The second series of Priceless Antiques Roadshow, the BBC’s fantastic spin-off show from world-famous Antiques Roadshow reached its fifth episode this evening, with another twenty to come. Perfect tea-time viewing, the show looks deeper into the Roadshow, one of Britain’s best-loved TV programmes, and with a 32 year heritage. You’ll learn more about the experts […]
The latest issue of the consistently enjoyable BBC Homes & Antiques magazine is out now, and includes an ‘Instant Expert’ article I wrote on Venini glass. A truly legendary name from the Italian island of Murano, the company has a global reputation for its fabulous glass. Read about the history of the company, the most […]
Well, my last post seems to have caused quite a stir in the Filofax world! I’ve had rather a large amount of emails from Filofax fans who are, naturally, still using theirs and have pointed out the (many) obvious benefits to me. Perhaps I was a little hasty in saying that the smartphone and PDA […]
I had to buy a new Blackberry last weekend, after my previous one died. Standing in the queue to pay, I mulled over how the PDA and smartphone have completely replaced the Filofax. A trusty companion of the Sloane Ranger and Yuppie (remember them?), the fad for these luxury leather small folders has almost completely […]
I was recently quoted on the excellent ABJ Seattle Glass Online blog, talking about Sam Herman, “Arguably [he is] the greatest name in British studio glass – and pretty darned important in the global studio glass movement too. Unfairly in my mind at least, few recognise his incredible vision, abilities and importance. Without him, studio […]
Looking around the excellent Glass Message Board last night, I found a post relating to the lesser-known name of Chalet, who made glass in Canada from 1962-75. Two typical pieces are shown here, courtesy of Miller’s Online. With its spectacular forms and vibrant colours, Chalet glass is often mistaken for glass made on Murano in […]
I’ve had a lot of questions and emails lately about when the next edition of the Miller’s Collectables Price Guide will be available. We usually publish it in Autumn each year but, partly taking into account the hard year we all had, we took the difficult decision to delay it until the official start of […]
After an extremely busy, but very successful and highly enjoyable 2009, I spent the first few days of my Christmas break in a near catatonic state. Fully recovered, new year was quite different however, with a five day trip to celebrate the occasion in Amsterdam. First stops for any self-respecting art, antiques and collectables fiend […]
This month’s edition of BBC Homes & antiques magazine contains a fantastic article on elegant vintage barware. As ever, the specially commissioned photography is fabulous, and the text is filled with facts and, as one would expect with this subject, fun. The majority of the article covers the vintage cocktail shaker, something I hold close […]
Very early one cold, windy and rainy morning this Autumn, I found this vase at a fair in the South of England. Against the grey day, it did rather stand out. I automatically presumed it was postwar Italian from fifty paces, so honed in to have a closer look. Whilst it looked like the type […]
Tipped off by a good friend who knows how I like to spot things I’m interested in on TV, I watched a couple of episodes of the very amusing new BBC Two comedy ‘Miranda’ last night. And sure enough, the Fat Lava vases I was promised were there. The series details the haphazard and hilarious […]
…said the lady behind the desk of the antiques centre I was in as I plonked it in front of the till. Perhaps she was right. It wasn’t a shape I immediately recognised, and it had a cut and polished scooped rim that I’d usually associate with Scandinavian makers. Still, even if it was a […]