I’m not much of a fan of bar brooches, if I’m honest. But I know that those once-reviled Victorian silver bar brooches engraved with names have become popular once again, driven by the recent revival of girl’s names from that period. Still, not for me. At all. However, one bar brooch kept gently waving at […]
To use common parlance among the kids, “Oooh, sick!” It’s a penis bone! Quite literally, and it always catches eyes gazing over the cabinet of curiosities that is my desk. It makes muggles smile when they want a tour of my office – antiques aren’t dry, dusty and boring at all. ‘Oosik’ is the word […]
We all know that feeling, that frisson of excitement as you enter an antiques shop that you haven’t been in before. What will I find? Will I come out empty-handed, or is there treasure within? The thrill of the hunt! Walking along a London street last weekend, I popped into an antiques shop that I […]
A few weeks ago, I was helping a dear friend go through some ephemera he had collected into a folio over the years. As a thank you, he kindly gave me two small mounted Victorian prints that I had rather taken a shine to. He knows I’m a fan of antique prints – an undisputed […]
Could my flea market art find be worth thousands? Over the past few years, it’s struck me that there’s an increasingly huge number of fakes in Modern British art out there in the wild. And, yes, I use that word intentionally – fakes. Because that’s exactly what they are, as they are intended to deceive. […]
Although novelty animal figurines can be desirable and even valuable, the vast majority are of relatively low value, commonly found, and can be hard to sell even though favourites such as dogs have a legion of fans. But never dismiss them out of hand – always look closer. This strange old bird holds a great […]
Size matters! And I’d never seen one this small before. Well, this tiny, in fact. Wandering around an antiques centre in the North of England recently, I spotted this Scandinavian glass miniature bowl or pin dish made by Sweden’s celebrated glass company Orrefors. Measuring only 9cm wide and 4.5cm high, it was truly tiny and […]
Mark Hill examines a 1970s abstract painting by an as yet unknown Iranian or Persian woman artist.
Antiques expert Mark Hill looks at a battered antique 1920s Steiff teddy bear bought in Berlin. Worn by love but still full of character, think about the stories he holeds within him.
Antiques expert Mark Hill finds and reviews a 1920s painting by the forgotten School of Paris woman artist Lilian de Glehn Thibaut, sister of the famous artist Wilfrid de Glehn.
Antiques expert Mark Hill looks at the history of Sekonda vintage watches, revealing a surprising origin.
Antiques expert Mark Hill finds a rare etching of a Georgian print collector and dealer called Nathaniel Hillier and discovers a story involving staining prints with strong coffee.