides: