The Antique Mouse

New Items

2010-01-08T16:40:00.001+00:00

The Antique Mouse says, remember to keep a look out for the new items:


	G743 Art Studio Pottery vase Linthorpe like or Henry F Hammond Farnham
	G744 Art Studio Pottery vase Linthorpe like or Henry F Hammond Farnham
	G793 Possible Loetz or Kralik quatrefoil glass bowl blue and green Papillon style
	G815 Royal Doulton ornament with primroses and violets FB 12 LH
	G816 Royal Copenhagen Bird of Paradise bowl by Theodor Madsen 753 376

Builth Wells, A great antique fair

2009-08-23T16:10:00.017+01:00

The Entrance to Builth Wells

Sitting in the garden with his feet up, the sun warming his nose Mouse is in a very relaxed mood. I thought you would be out antiquing I say. "I like to pick and choose the fairs I go to and at the moment I am looking forward to the start of September. Builth Wells is great, one of my favorites".

The BBC film here quite a bit, Bargain Hunt is one of their favorites. The Tardis is not for sale!

That's right in the middle of Wales, is that a good place for a fair I ask. "Oh yes, dealers come from all over, and a lot of buyers save their pennies for this one. It is certainly the best fair in Wales so you have the excitement of the local catchment plus those that travel. The other great thing about it is the quality spread. There is everything from the simple to the very best, antiques and collectibles as well as quirky decorators items. It is large and there really is something for everyone.

One of Outside stands setting up for the hoardes

The countryside is lovely, it is one of the most unspoilt regions in Britain let alone Wales". I gather you will be going, so when is the next one I ask. "Saturday and Sunday the 5th and 6th September, I can't decide whether to make a weekend of it". Not been great weather I comment.

One of the indoor 'barns' just as the gates open.

"I have found 19th century gilt bronze, Wedgwood Majolica, Webb Cameo scents and a fantastic range of furniture". He muses for a moment, "and there is some really good cheese made in Wales..." I think the decision is made.

Banksy vs Bristol Museum, Banksy defaced

2009-07-23T19:35:00.021+01:00

Entrance to Bristol Museum

The door slammed as Mouse strolled in triumphantly, sunglasses in one paw, and a box of cream cakes in the other. 'I have been out studying graffiti' he announces, giving me that kind of nod which suggests someone should put the kettle on and it's probably not going to be him. He has of course been to the Banksy exhibition, Banksy vs Bristol Museum. It is busy.

The start of the queue

The middle of the queue

The end of the queue

'The museum is a fine museum in itself' he declares ' and it holds a pretty decent collection of artwork'. So what do you make of the Banksy exhibition I ask whilst the kettle bubbles in the background. 'Banksy is phenomenally effective in the current art scene. He makes a big impact, assuming it's a he', he chortles with half an eye on the impending teapot filling. I am again reduced to ask an inane question about art. 'Wrong question' he says somewhat definitively, 'it's not a question of "is it art", ask the Youtubers, the question is, is it any good?'

A daubed Banksy on Park Street compared to the original

'What I find puzzling is the graffiti. The Banksy at the bottom of Park Street has been daubed and there is £ note symbol scribbled across one of the poster holders for the exhibition.' There is an irony I offer?

An unmarked poster

A marked poster

'Perhaps although it is not the first example of such an act, is it a statement, an act of jealousy, stupidity or a search for fame of a sort'. The tea is looking good as I pour some into his mug although his cakes are looking better as he extracts his favorite eclair onto a side plate. 'Can you create art by destroying art' he muses. I mention KLF to him, 'Burning or destroying the profits of art is one thing, destroying art another,' he pauses glancing down at his plate, 'on the other hand devouring this eclair is an act of mercy.' Even Banksy can't compete with the art of patisserie.

