About Chinese Antique

Introduction to Chinese Antique Furniture

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:54:00 +0000

Chinese antique furniture is a distinct conventional Chinese furnishing that bears oriental design. In contrast to classic Oriental furniture that are designed and built from hard wood, Chinese antique fittings are constructed from softwood and are remarkable illustration of Chinese arts. Just some of the softwoods that are used to create Chinese antique furniture include elm, oak, walnut, camphor, cypress, pine, fir and beech. Based on historians, the history of Chinese household furniture can be traced back to as early as one thousand BC. Chinese antique furniture increased in popularity during the Ming dynasty and is today coming in different designs and builds, for example, chairs, bed, cabinet, stools, doorways, benches, desks, Chinese room divider and tables. But how can you differentiate classic Chinese furniture from antique Oriental furniture? Listed below, are simple methods to identify antique Chinese furniture:

Get in touch with a professional in Chinese antiques in your area. You can find one by visiting your local furniture museum or even neighbouring art store. If there are considerable pieces of antique Chinese furniture items in the museum, chances are that you will find a specialist in Chinese antiques. However, in case the museum has not employed an expert in Chinese antiques, it will be able to direct you to a location where you will find a specialist in Chinese antiques. Nowadays, most museums hold special events ever month where art collectors and antique dealers are invited to seek advice from antique experts for a small amount of money.

Educate yourself on Chinese antique furniture. There are many online resources that you can utilize to acquaint yourself with Chinese antiques furniture. Alternatively, you can visit your local antiques dealer then request him to educate you on a little bit about antique Chinese furniture. Visit your local library and search for books and literature on Chinese antiques. Museums are also good places to learn more about Chinese history, this includes antique furniture.

In case it is your first time to purchase antique Chinese pieces, the information available out there may be overwhelming. As such, you need to concentrate your training on particular forms of Chinese antique house furniture that interest you most, for example, desks, tables, seats or cabinets. Ask as many questions as possible and cultivate an approach of assessing likely antique furniture. Learn to identify particular marks and or features on the furniture you are looking for. Note that, every antique fitting is unique. Consequently, there are features which may indicate to you if the piece is classic or antique. A number of antique Chinese furniture display manufacturers’ signatures. These are often used as icons of authenticity. Then again, just because Chinese furniture bears the manufacturer’s signature does not mean it is authentic. At times, the kind of material utilized in creating the furniture can suggest to you whether it is antique or not.

The differences that exist between Chinese antique furniture to classic Chinese furnishings are slight. Therefore, it is better to invest a little bit of time and money in learning the differences between the two types of furniture so as to ensure a worthwhile investment.

Where To Shop For Chinese Antique Furniture Pieces In UK?

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:25:00 +0000

Chinese antique furniture provide you with a broader view of an ancient, ordered and structured society that does not exists. In comparison with other types of home furniture, including Oriental classic accessories, antique Oriental furniture bear an overriding charm that can be categorized into two specific classes. These are aesthetics and construction. In building Oriental furniture, carpenters strictly adhere to architectural carpentry. The systems and joint parts used are interchangeable. Additionally, glues and metallic nails are utilized in the construction technique. The entire fabrication process depends on the expertise as well as skills of the craftsman. Perhaps, it is the main reason why majorities of interior designers prefer to use Oriental antique furniture in modern western residences. When shopping for antique Chinese furniture, there are several online stores from where you can make your purchase. Listed below, are antique and oriental Chinese online shops:

Online Stores: There are many online stores from which you are able to buy antique Chinese furniture. To find out which online stores sell antique Chinese furniture items, you need to surf through various such engines. The good thing regarding buying antique Chinese furniture online is that most online stores are run by individual persons. The furniture in these types of online stores is hand-picked by the store owners during their frequent visits to China. Before being shipped to the UK, the pieces of selected furnishing are refurbished to their former conditions by professionals in Chinese antiques. Therefore, no matter what you are looking for when shopping for Chinese antique furniture, you should be in a position to find from most online stores.

Online Auctions: If you happen to be unable to find the kind of antique Chinese house furniture you are looking for from a good number of online stores, think about buying from an online auction. Online auctions are popular with art collectors as it allows them to obtain antique Chinese furniture that is rare to find from local antique stores and even most online stores.

Art Collectors: The other place from which you can purchase your Chinese antique piece is from art collectors. Art collectors are known for owning all kinds of antique items. Whilst you are most likely to find what you are looking for from an art collector, be ready to spend more. Because of the time and effort that art collectors spend while searching for different antique pieces, they are likely to over price their merchandises. The advantage is that the piece purchased is authentic.

The advantage of shopping for antique Chinese furniture online is the variety the web provides you with. At the click of a button, you can surf through several sites on the net. Nonetheless, you must actually do a little bit of study before stepping out into the market. Visit different online websites selling Chinese antique furniture and try to determine what is on sale. Doing an investigation is important because it aids you in determining which online stores offer antique Chinese furniture at discounted prices. Apart from discount and offers, research helps you in understanding more about the different features of antique Chinese furniture.

Antique Collectables Gallery - The Definitive Guide to a Real Antique Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 19:11:00 +0000

When you can see the style of an antique piece and then match or associate it with the actual antique marks that the maker used, you are adding a new dimension to the knowledge you need to acquire in order to know what antique collectables to buy or invest in.

Viewing the antique manufacturers markings as they are stamped, painted or impressed on an antique item can help you learn more about how the maker marked their pieces and where and what to look out for. The gallery is where you can view a range of antiques and collectables from our own antiques collection and if you are a Google Plus user you can add your own comments or ask questions about the items.

You can view the full Antique Collectables Gallery here or watch the slideshow, clicking on one of the images below will take you to more details for that specific item. The antique collection items featured here are just a small preview of the full antiques gallery.

A makers mark that will provide the collector with an indication of the maker, the decorator and the approximate date of manufacture. However the marks on antique collectables can and have been faked, so the collector must then rely on the quality of manufacture, the quality of design and the quality of decoration to confirm that what they have is genuine.

The antiques collector can only do this by making sure they are familiar with the quality and style of a particular maker and by understanding the various elements within a makers mark as well as how and when those elements were introduced and utilised.

Most antique collectors, particularly those that specialise in one maker or one type or style of antique will be able to tell instantly whether an item is genuine. Most will be able to spot an antique in their particular area of expertise from a distance.

They learn to do this by becoming familiar with items and makers they are interested in. By handling those items and scrutinising every little detail about them to learn makers and designers individual inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies

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Is Collecting Antiques Still A Good Investment?

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 02:08:00 +0000

For some antique collectors, the true value in an antique lies in its sentimental worth rather than in its ability to increase in monetary value over the years. Nonetheless, the question,'Is collecting antiques a good investment?' is worthy of a word or two, especially for those particlularly avid antique collectors who hope to make a living from it or create a retirement nest egg from their financial investment in antiques and collectibles.

Without those individuals who hold a great deal of sentimental value in the antiques that they collect or continue to hold onto, the monetary value of collecting antiques might, more often, falter greatly or diminish drastically.

After all, many antique collectors invest in their cherished antiques for their sentimental value as well as their inherent financial value. Wanting to purchase an antique simply because you desire to own it often creates a much stronger pull or attraction toward it than wanting to purchase that same antique simply because you believe it will increase in value greatly over the next ten years.

For many antique collectors, the reason behind the desire to purchase an item is often a blend of true appreciation for its appearance and history as well as its potential value. What's the point in collecting something that you don't appreciate aesthetically? Of course, there is always the monetary value of an item, and that should be worth something in and of itself. However, the true pleasure that an experienced collector enjoys is often intricately interwoven with an intrinsic appreciation of the specific collectible genre.

Collecting antiques provides their owners with countless moments of visual appreciation, a feat that the ownership of stocks and bonds cannot possibly provide. While no guarantees can be given as to the continued financial worth of a specific antique, as long as collectors exist (which is likely), antiques will continue to hold monetary value at some level.

For some antiques, the financial value of a specific piece may increase, while for other items, the monetary value may decrease. There are no hard rules that a collector can use to accurately predict whether a specific antique will go up in value or not. When an individual collector is interested in a specific antique, the item may appear to be more valuable to him.

Nonetheless, people like to collect things, especially antiques. It's nice to own a piece of history that you can sit on, serve dinner on, store items inside of, or look at in appreciation. The value of an antique is realised by the collector who owns it as well as the collector who wishes to own it.

If you don't understand the heading for this section, "Today's Cup of Tea Is Served in a Different Antique Teapot," then you might have difficulty understanding the concept that it posits. As each new generation comes into existence, the popularity of some antiques will rise as the attraction of other antiques will decrease. Why is this?

