Latest news with #Hansons
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
WW2 plan to liberate Channel Islands sells at auction
A copy of the top secret plan for the liberation of the Channel Islands at the end of World War Two has sold at auction for more than three times its expected 50-page document, codenamed Operation Nestegg, was discovered in a cardboard box in Derbyshire in the Hansons described it as a "piece of history" before it went under the hammer top guide price was £1,200 but the winning bid at the auction in Etwall was £3,800. Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm were under German Occupation from June document spelled out British plans for the liberation of the Channel Islands, including which beaches to land plans were spread across numerous pages, some with lines crossed through, and others with Matt Crowson, from Hansons, told the BBC: "It's an incredible story - the document had been part of a dusty box of papers in a UK saleroom, the value of which was considered negligible."But on closer examination the vendor came across a piece of World War Two history detailing the freeing of the only Nazi-occupied area of the British Isles."The file was formerly the property of Sub-Lieutenant Walter Page, of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who was also part of the Normandy invasion.
Daily Mirror
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Star Wars figure found in loft sells for £2,000 at auction
Wife of fan discovered box full of the toys after her husband sadly died One of the rarest Star Wars toys in existence has sold for more than £2,000 after it lay in a dusty attic for 40 years. The Yak Face figure, which still had the original £1.59 price label on the box, was one of 21 toys discovered along with Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. A woman discovered the toys while cleaning out her late husband's belongings before she moved home. They mint-condition toys, which were all unopened, were found in her home in Wellingborough, Northants. The 'holy grail' figurine in the collection was Yak Face, from the 1983 movie Return of the Jedi. The camel-faced creature was a member of Jabba the Hutt's entourage and is one of the famous 'Last 17' - the rarest figures to collect. The toy was never officially sold in the US, making it highly sought after, and is expected to sell for at least £1,000. It eventually fetched more than twice its estimated value when it sold for £2,100 at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, Derbys. The iconic figure, along with 14 other toys, sold for a combined total of £5,460. Hansons toy expert David Wilson-Turner said: 'The figures came from the vendor's husband's collection. 'He didn't collect as such just toys from his childhood that didn't get played with much. She was delighted with the result.' All of the figures were made in Palitoy in Coalville, Leics., and had been left untouched for 40 years. Mr Wilson-Turner added: 'Palitoy secured the rights to produce Star Wars toys in the 1970s via its US sister company, Kenner. 'At first Palitoy was reluctant to even launch a Star Wars range because no one had heard of the film. 'But, while America went on to produce the franchise's merchandise in the millions, Palitoy's output was more modest, making it all the more appealing to collectors both sides of the Atlantic.' Yak Face – Saelt-Marae an informant for Jabba the Hutt – is the rarest figure as it was never made available in the US. The figure of R2-D2, with pop-up lightsabre, also beat its pre-sale guide price of £300-£400 by rising to £520.
Daily Mirror
18-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
Codebreaker's WW2 papers sell for ‘record' £465K after almost being shredded
Papers belonging to mathematician Alan Turing - who created machines that helped to crack Adolf Hitler's enigma code - have been sold for a record breaking £465,000 at auction Papers belonging to World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing have sold for a record-breaking £465,400 at auction. The mathematician's paper archive - which narrowly escaped being shredded - include a signed version of what is widely known as the first computer programming guide, a personal copy of his 1939 PhD dissertation. Turing's mother Ethel originally gifted the archive to his pal, mathematician Norman Routledge - who kept them until his death. After he passed away the papers, which included letters from Passage to India author, EM Forster, were taken to the loft of a relative in Bermondsey, south London. Previously, one of the author's nieces said: 'When (Routledge) died in 2013, two of his sisters had the unenviable task of sorting through and emptying the contents. 'There were lots of personal papers which one sister carted away and stored in her loft. The papers lay dormant until she moved into a care home almost a decade later. 'Her daughters came across the papers and considered shredding everything. Fortunately, they checked with Norman's nieces and nephews because he'd always been a presence in our lives.' Initially, auctioneers believed the lots would only earn a top price of £60,000 . However, auctioneers at Hansons said one part of the dissertation, On Computable Numbers, sold for £208,000 alone. Meanwhile, Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals added another £110,500. Bids came from people on the phone, online and in person when the lot started at Rare Book Auctions, part of Hansons, in Lichfield, Staffordshire. Turing's first published paper, which comprises of a single sheet, sold for £7,800. It was also gifted to Routledge, and includes a handwritten letter from Turing's mother dated May 16, 1956. The letter, which was attached to the Equivalence of Left And Right Almost Periodcity, reads: 'I have to-day sent by registered post 13 of Alan's off-prints … I have had some requests to write a biography of Alan … I have masses of material because from the time he was about 6 I spotted a winner – despite many detractors at school – and kept many papers about him.' Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. 'These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting. 'Knowing the tragic arc of Turing's life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.' Mr Spencer added: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world 's imagination. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.'
