Auctions

FOLLOWING in Sotheby's footsteps, Christie's is expanding its Far Eastern activities by holding its first sale in Taiwan, in the Shin Kong Museum, Taipei, on 10 October - a week before Sotheby's fourth sale in the same museum. Christie's will offer Western pictures with oriental appeal (Buffet, Vlaminck, Dufy) and Sotheby's has Western-style art by orientals such as Chang Yu (d1966), Matisse-style painter of nudes.

Solace from the impending culture clash is available at Christie's South Kensington, where the next of its affordable fortnightly sales of 400 or so genuinely indigenous oriental artworks takes place on Thursday (10am).

BEST OF THE REST

Not the first pound note ever issued, but the second, dated 1779, goes on sale at Spink on Thursday (10am). The Bank of England would still redeem it for pounds 1 but Spink hopes for pounds 12,000- pounds 16,000.

Bonhams expects its scarce American Parker Model 38 fountain pen decorated with green-eyed gold snakes, made between 1905 and 1910, to become the most expensive production-line pen at auction at its vintage pen sale Friday (11am). Estimate: pounds 8,000- pounds 10,000. Auction price record: pounds 6,050.