Well, for some collectors, the desirability of certain antiques is intrinsically linked to the furniture, jewellery, paintings, or other paraphinalia that they grew up with as a child. Fond memories lead to the desire to own familiar pieces of the past and to place them within the antique collectors apartment, home, or office.

At one time, hot tea was served in sterling silver teapots. Eventually, porcelain and ceramic teapots became more popular and more affordable. Today, many individuals have never even seen a real teapot, let alone had a cup of hot tea from one. The saying, "It may not be your cup of tea," suggests that not all antique collectors are looking for the same type of collectible, a fact that directly influences the value of any piece of antique furntiure, ceramic or other artifact.

And, with each new generation collecting antiques, the search is on for some new variety of antiques. As modern themes emerge in home decor, many previously popular antiques will not fit with these new decorative themes, and this leads to the selection of a different type, style or period of collectibles. Hence, the monetary value of one style of antique may increase while another will remain stagnant or even decrease slightly.

The value of antiques is also influenced by the number of collectors actively searching for specific antiques along with the available supply of the items. As collectors age and begin to sell off their cherished collections of antiques, the market becomes flooded. As the law of supply and demand dictates, the value of the items may decrease in direct relation to the number of collectors searching for specific antiques.

Does this scenario mean that collecting antiques is not a good investment? No, in actuality, this type of situation simply suggests that the antiques market experiences ups and downs, in a similar way to other markets. However, as long as antique collectors are avidly searching for their favorite style of furniture, paintings by their favorite artists, or specific trinkets from a particular period, antiques will continue to hold their value and remain worthwhile investments.

The collector searches for the perfect find, hoping earnestly to purchase it at a reasonable price; and all the while hoping that his antique treasure will increase in value over the years to come. But sometimes, it is the other cup of tea that brings about the largest increase in value of an antique collectable twenty or thirty years down the line. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but the value of an antique is in the heart of the antiques collector.

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Antique Rattan Furniture Collectors - 1870s to 1930s

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 05:47:00 +0000

Antique Rattan furniture evokes contradictory impressions: Casual, but Victorian-formal; Classic, but linked to the 19th century; Ephemeral, but timeless. Today, reactions to rattan furniture range from those owners who can’t wait to get rid of “that old stuff” to furniture collectors who cheerfully troop through endless yard sales to find treasured pieces.

Rattan furniture itself can range from battered, half-broken painted thrift store junk to pristine museum-grade furniture displayed in a place of honor. What makes collecting and owning antique and vintage rattan furniture so interesting, and occasionally frustrating, is the vague history of this class of collectibles. Almost every attempt at defining this class of furniture, first gives a quick bow to ancient Egypt (tomb pieces dating to 3,000 BC), before launching into 1930's Art Deco styles.

There’s a lot of vintage & antique rattan furniture that was produced between those dates, and much of it is still there, ready to be discovered. Indonesia (particularly Borneo), the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh account for the bulk of the world’s production. The wood is solid, unlike bamboo, which is hollow, but it does have section joints.

Larger pieces have been used for Malacca canes, beloved of London gentlemen, for centuries. It is the bark stripped from the canes, however, which was soaked and woven into wicker pieces. This bark was also used to wrap around wood (often the stripped core of the original rattan) to make frames, legs and backs.
Because rattan is so flexible, it can be bent and shaped into ornate designs, which fitted the Victorian sensibilities exactly.

A quick break in the story, here, to talk about wicker. The term “wicker” just describes any woven furniture, usually made from plant materials. A wicker piece can be made from bamboo, rush or even straw. So, rattan furniture is a type of wicker, but not all wicker is rattan.

Although it was used to make furniture in India and China, it was the building of the British Empire in India and Malaya during the early 19th century which really brought rattan furniture to the notice of the British, and later the Americans, who lived and traded in Asia.

They came to love it. And why not? It could easily be woven into almost any style, it was light and cool – perfect for the tropics – and it was cheap. Very, very cheap.

The Wakefield Rattan Company began to produce rattan furniture and sell it all over the United States, where it was soon finding its way to the conservatories, porches and summer parlors of the rich and the well to do.

In the 1830's it was a fad; by the 1850's it was a boom; by 1900, it was as common to find rattan furniture in a home as it was to see a cast iron kitchen stove there. Although there were other manufacturers, Wakefield was the largest. In fact, it absorbed its largest competitor, the Heywood Company, in 1897.

The manufactured range of wicker furniture (most of it still rattan) was tremendous, and included chairs, tables, love seats, beds and even wheeled chairs used on the boardwalks of popular resort towns such as Atlantic City.

By the beginning of the 20th century, however, tastes began to change and Victorian styles went out of fashion. The Heywood-Wakefield Company, as it was now named, then began to produce wicker furniture in what was called the “Mission style,” but the classic age of rattan ended during the Great Depression.

And another blip in the record during the 1970s when a style sometimes referred to as “Tiki Bar” was made.
Aside from those, post 1930s rattan furniture has primarily relied on reproducing pieces from the 19th century, much of it using synthetic reeds. Almost all of the modern pieces made from genuine rattan have been made in Asia, often the Philippines.

Today's antique furniture collectors now concentrate on rattan pieces made during the period 1870-1930. They face the usual challenges of all antique collectors, no matter what is being discussed: repairs, restorations, reproductions and fakes. For rattan furniture collectors, add to that the problem of the material itself.

Is it really rattan? Are other materials mixed in, either during production or afterwards. When was a repair made? It takes experience and careful examination to tell, sometimes. Some collectors are willing to buy pieces which have been carefully repaired, but eschew extensive restorations. Others firmly draw the line at painted pieces, but who can tell when it was painted? Is a rattan chair painted in 1880 less antique?

Other collectors depend on contemporary advertisements or catalogues for identification of genuine pieces, but that might leave out a short-run production or even a custom-made piece. The latter, while harder to identify and authenticate, could be quite valuable.

As you would expect, however, their prices are set at a premium. There are still undiscovered antique rattan furniture pieces out there, but they are becoming more and more difficult to find. What pieces are found in the yard sale jungle have to be considered with a jaundiced eye; they might be genuine, or they might be a reproduction.

Even if the style matches a catalogue from the 1890s, for example, it might be a recently-imported piece from Asia. Without a sure way to judge the age or an article of provenance, it’s often difficult to tell.
You see the problem, of course. But, many would say that this is part of the challenge, even the joy, of collecting antique rattan furniture.

Using a discerning eye, some common sense, a few good reference books and sometimes, just taking a leap of faith is all part of the great collecting game.

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Antique Minton China Porcelain and Thomas Minton

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 17:56:00 +0000

The Minton china factory production consisted of practical and unpretentious tablewares in painted or printed earthenware or bone china that followed the typical shapes and decorative patterns of the period.
The firm gained it superb reputation when Herbert Minton succeeded his father as head of the firm. Under his management, he enlisted the services of many skilled artists. He introduced new techniques and methods of production. For these reasons, the Mintons was recognized for both industrial enterprise as well as its artistic excellence.

AWN Pugin, Sir Henry Cole, and Prince Albert were close associates whose designs were used by Minton. The painter and sculptor Alfred Stevens, the French sculptors Hugues Protat and Emile Jeannest, and the painter John Simpson were also employed there.

In 1845, Herbert Minton and Michael Daintry Hollins entered into partnership and the tile-making side of the business became known as Minton Hollins & Co. Herbert Minton's successful experiments in making encaustic tiles during the 1840s put him at the forefront of a huge industry supplying the requirments of institutions, churches, and domestic interiors all over the world.

Encaustic tiles are ceramic tiles with a decoration made of different colours of clay inlaid into the surface, a method originally produced in the middle ages. Later, Herbert lead the way in exploiting industrial techniques for producing printed and painted tiles, and for the rest of the century the firm produced tiles in a vast array of styles, many of them designed by leading artists such as Christopher Dresser, Walter Crane, John Moyr Smith, and William Wise. Relief-moulded tiles were introduced to the Minton range from the 1860s.

Parian Ware is a marble-like unglazed porcelain body developed during the 1840s and used most successfully for sculptural pieces.

John Bell, the American Hiram Powers, and Albert Carrier de Belleuse were among the sculptors who produced statuary for Minton.

Popular scaled-down models of larger pieces by contemporary and past sculptors were produced in Parian ware and the material was often used in combination with glazed and painted bone china for display pieces.

Leon remained there until 1892 and among his achievements were the development of Renaissance inspired ceramics such as inlaid earthenwares, pieces painted in the style of Limoges porcelain and in 1850 Minton China introduced the richly coloured and heavily glazed majolica.

Majolica was first shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and used for all kinds of objects from large garden ornaments and elaborate display pieces to dishes and jugs for the table. Arnoux attracted other French artists to Minton, notably the sculptor Carrier de Belleuse, the modeller and decorator Marc-Louis Solon and the painter Antoine Boullemier.

