Antique Collection

These small gummed squares or rectangles of paper are widely regarded as one of the best media for the high-speed acquisition of a Comfortable Lifestyle — and with good reason, because the 1856 British Guiana penny stamp is now worth half a million pounds, an appreciation rate of 20,000,000,000 per cent, which is not bad. [...]

Various exciting new porcelain-making techniques were introduced and perfected in the 19th century. The development of bone china, which was made from the same ingredients as hard-paste porcelain with large quantities of animal bone added, meant that less expensive porcelain became widely available.

The illustration opposite shows a fine mahogany long- case clock by Matthew Dutton, London, circa 1785. It has an eight day movement and subsidiary calendar in a well finished mahogany case. Matthew Dutton was admitted to the clockmaker’s company in 1779. It is rare to find timepieces of this quality in South Africa, but Victorian [...]

The collectors of early pewter from time to time pick up some very fine pieces at the auctions and second hand shops and many find it a fascinating subject. Pewter was introduced into Britain in Roman times and was widely used in the 14th century. Much of the contemporary church plate was in this metal.

He sought the opinion of his legal advisor, the outcome being advice to take action under the Trade Descriptions Act, and they warned the auctioneer that they would institute such proceedings unless a refund was forthcoming. In the absence of any response to this the information was laid before the magistrates and a summons was [...]

There is always an atmosphere of excitement at an auction, especially if one is intent on buying some of the lots and many of the things that are going on in the background go unnoticed by the amateur. There is, for example, the operation of a ‘ring’ within the auction. This practice is much more [...]

A look into the social conditions of a particular age can sometimes give us a better understanding or its products.
The Victorians were a serious people and believed in hard work. Their prodigious engineering feats have never been equalled considering their resources. Their military arrogance was insufferable, their characters were diverse. In this period we had [...]

A fine mahogany long- case clock by Matthew Dutton, London, circa 1785. It has an eight day movement and subsidiary calendar in a well finished mahogany case. Matthew Dutton was admitted to the clockmaker’s company in 1779. It is rare to find timepieces of this quality in South Africa, but Victorian longcase clocks have always [...]

Forgery in this field is somewhat restrained by fear of the law, the counterfeiting of English hallmarks is a very serious offence and the penalties for this practice are severe. The very high prices of early English silver usually confines its collection to the more wealthy connoisseur. The ingenuity of the forger is nevertheless often [...]

1180—The first records of goldsmiths guild under Henry II having the right to use the mark of the Leopard’s head. 1238 — Henry III — the assay mark was introduced to prevent fraud.
1300-1544 — Edward I — the hallmark with the leopard’s head indicated the standard of purity.