Antique Collection

For most normal people a good collection of money seems to satisfy their acquisitive instincts. However, I have noticed that more and more denizens of the International Set are becoming cognoscenti and aficionados of the Ancient Object. ‘A thing of beauty is a Joy for Ever’ as the poet neatly put it (especially as [...]

If you want to collect on a modest budget, the vast array of small novel objects made from silver can provide an ideal collecting area.

Here we have a situation of supply and demand which can be exploited by the more enterprising faker. Let us first look at the glassware bearing the V.O.C. mark, as stated earlier a pair of wine glasses would fetch a great deal of money. (If a genuine pair were unearthed today it would amount to [...]

Now comes the ‘piece de resistance’! A crudely made shelf unit is fitted on top of the transformed dresser complete with rounded end sections and stinkwood pegs. The whole contrivance is then stained in a light overall colour and finished with one of the many ‘antique sealants’ which are available today, and another ‘old Cape [...]

When discussing antique fakes the buyer is frequently curious and will often enquire as to the extent of antique faking in this country. The answer may be surprising. Obviously no exact figures can be given, only estimates. After all, the shady side of this business is very surreptitious.

The cupboard originated in the middle ages and was an open shelved structure used to display pewter, silver and other untensils. Styles changed and in the 17th century the lower section was enclosed. In Georgian and Victorian times there was a wide variation in designs.

Strong “stone chinas” are earthenwares reinforced with ingredients such as pounded iron slag and flint, and were indeed stronger than the simple earthenwares which preceded them. These earlier pieces could only be fired to a temperature that was high enough to harden the basic material, but not to fuse it together to make it nonporous. [...]

MECHANICAL TOYS CAN BE HAND-OPERATED, KEYWOUND CLOCKWORK, OR HAVE AN ELECTRICAL MECHANISM. THE MECHANISMS WILL IN TIME GIVE TROUBLE, AND ACCESS TO THEM IS OFTEN NOT EASY WITHOUT DAMAGING THE OUTSIDE OF THE TOY.

Some magnificent pieces of furniture developed out of the humble chest. Today, collectors can chooser from many styles and forms.
No matter how luxurious or humble, a chest of drawers can trace its ancestry back to the simple top-opening chest (also called a coffer) — one of the oldest items of furniture. Other descendants include the [...]

Since they became an integral part of interior decoration in the 18th century, these items have been made in a diverse range of materials and styles.
Both mirrors and screens were origin- ally designed for a practical function, beyond mere vanity or decoration: wall mirrors to reflect the dim light of candles at night, and screens [...]