This beautiful but labourious process involves building up a design in relief with layers of liquid slip, each one having to dry before the next is applied. Using this technique, Solon and his apprentices modelled diaphanously clad maidens and tumbling cherubs on vases and plaques with a skill that was unmatched by any other factory.

After Herberts death the firm was run by his nephew Colin Minton Campbell and Colin was a visionary like his uncle. From the 1860's Oriental decoration pre-occupied Minton. Highly original pieces, both in earthenware and bone china, evoked Chinese cloisonne enamels, Japanese lacquer ware and ivories, Islamic metalwork and Turkish pottery.

The art studio was set up under the direction of the painter WS Coleman, in order to encourage both amateur and professional artists to decorate china and tiles for Minton. Although popular and influential, unfortunately the studio was burnt down in 1875 and was never rebuilt.

Even though excellent work continued to flow out of the factory, management languished among disinterested Minton family members and the company narrowly escaped bankruptcy.

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Collecting Antique Glass: History of Antique Glass

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:14:00 +0000

Basically glass consists of sand with the addition of an alkaline flux to help it melt at a lower temperature and a stabiliser, usually lime, as glass tends to be quite unstable so over time all glass will break down and crumble. How long this takes depends on how well the glass is made and what went into it, in what proportions.

Generally glass has a greenish tint, due to the presence of iron in the sand, so neutralisation is usually accomplished by the addition of its spectrally opposing colour achieved with manganese. Of course some glass is meant to have colour and this is given by adding various metallic oxides such as copper, cobalt, gold etc.

In early times these were probably impurities in the sand and glass makers learned how to use them for decorative effect. Over the centuries people have tried to improve the clarity and brightness of glass and this has been achieved by adding lead oxide as a flux.

George Ravenscroft is usually attributed with this discovery in the late seventeenth century but lead oxide was already being used in Italy in the production of paste jewellery and it is more likely that he had found out this fact and put it to use here and in doing so put Britain to the forefront in the production of glass vessels during the eighteenth century.

Glass is worked in a molten form requiring constant reheating to keep it plastic. It is shaped usually by being free-blown through a rod and then manipulated into the desired shape or blown into a mould a technique used in Ireland and America in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries though this method had been invented in about 25 B.C. In this way decoration can be produced quickly and easily.

Once the piece has been made it then has to be annealed i.e. cooled very slowly so that any stresses can be reduced that might build up causing it to shatter. Even so glass still has stresses within it with handles being particularly prone to damage.

The exact origins of the process of glass making are unsure but it is thought that it first appeared in Mesopotamia about 3000 years B.C. probably as a result of experimenting with glazes for pottery. At first glass was used as an alternative to precious stones as it could be coloured and cut.

Glass reached Egypt by about 1540 B.C. where vessels were formed using various complex techniques of moulding and shaping. By Roman times glass was being blown in large quantities to form containers for liquids and for drinking from. Some beautiful pieces were being made in early times with coloured glass, trailed decoration even double-walled pieces containing gold leaf decoration and by the first few centuries B.C. the millefiore style had been invented. Some of the greatest pieces of Roman glass are the cameo cut examples such as the Portland Vase from the end of the first century B.C.

Glass was produced in the Islamic Kingdom from the seventh century where they continued using similar techniques to the Romans including the invention of one or two others such as the use of lustre decoration.

Until the Venetians became the worlds leading glass producers in the fifteenth century Islamic glass makers led the world with their colourful and innovative designs.

They cut, engraved, gilded and moulded using great skill in the production of intricate and splendid designs.
After the Roman Empire had declined the glass produced in Europe was of a fairly mundane bubbly green type generally of plain and functional form. By the eighth century however luxury glass was again being produced and throughout the centuries that followed techniques improved and some more interesting pieces were being made.

In the twelfth century stained glass windows were being used for churches and by about 1400 colourless glass was being manufactured again on a large scale. Towards the end of the fifteenth century the Venetians had perfected the production of colourless glass and became the leading glass makers in the world. The manufacture of glass brought great wealth to Venice with exports to all over the world and Venice is still renowned for its magnificent glassware.

Glass was being produced all over Europe in Spain, France, Holland, Germany and Britain. Spanish glass having a very much Islamic style and in other countries the Venetian influence can be seen as well as taking on the forms of silver and pottery wares from these respective countries.

Before this time glass was produced on a small scale in woodland furnaces where timber would have been used as fuel.

In the seventeenth century the next great development was the invention of the coal burning furnace by Sir Robert Mansell allowing much higher temperatures to be achieved. Because of this the main centres for glass production moved to areas where coal was mined such as Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Bristol. At this time the Venetian influence was still prevalent but as the century advanced the style became more individual and less flamboyant with the emphasis being on balance of form and refinement of engraving on colourless glass.

With the introduction of lead as a flux in the latter part of the century by George Ravenscroft glass could be produced which had a denser and clearer appearance thus lead crystal was produced. This meant that good quality mirrors and chandeliers could be made as well as wine glasses and consequently Britain manufactured some of the best glassware throughout the eighteenth century. However early Ravenscroft glass had a tendency toward crazing or “crizzling”. And some of the best engravers in the world came from the Low Countries of Europe.

Britians close politically ties with Holland in the late seventeenth century meant that fashions and styles were closely linked and it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate between the two as lead glass was also made in Holland.

So called because of the architectural nature of the stem, but as time advanced more and more complex designs were being produced with multi sided stems different shaped knops, tears in the stems, i.e. carefully formed bubbles of air, beaded knops with many bubbles and probably as a development of these the air twist and opaque twist glasses.

Wineglasses in the eighteenth century often had engraved decoration sometimes commemorating causes such as the Jacobite and Williamite glasses. Family crests and armorials were also engraved on glasses. The Beilby family, based in Newcastle, are famous for their enamel decoration on glassware in the second half of the eighteenth century with pieces decorated with armorials a considerable rarity. Other glassware produced in the eighteenth century included decanters, tankards, salts, tumblers and a wide range of tableware. Cutting was employed to decorate glass during the eighteenth century at first it of the flat plane type.

As the century progressed different cutting techniques developed and by the end of the eighteenth century steam power was being introduced so speeding up the process and allowing more intricate cutting styles to be used.

By the early nineteenth century the regency style began to emerge and many of these pieces leave very little areas of glass which are uncut. Many new techniques were being developed France, Germany, Bohemia and America as well as Britain were producing some wonderfully exuberant pieces.

Acid etching, fine engraving, magnificent cutting, cameo and rock crystal style engraving were all being used to great acclaim.

In Britain the Dudley, Stourbridge and Wordsley areas in the West Midlands are renowned for quality items that were produced and there is still much to learn about the manufacture of glass in these areas. In Manchester the technique of press moulding was being used to mass produce pieces and items could be made with a variety of designs on them including some by great names such as Walter Crane.

In the early part of the twentieth there was a continuation of the nineteenth century style and some of the best glass was being made in America and France. In America Louis Comfort Tiffany is particularly famous for his iridescent glassware and for leaded glass lamp shades. In France René Lalique was making very high quality pressed glass.

However there were many more producers of fine decorative glassware throughout Europe at this time.
With the First World War there was a decline in quality though some good pieces were still being produced between the wars.

However after the Second World War there was a marked decline with the production of utilitarian designs dominating the glass industry. Many of these pieces are collected and they fit in well with the modern home.

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Antiques Collection - Spatter Glass Basket

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:29:00 +0000

From the antique-marks collection we have a wonderful Nailsea Glass Basket roughly formed from various pieces of coloured glass spatter with a clear glass, twisted branch handle. Possibly 19th Century and highly collectable Nailsea glass which included this type of decoration, with white and sometimes colored splashes on a dark green or amber glass.

Spatter glass was extremely popular with Victorians in the late 19th century, along with many other Roman and Egyptian glass styles. Spatter Glass is actually hand-blown glass which has been rolled over a hot steel or iron plate to pick up small chips of crushed or powdered glass on the outside. The glass is then rolled smooth and shaped by blowing

This Nailsea Glass basket is in very good original condition, with some traces of wear. A few small burst air bubbles here and there and typical imperfections found in early glass. No cracks and the bowl rings when flicked with a finger.

Makers marks provide a reasonably reliable dating system but typically, there are no makers or factory marks present on antique glass. Northwood Glass carnival wares are one exception. However, there is an indented and polished pontil mark to the base of this Nailsea glass basket demonstrating the hand blown manufacture and quality.

It is uncertain when glassmaking first started in Nailsea but Nailsea Crown Glass and Bottle Manufacturers "The Nailsea Glassworks" was one of the new factories that opened in the Victorian glass boom. It was set up by John Lucas in 1788.

