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ABOUT MARK HILL :

Mark is an author, publisher, TV presenter, and the leading specialist dealer in postwar Czechoslovakian glass. He has been an expert on the BBC Antiques Roadshow since 2007, and co-presented four primetime TV shows on antiques, collecting and interiors for BBC2, including two series of Collectaholics. Mark lectures widely and is an Arts Society (NADFAS) accredited lecturer, a member of The British Antiques Dealers’ Association, and a Freeman of the City of London.

Member of The British Antique Dealers’ Association

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MARK'S LATEST TWEETS

Tweets by @antiquemark

MARK'S INSTAGRAM

markhillantiques

“It’s a witch’s house!” said my partner, “…and it’s broken!”

I often fall a little bit in love with broken and restored old things. Especially like this.

It’s an early Victorian Staffordshire pottery pastille burner. The stench of cities and industrialised towns in the late 18thC and 19thC was often so bad that people took to burning small pleasantly fragranced pastilles to scent the air of their rooms.

The holders they were burned in began as luxurious silver or porcelain containers for the wealthy but, by the early 19thC, they were available to more people in other materials. Buildings were a typical form and, as time progressed, they also gained open windows and thus also acted as nightlights.

This large cottage ornée has a wealth of detail and is attributed to the notable Thomas Parr factory, sometime around 1830-1850. It’s not at all common, and is a notch or two above the norm.

But it’s the damage and repair that got me. This once much-loved home accessory clearly fell off someone’s mantelpiece at some point and broke into at least three pieces. Horrified by the fact that they would have to suffer foul air again, and loving it so dearly, the owner took the trouble and expense to have it restored - and to comparatively great lengths.

The restoration would have cost many times more than it’s worth, and it’s largely valueless today.

But for a fiver in a charity shop, I couldn’t leave it and its story behind. Especially as I then went next door to Pret à Manger and spent £5.15 on a cup of tea and a nut bar!

The tea and nut bar were gone in minutes, but this 180 year old battered survivor will remind me of times past for years to come. Make do and mend!

Today is the start a big new adventure! I’ve ope

Today is the start a big new adventure! I’ve opened a new shop at the amazing Pantiles Arcade in Royal Tunbridge Wells, with my friend and BBC Antiques Roadshow colleague Eric Knowles and Robert Woodmansey, his business partner from Hoard @scottish_antiques.

I’m honoured and thrilled to have been asked to join the top notch dealers here including @hickmet_fine_arts, @jeroenmarkiesartdeco, @richard_price_clocks, and others.

Expect colour, quality, fine design, expertise - and a very warm welcome.

Come and visit us!

Wassail bowl?! Wassat?! Find out here on the Ron

Wassail bowl?! Wassat?!

Find out here on the Ronati Reel for The Art & Antique Dealers’ Association of America’s ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ online event!

Scared, scary or surprised? My latest acquisition

Scared, scary or surprised? My latest acquisition and, regardless of which, I really like her. No idea about the artist yet, but there’s a (probably) 1970s label on the back for a framer in Penzance. Which may mean nothing. Work to be done. And the frame to be sorted out! But, very happy!

N.B.: After a lovely conversation with the amazing Geoffrey Key, I now know that it is not by him!

Sooo much fun being part of the Antiques Roadtrip

Sooo much fun being part of the Antiques Roadtrip group at the STV ‘Big Bash’ Christmas party with my besties Roo, Irita, Steven, Serhat, and more. So, so great to see everyone and catch up - giggles, laughs and dodgy dance moves (on my behalf!) aplenty. Thank you so much Antiques Road Trip & STV teams, I feel very fortunate and grateful. ❤️🎄

It’s only a tiny thing. It’s 3cm tall. But it

It’s only a tiny thing. It’s 3cm tall. But it means a huge amount. It’s a Daum miniature glass bowl, created around 1910. Hand blown, then sprayed with acid and so very delicately enamelled by hand with a lake-side scene.

The details are fine and exquisite. It’s badly damaged and restored, otherwise I could never afford to own such a thing. Over a century ago, I’d have needed to have been so very rich to have afforded it. It was a rich person’s plaything. It’s needless, function-less, too small for anything.

Tchotchke.

To hold it in my hand today and view its three dimensional and 360° beauty that has endured for over a century makes me smile inside and outside. Especially now, when work seems all-encompassing and life seems so tough. It’s precious and beautiful to me.

It’s the small things in life that matter. Whatever they are. This is one of mine. What’s yours?

Hang on a second-a… aren’t Sekonda watches mad

Hang on a second-a… aren’t Sekonda watches made in Japan? Or at least in the Far East? Well, yes, but their origins actually lie elsewhere.

I came across this late 1960s or early 1970s Sekonda wristwatch the other day - it was the styling that caught my eye. Huge egg-shaped ‘cushion’ cases were highly fashionable at the time, inspired by fashion which was inspired by the space race. And the bronze-brown dial just screams the period when combined with the gold-plated case. The fact that the dial shows ‘quarters’ in some lights is an added touch I like. And it’s a 17 jewel mechanical movement too, as the face indicates, so the movement isn’t dreadful quality or the ubiquitous quartz either. The face also indicates that it was ‘MADE IN USSR’. Gosh, more inspection was needed. Gently opening the case up for a surface clean revealed a trident symbol for Soviet watchmaker Poljot and other information.

