The start of a revival for etchings?

You see something new and unusual once, and it sticks in your mind. By the time you see it a third time, you’re thinking that there’s something more going here than a chance encounter. I’ve collected etchings since I was a geeky schoolboy, when I used to visit a couple of dealers in Guildford’s town […]

Shopping at the Ardingly Antiques Fair

I spent yesterday at the excellent Ardingly antiques fair, with my dear friend and Cracking Antiques co-presenter Kathryn Rayward. With the sun in the sky, only a few clouds in site and a small but comfortable sum of money in our pockets, a-hunting we went. And, as ever, Ardingly didn’t disappoint. I was also there […]

Hatfield House Antiques Roadshow

Phew – what a busy day! I’ve just got back from today’s Antiques Roadshow at the beautiful Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. For once, the location was within easy striking distance from home, so I was able to come back to relax tonight. However, I’ll miss discussing the exciting treasures everyone unearthed across the day over […]

Antiques Hunting in Dorking, Surrey

I always enjoy visits back home to see my parents – not only because I get the chance to see and catch up with them, but also because I can return to my old antiques ‘stomping ground’. Times have changed, and many of the shops I used to love hunting for treasures in as a […]

A very big Fat Lava Vase – indeed!

My good collector friends Kath and Eddie, who I first met at the first Fat Lava exhibition organised by Graham Cooley in 2006, are lucky people. But then they also work jolly hard at finding the most amazing pieces and researching them, so they deserve it. I have to admit to turning a rather strong […]

Carnival Glass: A Family Visit

Along with so many more traditional collecting areas, Carnival glass seems to have fallen largely out of fashion over the past decade. This is both a shame, as I think it’s a fascinating and visually impactful area, and a wonderful opportunity as falling demand has led to lower prices, making it much more affordable. Visiting […]

Hutton-In-The-Forest Antiques Roadshow

One of the many, many aspects of being lucky enough to participate in the BBC Antiques Roadshow that I enjoy the most is the travelling. Not so much the typically poor service from Virgin trains, or the traffic jams on the M1, but the wonderful locations selected by the production team. This week’s Roadshow was […]