Nailsea Glass became widely used by the 1830's and the glassworks expanded to become one of the four largest in England. Because of the heavy duty on 18thC. Flint Glass, it became common practice for glassworks like Nailsea to manufacture tableware out of bottle or window glass, and to decorate it very simply with white dots or lines to make it more attractive.

Nailsea Crown Glass and Bottle Manufacturers were just one among many glassworks that manufactured this type of glass, and they gave their name to this style. The flecked and festooned glassware, such as this Nailsea spatter glass basket, included jugs, carafes, vases, bowls, paperweights, twisted canes, rolling pins, pipes and jars, which are now highly collectable items. Collectively they are often simply referred to as Nailsea glass.

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Antique Clocks Timeline - Tips To Help You Estimate The Age of Your Antique Clock

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:04:00 +0000

Clock Evolution

1600's
1660 - Calendar movements were introduced to English longcase clocks. The first American patent issued for a calendar movement was in 1853.

1663 - Minute hands were introduced to longcase clocks.

1700's

1745 - Phases of the moon were introduced on clock dials .
1775 - Up until 1820, only hour hands were used in clocks. In 1775, matching minute and hour were introduced.

1780 - Second hands began to be added to longcase clock dials.
1785 - Dots in the minute rings of brass dials were added

1792 - Paper clock dials were introduced and applied to a wooden or metal backing.

1800's
1800 - Painted dials came into general use on clock faces.
1800 - Reverse-painted glass tablets date from the early 1800's.

1806 - Machine made wood screws were introduced in France as early as 1806.
1820 - Wooden movements were generally used in early American shelf clocks until around 1820. Up until then hand cast and finished brass movements were very expensive. Chauncy Jerome began manufacturing cheap 30-hour brass movements in the 1830’s; by the early 1840’s brass movements virtually replaced wooden ones.

1836 - Gold electroplating was used to provide a safe alternative to the hazardous use of mercury in gilding metals, which was banned in 1799.
1840 - Coiled wire gongs were used in English bracket (shelf) clocks.
1869 - Celluloid was patented. Adamantine celluloid veneer was patented in 1880.
1882 - Clock models in Adamantine veneer finishes which mimicked marble, slate, wood and other materials were introduced by Seth Thomas.

1890 - Chime bars, also known as chime rods, were introduced to clocks. These metal rods are specially tuned to produce a sequence of chime notes when struck by the movement's chime hammers.

1896 - It is required that the country of origin be mark on the clocks that are imported into the United States.

1900's
1901 - The Anniversary trademark on 400-Day clocks was introduced.

1905 - Plywood was first used.

1910 - An early inflammable, mouldable plastic, called Bakelite was invented.

Signatures on an antique clocks dial or movement can sometimes help to date a clock if you can find the clockmakers name and the date of activity listed in one of the many guides accessible to watch and clockmakers.

However, a signature may refer to someone other than the clockmaker. 19th century retailers and distributors often put their own names on clocks as an attempt to brand their product. The actual clock movement may have been made by someone else, as until the 19th century clock cases were almost always made separately from the movement and were rarely signed. And, of course, a signature may be fraudulently added as an attempt to increase an antique clocks value.

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Why Antique Limoges Porcelain is one of the most Collectible Ceramics

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:50:00 +0000

The history behind it, and the current manufacturing process certainly play a role, adding to the mystique and individuality of the pieces.

Limoges, a French city southwest of Paris, predates Roman times. Its physical placement, directly on the river Vienne, makes Limoges an easy, accessible stop; one that would even be called necessary in those early years when journeys were more arduous than enjoyable.

Unlike many American towns which found themselves dependent on one industry to fuel the economy, an industry that dried up for one reason or another, the artisans of Limoges didn’t simply curl up and die because the trends had changed. Luckily they caught a break.

Just as the call for limoges enamel pieces dwindled, kaolin, an essential clay in the making of porcelain, was found just 18 miles southwest of Limoges at St. Yreix. With that, a new era began for the town.

Limoges built its first porcelain factory a mere six years after the initial find of the kaolin.
The kaolin is combined with pulverized feldspar and quartz. Then a fine process of milling, pulverizing, heating, molding and firing begins. Europeans consider this product porcelain only if it retains a translucent quality.

Every piece can not meet the rigorous standards. Many crack or break during the process and must be discarded. What sets antique limoges porcelain apart from other ceramic forms may be considered a technicality, but a necessary one to the creators of this art form.

Pottery will absorb water. Conversely, even if porcelain has been chipped or cracked it will not retain water. Nonetheless, chipped or cracks items have to go. They won’t meet the Limoges quality standards.

The shape is there, but an artisan then has to decorate the individual object, add tiny hinges if needed, to any one of the figurines, pill boxes or other porcelain product you’ll find bearing the Limoges porcelain marks.

Once the artist completes his or her work using the special paints used on porcelain, the product goes through another firing process. This long production process is what makes Limoges porcelain collectible. By the end of the process, like snowflakes, no two products will turn out the same. So when a collector speaks of having a one-of-a-kind item, this will be the truth.

Shortly after the first Limoges factory was established, Louis XVI bought it. For a time, production was still limited due to restrictions on the production of porcelain products. The French Revolution brought an end to these restrictions and Limoges flourished in the wake.

Once again, its physical placement played a huge role: a mixture of its proximity to the essential ingredients, as well as its general accessibility by land or water. Moreover, the city was lucky enough to have a grand forest in Limousin, which could supply the extensive amounts of wood needed to fire the kilns used in the production of antique Limoges porcelain. On all counts, Limoges proved the ideal spot. Workers flocked to the town, and by 1819, four porcelain factories graced the land.

By 1861, this would increase again to 27 factories, supporting some 3,166 workers. It was during the 1870s that Limoges finally perfected its porcelain process, and the items produced then are considered to be some of the finest antique Limoges porcelain ever made.

David Haviland who had come to Limoges from New York in 1842 in search of porcelain to import to the United States, got the ball rolling. He knew the beauty of the product and the marketability, as his own family had emigrated from Limoges.

By 1855, the demand for porcelain from Limoges in the United States called for Haviland to construct his own factory in the town. By the late 1850’s, sales in the United States accounted for around half of the antique limoges porcelain being manufactured in the city.

Given the extent to which Limoges now depended on the United States for its sales, it naturally suffered a major blow during the Civil War when exports to the United States were curtailed, then halted entirely.
It had to scramble to pick up export business to other countries, which eventually helped a little.

So, when you see a piece of limoges porcelain, the mark you see is not from a particular studio. It may come from one of many studios in the region that choose to use the standardized Limoges porcelain mark. And that’s natural given that the elements (including the traces of soil) needed to produce these delicate creations can be found only in Limoges, France.

The museum features some 11,000 pieces, though not all porcelain. It’s also quite believeable that the pieces have been presented to heads of state over the years; from the tsars of Russia to kings and queens of Europe.

So, it’s not very surprising that we covet it nowadays. If a piece of antique limoges porcelain is good enough for a king or queen, it must be something worth having, right?

The quality of the porcelain and the decoration is far below the quality of genuine Limoges porcelain produced at the Limoges factories in France. And some of this inferior porcelain bears pseudo Limoges porcelain marks and they are being offered as Limoges or Limoges China.

The most common marks are T&V Limoges France, Limoges China, ROC, and ROC LIMOGES CHINA. ROC is short for Republic of China.

There are several factors that can contribute to the value of a piece of Limoges porcelain ... the factory where it was produced; the limoges porcelain mark; how old it is; the condition; how complete a set is; the quality of the decoration and the artist's signature.

You’ll have an easy time finding genuine pieces, as a simple Internet search yields dozens of shops carrying all styles and ages of Limoges porcelain. In fact, the tough part may be in choosing and displaying them, rather than finding them.

Oddly enough, I’ve also seen pieces at jewelry and gem shows for very reasonable prices, and I've paid less than $50-60 for some limoges trinket boxes. The pieces I’ve seen online sell for around $140+, not including auctions which may be better deals.

I’ve also found Limoges trinket boxes in consignment shops, but I rarely see just one of them. The shop owner who spots these and sees the potential generally stocks quite a few. And if they don’t have it in, they can get it, so ask for a catalogue.

At the very least, use online venues to give you an idea of the many things on the market. At one website alone, I found 24 versions of the Eiffel Tower in the Limoges pillbox format. If you can envision it, Limoges has cast it in porcelain.

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Is Noritake China A Worthwhile Addition to Your Porcelain Collection?

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 02:30:00 +0000

Noritake china production began around 1876 when the Morimura Brothers formed a company of that name in Tokyo and opened an export office in New York. They initially produced a full range of china marked with the Nippon mark and also sold china in-the-white, ie; blanks for decorating by outside agencies and decorators, thus the quality of the earlier finished product can vary.