Why the Soviet Union?

There’s a story here. Read it on my new blogpost - link in bio!

Two shady dealers! It’s the last day of filming

Two shady dealers! It’s the last day of filming for my Antiques Roadtrip with @iritamarriottantiques 😭 It’s been soooo much fun and a real adventure with highs, lows, gentle teasing and bickering - and laughs a go-go! Thank you so much Irita, I’m going to miss you so very much!! Until the next time! Xxxxx

Watch our terrific travels early next year on BBC One!

Instagram post 17964758857964126

Instagram post 17964758857964126

I can’t bear single use plastic cups! Watch this

I can’t bear single use plastic cups! Watch this @bbcantiquesroadshow Reel to find out my antique sustainable solution!

My third Falmouth find. Wrestlers in charcoal on p

My third Falmouth find. Wrestlers in charcoal on paper - I like the faces, the movement, the swift and almost cartoony style, and more. It almost reminds me of Keith Vaughan. But that is undoubtedly wishful thinking. There are, and have been, so many artists in Cornwall!

Two new paintings. Gouache or watercolour on paper

Two new paintings. Gouache or watercolour on paper, seemingly scraped and also scratched in places. No great age, but large and somehow gently appealing and balanced to my eyes. Bought in Cornwall. Research to be done! Happy weekend all!

Weird key! Kindly given to me when I was travellin

Weird key! Kindly given to me when I was travelling across Scotland, it unlocks a fascinating history.

These keys were used to unlock doors in Edinburgh’s vast and notorious tenement buildings built in the 19th century. Rather than turn to open a lock, they lifted a latch allowing the resident to enter a stairwell. Many tenement buildings still exist in Edinburgh and can be considered the world’s first high rise homes, sometimes having 15 storeys.

They’re called Odell Keys, or Night Latch Keys, and were invented in the U.K. by Odell in 1792, even though the French were using them long before. This one probably dates from the late 19thC or early 20thC.

The internal geometric pattern inside the ‘spade’ area differed widely, enabling security between buildings to be maintained.

A fascinating tiny bit of Scottish social history - and domestic history.

Oh my! What a week! And what a rollercoaster! Than

Oh my! What a week! And what a rollercoaster! Thank you @rooirvine and @antiqueroadtrip and, of course, Scotland and all the dealers and experts we met for a marvellous and wonderful experience! ❤️

If you missed it, catch up on BBC iPlayer here - https://bbc.in/3hVpL0Z

And so my first Antiques Road Trip is over! Thank

And so my first Antiques Road Trip is over! Thank you - so much - Roo! The perfect friend and roadtrip companion! We had loads of fun and treasures a go-go!

Catch up on our Scottish Antiques Road Trip on BBC iPlayer - https://bbc.in/3hVpL0Z

Taffeta & Tails! Roo’s fab find brought her a

Taffeta & Tails!

Roo’s fab find brought her a huge profit at the auction yesterday. I’m still in the lead, but Roo’s catching up. It all hangs on our finds and the last auction today! Who will win our Scottish roadtrip?

Tune into Antiques Road Trip on BBC1 today at 3.45pm to find out.

Also, will Roo finally persuade me to don a kilt? Fat chance?!

A tiny etching of a Georgian gentleman revealed a

A tiny etching of a Georgian gentleman revealed a fascinating glimpse into the business of a Georgian print dealer involving the British Museum, Christie’s, massive losses, and an attachment to strong coffee. Read more on my blog - link in bio.

Acquired from the excellent Risby Barns antiques centres, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

So I’m in the lead on this week’s Antiques Roa

So I’m in the lead on this week’s Antiques Roadtrip, but how long will it last? Tune in at 3.45pm to find out as Roo and I travel across Bonnie Scotland!

Thank you to the amazing Glenfarclas team for such a friendly welcome! I learned loads and you may have even cured my aversion to whisky, it’s wonderful! What could be more Scottish than haggis in whisky?!

My first ‘Antiques Roadtrip’ airs next week!

My first ‘Antiques Roadtrip’ airs next week!

Join @rooirvine and me on BBC1 next week as we traverse the length and breadth of Bonny Scotland. Touring across the Highlands and Lowlands in our 1970s Triumph Stag classic car, Roo and I visit Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, the Isle of Skye, and Stirling - and we even make it as far north as John O'Groats! We had so much fun, and it was an utter delight travelling with Roo.

You'll see spectacular Scottish landscapes, amazing antiques shops, characterful dealers, great buys and not-so-great buys, thrilling auctions, laughs, and stories from grave-robbing to Highland cattle to the life of a Scottish clan leader today.

Who wins? Well, that would be telling - you'll have to watch it to find out!

Watch us from Monday 3rd through to Friday 7th October 2022 on BBC1 at 3.45pm.

You can also catch up on BBC iPlayer.

Tune into tonight’s @bbcantiquesroadshow at Seft

Tune into tonight’s @bbcantiquesroadshow at Sefton Park, Liverpool, to find out the story behind this bizarre bird…and its value. AND one of the best comeback lines I’ve had so far from an owner!

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