Antiques, collectibles and the recession (2)

2009-05-24T11:21:00.033+01:00

'One answer', Mouse declares, 'are car boot sales'. This seems a bit obvious to me and less than the usual Mouse insight. Treading carefully I suggest this is pretty obvious, and that of course they are going to become more popular when times are tighter. Smiling he nods ' but it's how you go about it, now is the time to be open minded and explore beyond your field'. I catch his drift, so what you are saying I venture, is that you need to be expansive, look for what there is, not just in your niche field and if you see something special go for it. 'Exactly' he adds with some satisfaction. 'You need to push the boundaries. Take Castle Coombe, a good booter by any measure. Here you can get a nice bacon sandwich, a new set of drill bits and a piece of early Spode all within a few feet. But you can also get the unique and the unusual. And it also gives you a chance to explore new fields and do a little research too.' I look quizical, so with a sigh he shows me a couple of finds. One thoroughly marked, one not. 'Take this' he says, ' a piece of sculpture?' Well it is very attractive I note, and well carved. What is it.

A sculpture found at Castle Coombe car boot fair (about 30cm high).

'This carving with the apparent title 'No man's Heath' is by Jeff Aldridge'. He explains it is a model for a statue placed at No man's Heath, Malpas south of Chester erected in 1998. Jeff Aldridge is an interesting sculptor and painter. He has worked in the third World as an educator and this influences his work. Known as the Celia Fiennes Waymark it celebrates the life and times of a journey undertaken 300 years earlier which passed through here.

Celia Fiennes is a fascinating individual. She was born in 1662 at Newton Toney, Salisbury, and died in 1741. She made two remarkable and annotated journeys, probably for health reasons, through Northern England and Scotland. She records the great innovations of the day, the local specialities in production and the great houses: remarkable for the time. She has been highlighted by Southey and her work, whilst less refined than Defoe, pre-dated it. An unsung figure of which the sculpture at No mans Heath and this design are the only public tributes.

The Sculpture at No man's Heath courtesy of Cheshire West and Chester Council

'You must keep your eyes open for the decorative' Mouse continues, 'there are some charming finds. This poster cost just a few pounds. But look at the opportunities to learn', he leads me further down the path. 'Here we have a clearly Victorian themed poster with a hymn, 'Nearer My God To Me' advertising a local store'. The hymn was written in the mid 1880's. It was sung at the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The poster was printed in Scotland, supplying goods from Scotland to an agent in Wales.

Ystrad Mynach is a small town in Wales north of Caerphilly. A formerly rural place greatly affected by the industrial revolution and mining. This poster dates from when the change is taking hold. This period was to last until the Penallta Colliery closed in 1991 although mining was fading by the 1980's.

A Mining disaster memorial at Ystrad Mynach Courtesy of Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project

The cost of a suit is quoted as from 21s. This is pretty competitive pricing. According to "Life on a Guinea a Week" in The Nineteenth Century (1888) where the average price of a suit in 1888 was nearly double this although we have to bear in mind what 'average' means in this context. Lower middle classes could easily pay less than this. This also gives us another clue as to date. This advertises Campbell's Perth Dye Works which was one of two dye works in Perth, this one was destroyed by fire in 1919 and amalgamated with the other, Pullar's Dyeworks. (Hume, J R (1977a) The industrial archaeology of Scotland, 2, the Highlands and Islands London)

This is a chromolithograph produced by Maclure, Macdonald and Company, who were print makers to Queen Victoria. They pioneered the use of impressed graining to match the stones used in chromolithography. Chromolithography involved the use of a wax relief and multiple passes for different colours in order to produce the final image.

Now I understand; from the 17th to the 20th century via the boot of a car. 'So much to learn' Mouse mutters, 'I need energy'. He settles down for a well earned supper, lightly cooked asparagus, fresh eggs and a nice glass of red. 'There are times when even collecting and history should take a back seat', he says with a twitch of his whiskers. He could well be right...

Pots, Plays and Postcards; religion, clay and fame

2009-05-10T11:08:00.019+01:00

Mouse always has his eye on odd things; things of interest. Never before had he seen a plaque by Anton Lang. He came across two in one day. Anton Lang was born in Germany in 1875 and died in 1938, and in his time he was a bit of a celebrity (a bit like Mouse). Anton was even on the front cover of Time Magazine (17th December 1923).