In 1904 the Morimura Brothers formed 'Nippon Toki Kaisha Ltd' and setup a production facility at Noritake near Nagoya on the Japanese island of Honshu. They registered their first Noritake back stamp around 1908 and registered their first Noritake mark in the USA around 1911.

There is high demand for good quality pieces, even with some wear to the handles, which is quite common, and they can fetch good prices. Japanese porcelain has almost always been good quality and has almost always been collected, but Noritake is probably the lesser cousin to the more desireable Kakiemon, Satsuma, Kutani and Imari wares. However we find it appeals to oriental porcelain collectors and that there is a good market for it.

The American architect Frank Lloyd Wright probably thought so too, when he designed tableware for Noritake in the 1920's. The tableware was produced for the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.

There are three commonly seen Noritake marks, namely the Noritake Maruki (often called Komaru) Mark, the M (for Morimura) Wreath Mark and the RC (for Royal Crockery) mark.

Between 1890 and 1921 the company marked their export china with 'Nippon' in western characters. These Nippon marks can date pieces to the 1890 to 1921 period, before the McKinley Tariff act demanded 'Japan' was used. After the first World War all Noritake production was marked 'Japan' or 'Made in Japan' to comply with the McKinley Tariff Act, and Nippon was only very rarely used after 1921. The use of Nippon can sometimes cause confusion as some pieces bear marks that state simply 'Oriental China, Nippon' around a rising sun. These Nippon marked pieces are highly desireable but collectors should be wary of faked Nippon marks on later pieces, particularly from the 1960's.

After WWII, from 1948 to 1952, Noritake China was marked in slightly differing ways, the most common marks used included 'Occupied Japan' or 'Made in Occupied Japan'.

Also Immediately after WWII, and due to an inability to maintain quality standards, the company stopped using Noritake on their marks and used 'Rose China' alongside a rose with 'Made in Japan' or 'Made in Occupied Japan' below. From about 1963 the company marked their china with 'Noritake Company Ltd'.
There are marks that include pattern or series names including Impromptu, Oneida, Grandceram, New Lineage, Noritake Tea Collection, among others. The most current mark includes 'Noritake Bone China' above a grecian style urn, within a wreath and with ® and Japan below.

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Rene Lalique Glass: Collecting Antique Glass

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:07:00 +0000

Lalique had experimented with glass in his jewellery making and at 50 years of age he embarked on a new career as a glassmaker. A career that would gain him the worldwide recognition that continues today. He began creating classic glass perfume bottles for Coty and eventually he was asked to do the same for Worth, Forvil, D'Orsay, Guerlain, Rogeret et Gallet. In all, Lalique created more than 250 different perfume bottles.

Although most sell for modest prices, in 1990, a Lalique perfume bottled fetched $80,000 at auction. A few years ago, a L'ldylle flacon sold for $58,350 at the Philips Geneva flacon auctionA Japanese bidder paid $8,625 for a Lalique Bochon Fleurs de Pommiers design at a William Doyle Galleries auction in New York.

At the height of glass production, his factories employed up to 600 people and created millions of pieces of glassware. But despite his mechanised approach to production, the imagination and beauty of his work is unparalled. He personalized much of his work with frosting, polishing, and glazing to give it that handcrafted and individual feel.

Rather than create a few pieces that could only be enjoyed by the wealthy lalique mass produced his work in the hope that everyone could enjoy it. And in line with his love of the human and animal form, lalique created 29 car mascots in the shapes of fish, horse heads, frogs, dragonflys, shooting stars and St. Christopher Carrying the Christ Child. Female nudes were also a favorite design.

Lalique designed all the mascots to be illuminated from within and a 6 or 12 volt bulb was connected to the cars wiring to provide illumination. Filters were also used to change the color of the light to red, blue, green, amber, or mauve. Lalique mascots ornamented the hoods of the most stylish cars of the day Bentley, Hispano Suiza, Isotta Fraschini, and Bugatti. Today, lalique hood ornaments are highly sought after by collectors.

His true talent shines in the amber, plum, blue, opalescent, gray, green, black, and yellow hues he obtained by meticulously adding measured amounts of pigment to darkened glass. Striking animal figures, mythical beasts, and geometric shapes poured from his fertile mind.

The art deco style in laliques jewellery followed through to his work in glass and, distinct geometric designs, smooth flowing lines, and vibrant colors are all characteristic patterns and qualities of lalique glass.

For the new Lalique glass collector, the two most important considerations are authenticity and condition.

Chips, repairs, ground down edges and drill holes will all reduce value. Poor condition can reduce the value in extreme cases by up to 90%. But there is a very big problem with modern Czech glass bearing Lalique signatures.eBay sellers list Czech glass in large volumes as Lalique. You can also see less valuable French glass of the 1920s with a Lalique signature.

Lalique used mass production techniques to make his work available and affordable to people in most income brackets. Literally millions of pieces have been created since the early 1900s, and Lalique factories continue to produce fine glass and crystal today.

In the 1940s World War II forced the closure of his factory. After his death, laliques son Marc re-started the company and in 1948, he changed production from demi-crystal to full lead crystal. Lalique's granddaughter Marie-Claude, later led the company and implemented her own style with clear crystal accented with colored motifs.

Lalique marked his work, even the mass-produced pieces "R. Lalique". However, the signature can be found in molded, script, print, and curved designs. In addition the leading L in the earlier cursive Lalique signatures has a curleyque on top, making the letter resemble an S.

Unfortunately Rene Lalique really used too many signatures in too many different ways to allow for a definitive guide as to what was manufactured before or after 1945. The pieces created by Marc Lalique are signed "Lalique France "The pieces created by Marie-Claude are signed "Lalique h France"
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Caring for Antique Ceramics and Glass

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 19:08:00 +0000

For antique ceramics or glass, accidental breakage is probably the biggest risk factor when it comes to handling and cleaning. To be able to avoid this, you need to be careful.

Your hands should be dry and clean before handling the glass or ceramics. Don't wear cotton gloves while handling ceramics or glass, as cotton gloves have less traction and the antique glass or ceramics could slip from your hands. Also, grip or pick it up where it is safest and always support it at the base.

If antique ceramics or glass is displayed in a cabinet, then make sure that the cabinet is stable or else your valuable antique piece could fall off from.

Never immerse low fired earthenware such as delftware, faience or maiolica in water as they may have an unglazed foot rims or old cracks or chips which expose the porous surface beneath the glaze. It is much safer to wipe them with cotton wool moistened with some mild soapy water.

You may be able to shift tide marks from glass such as wine stains in a decanter with a solution of denture cleaner and warm water or with acetic acid or vinegar. Just leave your chosen mixture in the glass for 24hrs then rinse, drain and dry thoroughly.

Methylated spirits or pure alcohol can be tried for stains caused by alcohol based perfumes, but change the alcohol every hour or so until the stain has gone.

Ammonia or ordinary household bleach which contains chlorine will remove stains on most glass, as long as there is no gilding or other fragile decoration. NOTE: This is not suitable for ceramics as it may aggravate the stain or cause permanent discolouration.

For more stubborn stains wipe with a cloth moistened in warm water with a few drops of methylated spirits and some household detergent, then rinse with clean water using a well rung out chamois leather. Protect the frame with a piece of thin card.

Where grime has built up on stained or leaded windows brush it off gently with a soft bristled brush and as long as the surface is stable, clean with cotton wool moistened with the same methylated spirit and detergent solution used for mirrors.

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Antique Berlin Porcelain and Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:20:00 +0000

The Antique Berlin porcelain factory was founded in 1761 by Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky, who picked up the pieces of the factory belonging to Wilhelm Casper Wegely, after it went bust in 1757.

When Wegely, a wool-manufacturer, obtained a licence to set up a factory with the help of many Meissen and Hochst workers, who probably supplied the necessary kaolin and a model for a kiln able to produce porcelain.

Quality, however, was of a poor standard and Wegely had to close the factory due to financial problems.
During its existence, Heinrich Reichard was the master modeller and Isaak Jacob Clauce the painter. Porcelain wares produced by the Wegely factory were marked with the initial W and a combination of numbers.

In 1761 the merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky, bought the arcanum from the Wegely modeller Reichard. He also secured the collaboration of the Wegely painter Clauce and bought the remaining stock of the Wegely factory.

In order to improve the quality of the porcelain, Gotzkowsky hired experienced craftsmen from the Meissen factory. These included the modeller Friedrich Elias Meyer and the painters Karl Wilhelm Bohme, Johann Balthasar Borrmann and Karl Jakob Christian Klipfel.

After only two years in operation the new factory was employing around 150 people and as the demand for porcelain goods was limited to the very rich, Gotzkowsky was overwhelmed by financial difficulties.

Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky was forced to sell the factory to Frederick the Great in 1763.

After acquiring the Berlin Porcelain factory, Frederick the Great took great steps to promote it and to maintain the quality of the porcelain and the wares.

The Meyer brothers, originally recruited by Gotzkowsky, modelled outstanding figures and Berlin porcelain flower-painting (called Deutsche Blümen) set the standard for other factories to follow.

Just like many other porcelain factories, the Berlin Porcelain factory has had its ups and downs over the years, but it has always managed to survive the difficult periods.

Today the Berlin Porcelain factory is still one of the leading porcelain manufacturers in Germany and it still sells high quality products all over europe and to the rest of the world.

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Caring for Antique Furniture | Tips on the Care and Repair of Antique Furniture.

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 07:42:00 +0000

A surface patina, even if it is marked and damaged, contributes to the character, authenticity and value of a piece of antique furniture and you should aim to preserve it.

If restoration is necessary, the original finish should be matched as closely as possible. French polishing or the tough synthetic varnishes of the 20th century should never be used to replace wax or shellac.

Oil or beeswax polishes are the most common finishes on 16th and 17th century furniture and on oak and country furniture up until the 19th century. These are more resistant to minor bruises and spills than varnish or lacquer.

Resin and shellac varnishes were used on fine furniture from the end of the 17th century and like lacquered and japanned finishes are spirit-based. They can be marked by solvents such as alcohol, as well as by heat, damp and abrasives.

French polishing, introduced in the early 1820s, involves a method of applying shellac that achieves a high-gloss finish with less effort; but it is less durable and prone to chip. Newly applied French polish is particularly vulnerable as it can take up to six months to harden completely.

Graining and ebonising, are where a surface is stained to resemble an exotic wood and you can wear this effect away with too much rubbing.

Veneered furniture is particularly vulnerable to dry or damp conditions, or if water or polish seeps beneath the surface skin and causes the veneer to buckle, lift or split.

Inlaid finishes such as marquetry and boulle are even more sensitive as the materials used can react to heat and humidity at different rates, resulting in uneven stress over the whole surface.

Waxing antique furniture

All sealed wooden surfaces can be waxed to bring out the colour and grain of the wood and to provide protection against staining, but over waxing will actually cause dullness.

Furniture that has been waxed and polished for years should only need buffing with a chamois leather or duster, and then waxing once every few months.

Solvents used in furniture polishes, especially the spray polishes, can leave a whitish bloom on some surfaces or gradually dissolve lacquered finishes. They should not be used on any lacquered surface and only sparingly on wax.

A microcrystalline wax is the best medium for giving a light, protective and burnishable coating to most surfaces, including ebonised wood, lacquer and French polish.

Apply the wax over an area about 1ft (30cm) square at a time, burnishing with a soft clean cloth as it dries. Use a soft-bristled brush for carved surfaces, making sure you leave no surplus polish in the crevices.

Brass mounts, such as handles and other fittings don't have to be ultra-bright on antique furniture; light burnishing as you dust is adequate, or buff with a long-term silver cloth. Metal cleaners should not be used as they can harm the wood around the mounts.

The gold finish on ormolu is very delicate and should never be polished, even with a dry cloth, and especially not with cleaning fluid.

Fingerprints, which are acidic, can damage the gilding.

In time the brass or bronze base corrodes, giving the finish a spotty, then black appearance. The mounts can be lacquered but even this will fail in time.

Other than dusting ormolu gently and regularly with a soft brush there is little else to do; never have it regilded if you want to retain the value.

Water-based gilding remains water soluble and should only ever be dusted, whereas oil gilding may be cleaned by gently dabbing with slightly damped cotton wool.

Water gilding is applied over layers of gesso and is a yellow or dark red. It may be burnished to a high shine, although some pieces may have areas that are meant to be left matt.

Oil gilding is sometimes applied directly onto wood and has a matt finish.

Chips in a gilded surface can be filled with fine surface filler and disguised with yellow ochre, watercolour paint. Avoid using gold metallic paint for areas of any size, as it clashes with the true gilding.

A professional guilders aim will be to match the original techniques and materials, and to retain as much of the original surface and patina as possible.

Upholstered antique furniture must be vacuumed regularly to guard against a build up of dust and pests, if necessary use a fine mesh net stocking over the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner to prevent any loose pieces being irretrievably sucked off.

However, on some seat furniture, upholstery can be re-webbed or re-stuffed, or the fabric replaced with a sympathetic alternative, without detracting from the value of the piece.

If re-upholstering drop in seats always make sure you return the seats to the original chairs and make sure the new covering isn't so tight that it strains the leg joints.

Adult furniture beetles and pinhole beetles lay eggs in crevices in wood. The eggs hatch into larvae (woodworm) which eat into the wood and leave tunnels some 1mm in diameter. They eventually emerge as beetles and fly away between May and August.

Treatment
Check and treat any new purchase before taking it into your home, and check any wooden objects twice a year for infestation – especially bare and softwood surfaces such as the inside of drawers or backboards.

Upholstered or particularly delicate furniture should be professionally fumigated, but on other items, a good quality, clear, low-odour woodworm fluid can be applied by yourself at home.

Remove any detachable upholstered parts and only treat the unfinished surfaces of the wood. The solvent in the fluid will damage waxed, polished, varnished, lacquered or painted surfaces.

Carefully inject the insecticide, using a hypodermic syringe and needle to reach deep into the holes. If unsure or not confident this should be left to an expert or consevation specialist.

After treating, fill the holes with a soft inert wax and blend in with the surrounding wood.

Unlike many other antiques, which can be devalued by restoration, a piece of furniture that has been sympathetically and honestly restored into usable condition, using traditional methods and materials, can be worth more than a damaged item.

Make sure, if you do make minor repairs yourself, to only ever use water-soluble glue Almost all furniture made before the mid-20th century depends on well-jointed solid timber for strength, so weakness in joints, pivots, moving parts, or on load-bearing surfaces, or signs of rot or woodworm, must be fixed before the piece is used again.

Use a professional furniture restorer to reinforce or replace rotten or wormed timber with sound wood, saturate it with resin or fill it with a mixture of animal glue and sawdust. Cure sticking doors or drawers by easing with a touch of candle wax. If they are misshapen, they need to be trimmed by an expert. Chipped or lifted veneer should be professionally repaired as soon as possible, but exposed edges can be temporarily protected with masking tape and detached pieces kept in a plastic bag. If stripping is necessary and will not remove a valuable patina, it should be done by a professional furniture restorerer. Acid stripping swells and rots wood fibres. Dry, cracked leather on desk tops can be revitalised with a lanolin and beeswax preparation such as Connolly’s Hide Food. Make sure you spot test the dressing on an inconspicuous area; if it leaves no stain, then apply it sparingly with a soft cloth. Then allow the dressing to absorb (for around 24 hours) before gently buffing with a clean duster.

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Haviland China Collectors Articles and Information

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:45:00 +0000

When searching for an antique that is enduring in beauty and affordable, why not consider Haviland butter pats? Although the larger pieces of Haviland such as tureens, compotes and chocolate sets are rare and prohibitively expensive for most of us, butter pats are plentiful and reasonably priced.

It has been determined that Haviland companies alone designed as many as 60,000 dinnerware patterns – most with matching butter pats. The Haviland factories in Limoges, France manufactured china that was decorated in the French style of pastel floral motifs for the American market. The 1908 Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog advertised a 100-piece Theodore Haviland dinner set, including 12 individual butter dishes, for $23.50! The mail order company offered sample butter pats, postpaid, upon receipt of ten cents to allow the customer to see "the beauty of the ware and the delicacy of the decoration." Today the same tiny piece would sell for approximately $25.

Throughout Haviland’s years of production, patterns and colors were carefully designed to enhance the numerous shapes of the blanks. These patterns and colorations ranged from the plain Wedding Band pattern to the aristocratic and elaborate golds, flowers of all genera, classical motifs, Art Deco and all in a multitude of shapes.

These charming miniature plates take minimal space and they can be creatively integrated into your decorating scheme. Butter pats make beautiful wall displays pieces, alone or combined with handsomely framed and mounted artwork. Try grouping an assortment of pastel Haviland butter pats around an Impressionist piece of artwork. The results are stunning! For a special dinner party, utilize pats as votive candle holders at each place setting. Diminutive Haviland pats have been seen on the tables of royalty and presidents, as well as the homes of fine china lovers everywhere. Why not make Haviland butter pats part of your table and home décor.

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Do Your Antiques Speak To You?

