Antiques
Egyptian antiquities smuggler jailed after JFK bust
An Egyptian doctor has been sentenced to six months in prison for smuggling hundreds of antiquities into the United States through New York’s JFK Airport, in what prosecutors described as the airport’s largest-ever seizure of smuggled artifacts. Ashraf Omar Eldarir was sentenced on 27 August by United States District Judge Rachel P. Kovner following a five-year investigation. Authorities said that more than 600 artifacts were brought into the country from Cairo on flights to JFK in 2019 and early 2020. The recovered antiquities included a polychrome relief, an ancient Roman limestone stele later sold at auction for US$1,000, and a Roman limestone head that sold for $1,300. Earlier this year, in February, Eldarir pleaded guilty to four counts of smuggling Egyptian artifacts. A filing by assistant federal defenders Kannan Sundaram and Jullian Harris-Calvin stated, “On each of the 2019 flights Mr. Eldarir brought a single artifact in his luggage; on the 2020 flight, he brought approximately 590 artifacts in three checked-in suitcases.” During the January 2020 flight, Eldarir declared to Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers that he was carrying goods worth only $300. CBP officials later found 590 artifacts wra
Victoria Cross auction highlights military medals boom
A Victoria Cross posthumously awarded to Private Robert Matthew Beatham for gallantry at the 1918 Battle of Amiens will anchor Noble Numismatics' auction next week for an estimated £500,000. The auction runs from Monday 28 July to Friday 1 August 2025 at Sydney's State Library and showcases 4,800 lots, including medals, coins, and artwork. The star (or cross?) of the show, Beatham's Victoria Cross represents the apex of military collectibles investment and medals' increasing worth.Credit: Noble NumismaticsMilitary medals outpace traditional investmentsVictoria Cross auction prices have surged dramatically in recent years. Thomas Henry Kavanagh's medal sold for £930,000 in 2022 - more than twice its guide price - establishing new benchmarks for the 1,358 Victoria Crosses ever awarded. Recent sales demonstrate sustained market strength. Henry Peel Ritchie's WWI Naval VC fetched £240,000 in July 2024, while Captain Noel Chavasse's VC and Bar commanded £1.5 million in 2009. The military medals sector benefits from unique market dynamics unlike traditional collectibles. Medal collecting attracts passionate enthusiasts who view themselves as custodians rather than investors. This creates stable demand at the prem
Titanic survivor letter sells for record price at auction
A high-profile Titanic survivor's letter sold for a record $624,000 at auction. The letter was written by first-class passenger Colonel Archibald Gracie. He also wrote ‘The Truth About the Titanic’, one of the most vivid accounts of the 1912 maritime disaster. He described his experience of the 1912 tragedy that claimed 1,500 lives on the ship's maiden voyage to New York. His now-sold letter that was dated 10 April 1912, the day he boarded, was postmarked for Queenstown, Ireland at 3.45pm on 11 April and London on 12 April. The item sold for five times the expected price at Henry Aldridge and Son of Devizes, Wiltshire, England. The seller’s great-uncle knew Gracie, and he received the four-sided letter at the Waldorf Hotel in London. “It is a fine ship but I shall await my journeys' end before I pass judgment on her,” Gracie wrote, in an unsettlingly prophetic line. “The Oceanic is like an old friend and while she does not possess the elaborate style and varied amusement of this big ship, still her sea worthy qualities and yacht like appearance make me miss her." On the day of the sinking, April 14 1912, Gracie woke suddenly around 11.40pm, realising that the ship’s engines were no longer moving. As the