I think Mouse is secretly jealous of this. Lang was a controversial figure but a talented potter. Not only was Lang a studio potter but also an actor, "he became as well known for playing Christ in the Oberammergau passion plays as for his pottery" said Mouse knowledgeably. The New York Times dated 2nd April 1922, spoke about at least 100,000 American tourists going to Europe that year. "Remember", said Mouse, "this involved a trip to Germany just after the first World War." The local inhabitants, including Anton, would open their homes to the visitors, and in the New York Times, it mentions that there was some competition to stay at Anton’s. In all, Anton Lang played Christ three times, in 1900, 1910 and 1922.
Anton toured the US during 1923 and 1924. Although he probably never actually worked for Rookwood, Mouse says that when he passed through, he would throw pots at the factory. These bear both the Anton Lang and the Rookwood mark. All pieces by Anton have a special quality, as alive and as brilliant today as they were then.
Mouse admires the first piece. This is really a Christmas wreath, with such nice bright colours, "a little like Holdcroft Majolica" he remarks.

The second piece must be something to do with saints and dragons. "But not mice", he sniffs, "it reminds me of Compton Potters’ Arts Guild". There is a lady and two dragons, perhaps St Margaret, who overcame a dragon when the cross that she was wearing irritated the insides of the dragon, which had swallowed her.

It is difficult to be certain when a piece is potted by Anton Lang himself, but, says Mouse, any piece with an inscribed signature is definitely by him.

These are from the matt plaque. The inscribed signature is in Anton's hand, the one on the right is a stamp. However the absence of the inscribed signature does not mean it is not by Anton Lang. The majolica piece is probably by him too as we know the provenance of these pieces but only has a stamp.

Mouse also showed me a strange kneeling Bishop faience candlestick piece. Weird, I said. Do you know what it is? "Nope", said Mouse, "but I like it. Signed with an N inside, difficult to tell if it is Rouen, Nevers, Nimes, Sevres, Nidervilliers, Naples….."

This item will be on sale shortly at Style and Design.

Is there anyone out there who could tell Mouse what this is?
"In these days of changing values and the state either against religion or indistinguishable from it", said Mouse, "religious iconography is one to watch". "I’ve put my money on it" he said and then started on his cheese and biscuits.

Antiques and Swine Flu

2009-05-04T21:34:00.021+01:00

It is not clear how serious this flu is going to be. His worry is that gatherings would be banned and his beloved antique fairs might suffer! A bit of a narrow view.

The Victorians had many medical inventions where quirkiness seemed to rule over commonsense. As Mouse points out they were deadly serious about some of them. Mouse likes these pages which give you a real insight of their variety and weirdness.

Madame Talbots website
Museum of Quackery
Museum of Medical and Quack Medical Therapy

Mouse hopes that nothing too serious comes of it all. In the meantime Mouse suggests you wash your paws and cover your mouth, nose and whiskers when you sneeze. A piece of cheese cake does no harm either.

Antiques, collectibles and the recession (1)

2009-04-28T20:04:00.017+01:00

THE MOUSE IS BACK! LONG LIVE THE MOUSE
Where has he been for the last year? "Busy of course", he says scratching one of his ears. "I have had a couple of websites to sort out, making videos and various design projects. But now I am back, especially now times are hard". He is going to start with a series of thoughts about the recession. It goes without saying times are tough. This comes on top of a general malaise in the antique business. He is in a very outgoing mood, it is the cider and chocolate, I've told him they don't mix, but there you have it. Of course buy what you like, now more than ever.

1. He wants to get across a simple message. It is the same for both dealers and collectors, he thinks. He's said it before and he'll say it again. Quality sells. That does not mean expensive he says, but one of the best examples of the type.

This was a very competitively priced Parian Copeland bust by Hale. It is a neglected collecting area. You can pick up quality pieces at small fairs, something that has been difficult for sometime. But now these pieces are emerging

2. He does not think the collectible market is finished either. "Rarity matters.", so for example if your area is Beswick figures, then go for the special; he particularly fancies the the 'Banded Angus' for example. Or like a Beswick mouse, I say joking. He sniffs derisorily. "If you're a collector take this chance to grab the special pieces." That's easy to say, but with such uncertain times is it wise. "Well it is a matter of judgement and personal economics of course" he concedes. "But if you are brave, you have a unique opportunity to pick-up those items which will become unreachable, and all too soon".