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:41:00 +0000

Born into immense wealth Henry Francis du Pont grew up in a home named "Winterthur," after an ancestral estate in Switzerland. As a youth, he collected birds’’ eggs and minerals on the Delaware property. At the turn of the century he studied horticulture at Harvard. Du Pont became as famous to gardeners as he is remembered by antiquers. He became captivated with American antiques and, by the time of his death in 1969, du Pont had amassed nearly 100,000 objects. Today, the stately home and the famous gardens he created are open to the public thanks to his passion for antiques and landscaping and his civic spirit.

Mr. du Pont became known to antiques dealers as a gentleman with an aristocratic mien who possessed highly personal and equally magical gifts. Legend has it that when he stepped into New York’’s exclusive antiques galleries, he was able to find important antiques that other collectors had overlooked. It was as if the decorative objects spoke to him alone. When he discovered a great example of early Americana he would exclaim, "It speaks to me." He was often seen holding his arms out in the manner of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster with quivering hands. Du Pont would, for a moment, set aside his upper-class sensibilities and shout out, "It’s mine! It’s mine! I’ll talk price with you later. I can’t talk now. It’s mine!"

We have heard tales of otherwise normal people who behave like whirling dervishes when that little voice says, "Come over here, you missed me." How many times have you been ready to leave a shop when that inner voice whispers "look again?" One of the thrills of collecting is the hunt. It helps if you develop the extraordinary magical gift of listening for your prized collectibles or antiques to speak to you.

My friend Dottie, who lives near Princeton spends most of her early retirement dollars driving around The Garden State hunting for 1950's toys. Her bumper sticker reads, "I Brake for Antiques!" Dottie’s finely tuned inner voice has been known to scream, "Get off at the next exit. Now!" She never thinks she has gone a bit dotty for inevitably she finds just the toy that she has been in search of for her collection.

Many collectors know the satisfaction of rescuing overlooked items from dingy antiques shops or flea markets. They heeded the call. We can share the sentiments of the writer Walter Benjamin, a collector of rare books. He explained that, "one of the finest moments of a collector is the moment when he rescued a book which he might have never given a thought, much less a wishful look, because he found it lonely and abandoned on the marketplace and bought it to give it its freedom––the way the prince bought a beautiful slave girl in The Arabian Nights." "To a book collector, you see, the true freedom of all books is somewhere on his shelves."

Another rare book lover is my attorney friend Marshall, who boasts that he intuitively knows when it is time to escape from the legal brief on his computer screen and log in to eBay. Marshall has developed that amazing sixth sense that tells him something spectacular is going down on the computerized auction site.

So, if you start hearing voices while you are shopping, or driving, or even working on your computer, maybe it isn’t time to check out your emotional health. It may just be a golden opportunity to seek out and obtain a new prized possession for your collection!

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Starting an Antiques Business

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 06:29:00 +0000

Antique dealing is always a friendly business, with endless opportunities to learn something new, great prospects and always that golden dream of hitting the jackpot. This month I will look at the structure of the antiques game, and give some advice on the smarter ways to set up.
In order to know what any given object is worth to a dealer, or a private collector, you need very good knowledge of that area, and the ability to check out the details before you buy.

Many dealers develop an “eye” for quality and sales appea, and buy all kinds of goods, thriving on variety. This can be a big disadvantage.

In my view, specializing always pays off in the long run. Firstly, you can get a reputation as an expert in just a few years, and secondly, you can “plug in” to your own little network of suppliers, dealers, collectors and speciality auctions. Thirdly, you will quickly learn where to go for research.

The largest sectors of the trade, deal in furniture, fine art (paintings and prints) and ceramics (pottery and porcelain). Competition is fierce, and you really must know your stuff if you want to avoid buying stock which nobody else wants, for some good but unobvious reason.

Other smaller sectors include the horologists (clocks and watches), silverware dealers, jewellers, glassware dealers and the sale of early weapons, armour or guns. In recent years, oriental carpets have had a great revival, and have joined the ranks of firmly established specialities.

Then there are the mini-specialities, all of them competitive areas in their own right: dolls and nursery furnishings; pipes and smokers’ requisites; old postcards and greetings cards; buttons; small wooden articles of every description, old mechanical items from musical boxes to balance scales; lace and early clothing. War items are also in great demand.

WINNERS AND LOSERS
The antique trade is run on very informal lines but it’s organized into armies, in which all the dealers are highly independent mercenaries. Here are some guidelines to help you use the system:

COLLECTOR/DEALERS
All dealers tend to hoard some of their best finds, but the dedicated collectors are compulsively hooked into a particular area. They usually work from home, buying their stocks by placing small ads in local papers, and attending house clearance sales, or auction rooms.

A collector/dealer will be very tight with his or her money, and know the precise value of anything they want to buy. If you get to know local characters and seriously want to sell items to them, you need to equip yourself with as many good sale room catalogues as possible, so you know the value of everything you sell to them.

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Collecting antiques, collectibles, articles and information

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 05:27:00 +0000

In today's world, everything that’s old can be described as antiques and generally speaking that’s quite true. A product is considered to be an antique if it is over a hundred years old or is rare enough to have some value. In other words, these are old items that are in limited supply.

An antique is something collectible. It may be a piece of antique furniture that you want to collect to enhance the look of a room, or a piece of antique pottery to decorate a corner cupboard, or some antique books, antique camera and photographs, antique jewelry, antique money, antique car, antique clocks, or antique watches that you want to hand down to your grandchildren but the items must be rare enough to be considered an antique. The others are just secondhand goods junk. Most people have a common misconception about an antique: the older they look, the more antique they must be. Appearance has nothing to do with it, just because a piece looks like it came out of grandma's attic does not necessarily mean that it’s an antique. The value of an antique is based on demand due to suitability and limited supply.

Most people become fascinated in an antique for two reasons; either they have an interest in collecting antique purely for personal enjoyment and are willing to shell out money for antique restoration or they inherited it from a family member. The most common are antique pottery, antique car, antique furniture, antique books, antique camera and photographs, antique clocks, antique money, antique jewelry and antique watches. However they came about it, everyone wants to be sure of one thing that what they buy or inherit will escalate in value as time goes by. That is what antique collection is all about.

There are two main principles that apply when collecting an antique: The first is to know everything that you can about the antique that interests you and second is to obtain them at the lowest possible price. Doing so will not only give you satisfaction and enjoyment, but at the same time you will also be assured that your investment will appreciate in value.

Some people only developed an interest in antique because they inherited an item or a whole house full of antique from a relative. The dollar signs started to appear and they began their hunt for some antique appraisals and antique auction. But what most failed to consider is that much of what Great Grandmother had is probably just junk, unless she was a seasoned collector who’s into antique restoration or an expert in antique appraisals.

It’s true that people could have bought a piece of furniture to decorate their home a long time ago and that furniture, if it were of fine quality, would now be worth something. But only a professional appraiser can guarantee that, and appraising costs about $100-150 an hour. So if you are keen on bringing you item in an antique auction and contemplating about asking someone how much an item is worth, be prepared to shell out a few bucks for the information. Appraisers charge so much because they shoulder the lion’s share for insurance companies and lawyers settling estates. Although appraising is not an exact science, it still requires an appraiser to do lots of research and then prepare a detailed report that’s acceptable in a court of law.

Thinking about exploring the exciting world of antiques? Join us and utilize our resources in the treasure hunt for the exquisite. There is no membership required. Use the link below to get started today:

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Finding Antiques And Collectibles

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 04:07:00 +0000

There's often something in the house that has been passed down to from generation to generation that we often overlooked. It could be a jar or some vase. If you have something old that has been handed to you by your parents or grandparents, then you might one to check it out because sometimes this old piece is valuable. Such piece could be a collectible, antiques or a rare object.

Often there are people who collects such items either because of its aesthetic value or historic value. As the years pass, these old pieces tend to become more valuable especially if these items are kept in good condition. If your in possession of such items and do not care for or want such items, you bring it to an auction then people who collects and recognize their values could buy it from you. You could rake in big bucks if you happen to own a very rare object that is in mint condition such as paintings or even sketches of a master artist. Price of such objects could amount to millions.

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Fishing Antiques Collectibles, News and Information

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 01:44:00 +0000

Every thing else being equal, head toward those church sales, country auctions, estate, and tag sales that advertise "FISHING BOAT FOR SALE." When you arrive early, forget the old skiff - they seldom have antique value. Look instead for everything else having to do with fishing. Quite often, people selling the "old boat" are also looking to rid themselves of the accompanying rods, reels, nets, and tackle boxes stuffed with tangled spinning lures and plugs, tied flies, an old fishing license, knives, line, hooks, and other fishy smelling things. Some of these "cast-away" objects can reel-in surprising prices. For instance, a single fishing lure-a 6" long "Haskell" minnow, patented in 1859, recently sold at auction for $14,850!