North Wales Chronicle
17-06-2025
- Science
- North Wales Chronicle
Codebreaker Alan Turing's scientific papers sell for ‘record' £465,000
The archive of papers belonging to the mathematician, including a signed personal copy of his 1939 PhD dissertation, Systems Of Logic Based On Ordinals and On Computable Numbers from 1937, described as the first programming manual of the computer age, were sold on Tuesday, Hansons Auctioneers said. The archive, which sold for what is thought to be a record sum for such Turing material, had originally been gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician, Norman Routledge, by Turing's mother, Ethel. The papers, known as 'offprints', were produced in small numbers and distributed within academia, making them rare survivors. Routledge kept the papers, which also included letters from the novelist EM Forster, and on his death they were taken to a relative's loft after his home in Bermondsey, London, was cleared out. One of Routledge's nieces previously said: 'When (Routledge) died in 2013, two of his sisters had the unenviable task of sorting through and emptying the contents. 'There were lots of personal papers which one sister carted away and stored in her loft. The papers lay dormant until she moved into a care home almost a decade later. 'Her daughters came across the papers and considered shredding everything. Fortunately, they checked with Norman's nieces and nephews because he'd always been a presence in our lives.' Auctioneers had estimated the lots would sell for £40,000 to £60,000 each, but On Computable Numbers alone sold for £208,000, Hansons said. Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals sold for another £110,500, with bidders on phones, online and in person at Rare Book Auctions, part of Hansons, in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The collection also included The Chemical Basis Of Morphogenesis, which sold for £19,500. Dating from 1952, it is Turing's lesser-known masterpiece of mathematical biology and his last major published work. Meanwhile, a single piece of paper which was Turing's first published paper in 1935, called Equivalence Of Left And Right Almost Periodicity, sold for £7,800. It was also gifted to Routledge by Turing's mother and her handwritten letter dated May 16 1956 was included. The letter reads: 'I have to-day sent by registered post 13 of Alan's off-prints … I have had some requests to write a biography of Alan … I have masses of material because from the time he was about 6 I spotted a winner – despite many detractors at school – and kept many papers about him.' Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said of the papers, which were brought to experts in a carrier bag: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. 'These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting. 'Knowing the tragic arc of Turing's life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.' Mr Spencer added: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world's imagination. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.' Turing, who is widely regarded as the father of computing science, played a central role in breaking the Enigma code, used by the Nazis during the Second World War. After the war, he was convicted of being involved in homosexual acts and took his own life in 1954, aged 41.
Powys County Times
17-06-2025
- Science
- Powys County Times
Codebreaker Alan Turing's scientific papers sell for ‘record' £465,000
Scientific papers belonging to the Second World War codebreaker and computing pioneer Alan Turing which were nearly shredded after being discovered in a loft have sold for a total of £465,400 at auction. The archive of papers belonging to the mathematician, including a signed personal copy of his 1939 PhD dissertation, Systems Of Logic Based On Ordinals and On Computable Numbers from 1937, described as the first programming manual of the computer age, were sold on Tuesday, Hansons Auctioneers said. The archive, which sold for what is thought to be a record sum for such Turing material, had originally been gifted to Turing's friend and fellow mathematician, Norman Routledge, by Turing's mother, Ethel. The papers, known as 'offprints', were produced in small numbers and distributed within academia, making them rare survivors. Routledge kept the papers, which also included letters from the novelist EM Forster, and on his death they were taken to a relative's loft after his home in Bermondsey, London, was cleared out. One of Routledge's nieces previously said: 'When (Routledge) died in 2013, two of his sisters had the unenviable task of sorting through and emptying the contents. 'There were lots of personal papers which one sister carted away and stored in her loft. The papers lay dormant until she moved into a care home almost a decade later. 'Her daughters came across the papers and considered shredding everything. Fortunately, they checked with Norman's nieces and nephews because he'd always been a presence in our lives.' Auctioneers had estimated the lots would sell for £40,000 to £60,000 each, but On Computable Numbers alone sold for £208,000, Hansons said. Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals sold for another £110,500, with bidders on phones, online and in person at Rare Book Auctions, part of Hansons, in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The collection also included The Chemical Basis Of Morphogenesis, which sold for £19,500. Dating from 1952, it is Turing's lesser-known masterpiece of mathematical biology and his last major published work. Meanwhile, a single piece of paper which was Turing's first published paper in 1935, called Equivalence Of Left And Right Almost Periodicity, sold for £7,800. It was also gifted to Routledge by Turing's mother and her handwritten letter dated May 16 1956 was included. The letter reads: 'I have to-day sent by registered post 13 of Alan's off-prints … I have had some requests to write a biography of Alan … I have masses of material because from the time he was about 6 I spotted a winner – despite many detractors at school – and kept many papers about him.' Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said of the papers, which were brought to experts in a carrier bag: 'Nothing could've prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. 'These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting. 'Knowing the tragic arc of Turing's life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.' Mr Spencer added: 'This was the most important archive I've ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they've captured the world's imagination. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.' Turing, who is widely regarded as the father of computing science, played a central role in breaking the Enigma code, used by the Nazis during the Second World War.
