WriteAntiques

by Christopher Proudlove©Español | Deutsche | Français | Italiano | Português Things we take for granted, number 42: Bossons plaster of paris wall plaques, more correctly termed character masks. Okay, so perhaps they’re not antiques in the true sense of the word, but they are collectable. And they are collected, particularly in the United States [...]

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I’ve never fancied becoming a dealer, the life is too precarious. But if I ever change my mind, the first thing I’d do is buy a copy of the newly-updated How to Buy and Sell Antiques, claimed by the publishers as the only book which covers how to make and save money buying antiques and [...]

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The London Assay Office, where all silver has to be hallmarked as pure before it can be sold, took the unusual step this week of issuing a warning following the appearance on the market of a number of fake spoons. It appears that a number of auctioneers outside London received consignments from one vendor who [...]

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by Christopher Proudlove©Español | Deutsche | Français | Italiano | Português If it’s true that sailors have one in every port, then an awful lot of young ladies will be looking forward to next Tuesday with high expectation. If you need reminding, it’s Valentine’s Day and woe betide the lover who fails to send a [...]

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Having come this close at a collectors’ fair to buying a “Tiffany” silver bangle that turned out to be a fake, it was heartening to learn that the U.S. jewellery manufacturer is suing eBay which is surely the source of most if not all the dud pieces currently circulating. We were searching out a graduation [...]

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by Christopher Proudlove©Español | Deutsche | Français | Italiano | Português So, welcome to the Year of the Dog and if, like us, you marvel at the celebrations for the Chinese New Year, you’ll know the highlight of the colourful spectacle. Performed as a prayer for a good harvest and household safety for the year, [...]

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by Christopher Proudlove©Español | Deutsche | Français | Italiano | Português Trash, or treasure? Certainly, the weird pottery vase illustrated here is not everyone’s cup of tea, but fortunately, the family who came across it in the home of a relative who had just died were taking no chances. No one liked it but instead [...]

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