Related to the Russian imperial family and with ancestors who came to Australia after the 1917 Russian revolution, the vendors have lived at “Sark” 32A Hopetoun Road, Toorak for more than 15 years and in the general area for much longer than that.

Now they have decided to downsize and have asked auctioneer Phil Caldwell to auction the contents of their property on site from 11am on Sunday March 20.

Many of the items in this auction are unlikely to be for sale again.

Ballarat Woolshed Auctions (otherwise known as Glenelg Auctions) is holding a massive sale of Australian art, antique furnishings, English porcelain, estate jewellery, bronzes, terrestrial globes, steeling and plated silver, clocks rugs, London taxi and early Australian farm wagon from 11am Monday March 14 (Victorian Labour Day).

The auction will take place at Ballarat Mill Markets 9367 Western Highway Warrenheip, Ballarat.

New stocks of rustic timber furnishing and other pieces highlight Abbeys Auctions next sale from 9am Friday March 11 at 480-482A Station Street, Box Hill.

The auction also contains a comprehensive range of bric-a-brac, tools, DVDs, stereo systems and fine china. 

Circa Vintage Clothing has asked auctioneer Steve Graham to auction vintage clothing items for the second time in six months at his premises at 64 Urquhart Street, Woodend.

The auction, from 10am Sunday March 13, will feature vintage and retro clothing, furs, wedding dresses and fashion accessories.

Circa Vintage Clothing operated a store in Melbourne’s CBD for seven years before moving its operations online late in 2015.

Fashions date from the 1800s to modern times and include representative clothing from the 1920s to the 1960s.

More than 30 pieces of quality 18^th and 19^th sterling silver from the one collection – including items from Baron Elphinstone presented to him by the British residents of Bombay – are the highlights of Kim’s Auctions latest sale from 11am Sunday March 13 at 327-329 Warrigal Road, Burwood.

The two items in the collection that belonged to John Elphinstone, 13^th Earl of Elphinstone, are a pair of highly important George IV English regency soup tureens containing his coat of arms.

Rare 18^th century English and French oak, elm and country furniture from a single estate is the highlight of E.J. Ainger’s forthcoming weekly sale from 9.30am Tuesday March 8 at 433 Bridge Road, Richmond.

The auction also contains luxurious lounge furnishings and English antique furniture from an apartment in Tintern Avenue, Toorak.

Other items include a French baker’s stand, settle and several pairs of fauteuils along with sets of dining room chairs.

Peter McMahon is a collector well ahead of his time when it comes to taste and forward thinking.

Although he began collecting art in his 20s, it was not until 1987 that he realised what it was he loved about art.

The revelation followed his viewing of the exhibition Surface for Reflection at the Art Gallery of New South Wales when he was able to identify texture, surface and colour as the elements he most admired.

Such a realisation went onto shape McMahon’s collection and, with wife Jennifer, he designed a home to house it.

They had the distinction of providing the horse for Australia’s first Marlboro cigarette television commercial in the 1960s.

Since then, partners Bruce Gleeson and Ivanna Chesson have been the primary source of animals, wagons, sulkies and horse drawn carriages for iconic Australian films such as the Man from Snowy River, Ned Kelly and their latest effort The Legend of (outlaw) Ben Hall shortly due for release in cinemas – and countless numbers of TV commercials.

Major antique furniture and Royal Doulton Seriesware items from an iconic Cox Street, Port Fairy cottage and a Geelong family home will go under the hammer from 10.30am Sunday March 6 through Glenelg Auctions at 109 Learmonth Street, Portland.

A standout is the black Kawai piano that originally cost $8000.

In addition to that is outstanding cedar, mahogany, oak and walnut furniture from the 1850s to the 1880s.

A collection of more than 200 works (including 35 paintings) by Anne Hall – the artist married to John Perceval, one of Australia’s leading Figurative Expressionists – will be auctioned at Leonard Joel’s 333 Malvern Road, South Yarra from 6pm Thursday March 3.

Hall married Perceval in 1972 and, like Albert Tucker’s wife Joy Hester, was swept up in the Heide art circle at a property in the Melbourne suburb of Bulleen – owned and mentored by John and Sunday Reed.