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 […]
The more perceptive of you will note that I haven’t bought much yet, having only spent the parsimonious sum of £14.75. Well, to be honest, I have been clutching my wallet close and saving myself for the highlight of my trip – a visit to the famed Esceri flea market. Billed as ‘the biggest and […]
After enjoying the blazing sun, wonderful warmth and success of the previous day, I was up and out early, being for more. The second stop for anyone visiting the city must be the street called Falk Miksa in the north of the city, and near the Elizabeth bridge. This really is ‘antiques central’ with at […]
Loathe as I am to leave the comfort of Hill Towers, I do enjoy travelling. Particularly when it allows me to spend time touring the antiques, collectables and junk shops of my destination. Today I find myself in the 30 degree warmth of the Hungarian capital of Budapest, celebrating a friend’s pre-wedding jaunt. While I’ll […]
To celebrate both the forthcoming ‘Hi Sklo Lo Sklo’ exhibition and the accompanying catalogue on postwar Czech glass design, I have decided to auction the only spare advance copy of the catalogue on eBay. Having unusually watched quite a bit of TV lately, I’ve been appalled by the situation in Burma, so I have decided […]
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?!
Over the past few days I’ve become a fervent fan of US hit TV series ‘Dexter‘. It’s getting so bad that I watched four back-to-back episodes into the early hours last night, although I’m told my addiction will get far worse as the series develops! Bring it on, I say. When the serial killer with […]
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, […]
I really do enjoy talking about the things I love. I just always hope that the people listening to me enjoy it too! Thankfully, that certainly seemed to be the case when I visited the Reigate Antiques Collectors Society in leafy Surrey yesterday evening. Societies are strange animals today. All too often superb events organised […]
It didn’t look promising. I suppose I should known – after all, it was a British bank holiday. As we were also briefly caught in between workloads, the banker and I decided to escape to Mediterranean sun and warmth in Madrid. Having never been before, I also welcomed the chance to explore the antiques and […]
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 […]