Like most old lures, an early Haskell Minnow wouldn't strike you as anything important. It looks like a little dead fish with a barbed double hook at the end. Originally, the lure was silver-plated. But that probably wouldn't strike you as odd. Only about thirty or so have been identified to date. Who would know? If you found a Haskell Minnow in your basement, or one of the scarce few other types that bring huge prices, you'd probably go fishing with it and hook it on a submerged log. So wouldn't most antique dealers. The point is, don't sell or discard Grampa's old fishing stuff! This is one time when you don't want to brag about the one that got away.

The valuation of old lures is dependent upon: condition, age, attribution to a recognized collectible maker, interest and appeal, the track record price of the lure type, and basically, how much those fellows who covet old lures are willing to pay for yours at the time. Most lures you'll encounter will be worth but a few dollars. One or two, if you're lucky, will be worth couple hundred. Casting lures, most early ones are made out of wood, metal, string, or rubber-not modern plastic, are the most sought after. Look for glass or tack eyes and hooks that are fastened inside tin cups set into a small hole drilled into the lure. A small weight tied to the lure is a good sign. Flies are collected by their tier. An original paper backing or envelope will usually be marked. Carrie Stevens (1882-1972) is a master tier whose files are recognizable by a tiny red band in their heads. There are a thousand other things to study in discerning the age and quality of lures but you'd forget them just like I do. Here's my suggestions for the novice:

Keep in mind that 60 years is old for a lure.
Look for "associated" clues as to how long they've been around and buy lures with age. If there is a boat for sale; how old is the boat? Who fished with the lures? Dad or Great Grand Dad? I bought a tackle box full of lures last year based on a 1952 fishing license that was enclosed within.
Be cheap. Pay no more for lures than what seems to be a good buy if you're just purchasing them to catch fish. If you don't fish, pay less. That way you won't get hooked.
Look for lures that are beautifully crafted and have interesting, mechanical, fish-catching design. An original lure box is a big plus.
Once you've made what you think is a great catch. Relax, and do your homework. Hope you land a big one!

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Getting started in antiques, collectibles, including articles and information

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:45:00 +0000

If you're interested in collecting antiques, then read on because you'll need to know some commonly used terms when it comes to antiques.

Antique
An antique is something that is old, preferably about 100 years old. Although, a 50 year mark is also considered by some. It needs to have value whether because of its aesthetic or historical significance.

Original Finish
This meant that the piece of antique had the same finish that it had when it was created. This finish can be in a form of varnish, wax or polish that was applied to the piece after it was produced.

Importance of the Original Finish
This is important because it affects the value of a piece. If an antique piece has its original finish, then the value of the antique would increase. However, if an antique piece has lost or has been stripped of its original finish, then the value of antique piece would diminish.

Original Condition
The original condition of an antique piece affects its value. If the antique piece was almost in the same condition as it was when it was created, and without having the original parts removed or replaced, then it can be said that it still in its original condition. The value of an antique piece in its original condition would increase. But once the original parts of an antique piece has been removed and/or replaced, then it is no longer in its original condition. This means that the antique piece would be less valuable.

Patina
Patina is the result from the built up of polish, dirt, grease, wear and chemical changes over the course of time. It gives an antique piece its character and beauty.

Provenance
This refers to the documents that describe the antique piece. It can be a form of bills of sale, letters, photographs or anything that would describe or give information of the antique piece. This would help authenticate the piece, therefore, add to its value.

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Collectibles Business

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:57:00 +0000

You can, if you are ambitious, start a Mail Order Business selling collectables to hobbyists by mail. To begin, you must first find a hobby that appeals to YOU. Next, you must spend several weeks researching that hobby. You must learn what collectors want and how much they are willing to pay for it. You should also know what other dealers are willing to pay for the merchandise which they sell. And you must be willing to pay the same amounts.

Perhaps you already know exactly what you want to sell. If you have been collecting old Valentines, then start a Mail Order business buying and selling old Valentines. Or Stamps. or Comic Books. The first rule of Mail Order selling is to sell what you yourself would buy.

To give you an idea of what collectors buy and sell by mail, here is a partial list of today's collectables:

Phonograph Records
Cigar Label
License Plates
Beer Labels
Circus Posters
Music Boxes
Salt/Pepper Shakers
Greeting Cards
Old Pencils
Atlases
Military Medals
Sheet Music
Doll Clothes
Cigar Boxes
Train Photos
Old Calendars
Maps Street
Car Tokens
Buttons
Postcards
Fruit Jar Labels
Old Magazines
Gun Catalogs
Paper Currency
Cartoon Books
Theatre Programs
Political Buttons
Baseball Cards
Children's Books
Stock Certificates
Old Toys
Gems
Minerals
Belt Buckles
Airplane Photos
FBI Posters
Newspapers
Coins
Arrowheads
Old Jewelry
Boat Photographs
Advertising Cards
Dog Pictures
Movie Magazines
Autographs
Dolls
Hunting Licenses
Cookbooks,
Beatle Items
Stamps
Indian Relics
Railroad Books
Fishing Licenses
Comic Books
Thimbles
Automobile Manuals
Diaries
Railroad Passes
Antique Barbed Wire

Once you have selected your field, start a file. Keep copies of all the ads selling your kind of merchandise. Also keep ads showing the dealer's buying prices. If price lists are offered in ads, send for them and STUDY them. MAKE YOURSELF AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD.

Try to locate any publications that deal with your field. Often, you can locate small mimeographed publications and newsletters which will give you all kinds of useful information.

Your next step is to look for merchandise in your own community. Here are some suggestions:
Start by attending flea markets and antique shoes. Don't be afraid to make inquiries of dealers. They often have what they consider "junk" stashed away, assuming that it isn't of much value to anyone. I once discovered a fabulous stamp collection that way!

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Art Deco antiques, news and information

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 09:19:00 +0000

French artists formed an informal collective known as, La Société des Artistes Décorateurs (the Society of the Decorator Artists) after the Universal Exposition of 1900. Hector Guimard, Eugène Grasset, Raoul Lachenal, Paul Follot, Maurice Dufrene, and Emile Decour were among the founders.

The Society's purpose was to demonstrate French decorative art's leading position and evolution internationally. They organized the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Art) in Paris which would feature French art and business interests. The terms Style Moderne and Art Deco both derive from the exposition's title, though the term Art Deco was not widely used until popularized by art historian Bevis Hillier's in his 1968 book "Art Deco of the 20s and 30s"

Hillier conceived organizing an exhibition called Art Deco at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which took place from July to September 1971. After this event, interest in Art Deco peaked with the publication of his book "The World of Art Deco, a record of the exhibition".

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Appraising collectibles, articles and information

noreply@blogger.com (Meryl) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:06:00 +0000

The first thing you will need to do is check out the condition of your item, be it a train, collectible Barbie doll, Disney collectible, or some other collectible item. Is it scratched, torn, clean, dirty, new, in a box, without a box? You get the idea...

Use a good light source and check the item out very carefully, noting the name, identification marks, and any copyright marks. Also, check for any imperfections, tears, scratches, color imperfections, mars, stains, etc.
Many dolls are collected with the box intact. An intact box can raise the value of an item a great deal. Some are worthless if the box is damaged badly or missing.

NOTE: Some dolls are meant to be played with and taken out of the box to dress. Examples are the Tonner Doll Company dolls: Tyler Wentworth, Sydney Chase, Gene, etc.

Remove the doll from the box for inspection. Look for forums, discussion boards, or news groups where similar collectors gather online. You can also check on eBay (or other online auctions) to see what similar items are selling for and what their condition was at the time of sale. Compare the prices with, and without a box to see the difference.

To find your item on eBay:

Find the category on eBay where your item would most likely be listed. (Dolls, bears, trains, Disney collectible would be likely categories.
If using Dolls, use the [check only in Dolls box] in the search.
Use your keyword to search, such as "Barbie doll". This will bring up the current auctions window.
Now, check the completed auctions box, to check out the prices and descriptions on the sold items.
When you click on the individual auctions, you can see the price the item sold for, the condition of the item and whether it had a box. Look for terms such as NRFB (Never Removed From Box) or MIB (Mint In Box).

Note that the price on eBay is not the best price for your item. Usually, the price could be more if sold locally because the online auction buyer cannot actually handle the item and examine it in person.
Other places to find information about your item (doll) would be websites selling your item (doll), antique or boutique shops, toy or hobby shops, and resell shops. Also, check out the resource books at the public library.

Popular collectibles might have a price book that is printed for collectors. You can also use a collection of hobby magazines to price items or to locate the year the item was made.

If you have done all of the above and still cannot find the information that you need about your item, check out some local hobby clubs in your area. Most hobby enthusiasts will be willing to help you find the information you need and are eager to talk about their hobby. You might even find an expert on your items, or a buyer!!

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