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Recently sold at the Market, this classic Swiss-made, Omega watch in 14 karat gold is a great advertisement for the brand’s durability. This highly collectable timepiece had been languishing in a drain somewhere for upwards of twenty years before it was recovered in a chance trawl by someone fishing with a magnet.

Happily, this once upon a timepiece does have a fairytale ending: its new owner is sending it back to the makers to restore it to its former glory.

One of the most extraordinary financial efforts made on the Home Front was the Spitfire Fund. This came about mainly thanks to Lord Beaverbrook who pushed the idea of public appeals to support the aircraft’s manufacture at a time when raw materials – and money – were both in short supply.

The Fund took off in May 1940 with the idea being that small badges or pins were sold with the proceeds going towards building Spitfires, the nominal cost of which was set at a (purely theoretical) £5,000. The response from the British public, councils and businesses was magnificent. In total, some £13m pounds was raised – somewhere in the region of £650m in today’s terms. By the war’s end, almost every big British town had their name on a Spitfire.

In fact, it’s the badges with the names of smaller towns which often fetch the best prices today. However, some of the most popular with collectors are the hand made brooches of copper, brass or even Perspex (from which the cockpit windows were made).

In a world dominated by visuals and the technology to capture photos anywhere at anytime, the humble autograph has largely been superceded by the ‘selfie’. Why ‘settle’ for a signature when a photograph is easier to share and authenticate – especially when it looks better on your time?

That’s all very well for modern day evidence that you’ve been in the presence of greatness. But the stars of yesteryear won’t be providing any more photo opportunities. The only way to establish a link with them is to track down what they left behind. Original, authenticated autographs can change hands for considerable sums. A Buster Keaton autograph might be had for £380 while good examples of Charlie Chaplin’s fetch over £4,800. Bring the likes of Marilyn Monroe into the discussion and the bar is raised much higher.

These studio promotion photo postcards are normally auto-printed but every now and again you may encounter a hand signed one. The late Sir John Mills personally signed quite a few and they regularly make £150 or more. They’re an inexpensive way to start a collection and you never know when an original might turn up…

Like so many around the UK and the wider world, we were saddened by the news that Her Majesty The Queen has passed away. As our longest reigning monarch she led with grace and selfless devotion. Our thoughts and prayers are with The Royal Family at this difficult time.

Although the Market will be open tomorrow as usual (September 10th), we will be closed the following Saturday as a mark of respect.

We’ve mentioned tegestology (or the collecting of beermats) on this blog before but we failed to mention their connection to one of Britain’s best loved comedy duos of all time.

The official Beermat Collectors Society was founded by Chris Walsh in 1960. How and why Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise were recruited as the Society’s first Presidents is unclear. But what we do know is that theirs was far from an honorary distinction. They may have been involved initially as a bit of a joke but theirs became a genuine interest and they amassed a fairly sizeable collection themselves. This interest was immortalised in a Pathe newsclip of the time and you can find out much more about this fascinating hobby at the British Beermat Collectors Society website.

These two German soldiers, photographed here in the Aisne departement of France in April 1918, may not actually be related. However, like the photograph featured last week, it was common practice to immortalise the moment when family members became part of the same unit.

The older of the two, on the right, is certainly more experienced and we can see the ribbon from an iron cross second class in his button hole. His tunic seems to be a bit too big for him and may well have something to do with the limited food rations which the Germans experienced in the latter half of the war. Both men are seen clasping their belts which sport the ‘Gott Mit Uns’ (God With Us) motto on their buckle.

The younger soldier looks like he is a more recent arrival at the front. His almost comically oversized boots also hint at the supply problems which bedevilled the army by 1918. His cap features roundels of national and state colours is completely unshaped by wear and the fact that he isn’t wearing gaiters suggests that he has not had the dubious pleasure of actually serving in the trenches yet. It’s also noteworthy that his tunic has fewer buttons since metal was in terribly short supply by this point.

What both do have in common is the bayonet hanging from their belts. These were normally pushed away from the side to the back of the hip to stop them knocking into things so we can see that the new recruit has at least picked up one trick from the veterans.

Like the rest of the civilised world, we have watched recent events unfolding in Eastern Europe with horror. The scenes of death and destruction caused by the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine are an unwelcome reminder that rampant nationalism is as big a threat to peace as it was a century ago.

We will be donating all the takings from this week’s market in aid of the British Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

A slice of TV history will be at the Market this Saturday as Michael Burroughs of Anything Militaria flies the red flag above his stall. It is no less than the film prop as seen in the iconic BBC series Peaky Blinders. Bearing the name of the Birmingham Bordesley Communist Party, it was used at a graveside scene towards the beginning of Season 2 Episode 1. An official script from the same episode will also be available and this is a great opportunity to own, or just be photographed with, a fantastic collectors item.