Last week I was called by my friend and colleague on the Antiques Roadshow, Eric Knowles. On a recent trip to France to buy antiques and collectables for hit BBC TV series ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is’, he picked up a little something that he thought had my name written all over it. […]
It seems I can’t get away from Czech things this year. Wandering through Shoreditch this weekend, a fantastic new discovery was made. Hidden between the usual cheapo take-away shops and newsagent is a small, anonymous door that leads into a dark and mysterious newspaper covered corridor leading to a stairwell. Curiously following these down takes […]
You know when you keep reading things about an area, and it looks like a ‘head of steam’ is rapidly building up? I think exactly this is happening with British metalware of the 1950s-70s. Interest in, and prices being paid for, exotic silver and gold pieces by the likes of Stuart Devlin and Gerald Benney […]
For those of your who are familiar with the excellent Crafts magazine, published by the UK’s national Crafts Council, check out this month’s issue. The eminent curator and 20thC design author and expert Lesley Jackson has written an eight page, fully illustrated preview of the forthcoming ‘Hi Sklo Lo Sklo’ Czech glass exhibition. Offering a […]
Just in case you were wondering, the copy of Hi Sklo Lo Sklo that I was selling for charity on eBay this week sold for twice its retail price – £40. What’s more, it sold to the Rakow Library, part of the world-famous Corning Museum of Glass in New York. Illustrious indeed! Do we think […]
Why, oh why, are people obsessed with adding a ‘z’ to a name to make something seem more fun, cool or zany? Annual accounts cannot and will not be made more fun just because the software package is called ‘Accountz’. When will they learn?!
No, I haven’t lost my mind, it’s the title of what is perhaps my favourite piece of music by avant garde contemporary classical composer Michael Nyman. I’ve been listening to Nyman’s music since I was 16, when my school friend Simon and I first encountered his work. Thinking back, we must have been odd kids, […]
Finally, it is done! My next bookalogue has gone off to the printers – at last. As I type, somewhere in Guangdong printing presses are furiously churning out 1,500 copies of what I hope will be an enjoyable read. It’ll certainly be informative – much of what is in here has not been seen since […]
Disaster – my favourite antiques and collectables centre is closing! Perfect for a good rummage, and with a great turnover of stock, the delightful Mimbridge Antiques Centre in Surrey was also not affected by the ever-encroaching trend for including repro and inspired-by “antiques“. Hidden amongst everything else, they just confuse newbie buyers and annoy you […]
2025 is nearly over and it’s time to look forward to a relaxing break and then the coming year ahead. But right now, it’s time for a much-needed break, so our office will be closed from Thursday 18th December until Tuesday 6th January inclusive. Any and all enquiries or sales received between those dates will […]
I’ve just had a fascinating telephone and email conversation with the curator of Greenway House, near Brixham in Devon, who was seeking some advice. Currently owned by the National Trust, it was the family home of Agatha Christie who is known, of course, for her crime novels. It appears that she was also a keen […]
Don’t you just hate it when someone is clearly over-charging for postage and packing? Sure, I know that it takes precious time to pack, and uses up materials that costs money (have you seen the price of bubblewrap and strong envelopes these days?!) but when something is small AND light in weight and apparently costs […]