This came from a classy car boot sale. Ayrshire Ch. Whitehill Mandate is a beautifully figured piece from a very knowledgeable dealer. Some real life livestock prices are healthy at the moment. This price strength is often reflected in the market strength of antiques with a rural link. Long live our farmers, the country's lifeblood.

3. Mouse is in full flow now, "and the beautiful and the ugly". He continues "Beautiful things will always perform regardless of fashion, I am with William Morris on this" he says with a wink. But what about the ugly I foolishly ask, "Some things are so beautifully ugly that there will always be a home for them".

The Cheshire Cat. Beautiful, ugly or beautifully ugly? Dated from 1911, she's a cat that is a friend to Mouse, a rarity indeed.

4. "We should all recognize the challenges, so collectors leave dealers some profit or they won't be there next week. And dealers lets get the stock flowing by competitive pricing." Not easy I say to Mouse.

His attention is wandering, "perhaps it's a good a time to buy shares in UK banks too" he mumbles. Is Mouse crazy? Not usually...

Antique blogs - one worth reading

2008-06-30T19:42:00.002+01:00

Mouse has read a great antique blog. Although focussed at the higher end of the market there is much of interest here. So give Newel's Antique Blog a read. Mouse is very much of the same mind as the author.

Crystalline Glazes - Great buys for the future

2008-06-25T18:45:00.033+01:00

Mouse has never concentrated purely on antiques. He has always been keen on modern artists and craft workers. One area he especially admires is ceramics and crystalline glazes. These are stunning he has often been heard to remark. Without doubt one of the past masters of recent times is Theodore Deck. Working for Sevres, directing their output, he produced some marvellous pieces. It is now almost impossible to find his work in this area, at least at any reasonable price.
There are a number of modern exponents of this glaze in the UK. There are an interesting collection of potters in Wales and the West. Firstly, Margaret Shotton based in Bristol. An interesting point about her pieces are the form. She is not inclined to stick to the more normal shapes and this makes some of her pieces especially decorative.
A vase by Margaret ShottonClose up of the glaze

A different approach is used by Mark and Patrizia Walford in Wales. This pottery has produced glazes with remarkably deep colour. They have also produced jewellery.

Mark Walford pottery with very rich colours. In this case only a few crystals. The beauty is in the colour.
A close up of the glaze

Another potter from this part of the world is Avril Farley also producing rich colours. Arguably one of the most interesting of the current potters is Simon Rich based in Narbeth in Pembrokeshire. He has real fun with these glazes and throws remarkably well. He plays games with the existing forms and styles, and this makes his pots rather special. The thing about Simon is the way some of his crystal glazes do not appear like crystal glazes. An intentional deviation.

A Simon Rich vase with an almost plastic look. The white comes from introducing titanium.
A close up of the glaze

Simon Rich was playing with multiple colours. It has a soft silky sheen.
A close up of the glaze

This remarkable Simon Rich pot was inspired by his mother and her love for ceramics of the 20's and 30's. His aim was to reproduce those soft colour glazes with crystalline glazes. This is just outstanding.
Simon Rich soft glaze vase
A close up of the glaze. Unbelievable!

This Simon Rich vase is part of a series where he was playing with the idea of having a waterfall of small crystals behind some large ones.

The close up of this glaze is almost fractal.

This last pot is a stunner. Very difficult to photograph. A nickel glaze not made since Deck at Sevres or before that the Chinese potters of many centuries ago. Of course Mouse thinks you may know others in this style, he would love to hear about them.

The remarkable thing about all these potters is that none of their pots are expensive. There is more information here, where there are links to other potters working in the field (not all of these links are live). I cannot help but wonder whom will be remembered as greats. "Well, you have got to look at Simon's work, particularly when chasing down unusual metal salts for his glazes. They may not always be traditional but they are always special".

They all come from a long heritage of this type of glaze. This includes masters such as Arthur Wedgwood, Howson Taylor as well as more commercial endeavours such as Fulper in the USA, basins and commercial bowls by Portmeirion. Below is a pair of vases by Arthur Wedgwood, Mouse thinks these are great fun.

A close up of the crystals in the Arthur Wedgwood vase.

And finally a Fulper vase. It is hard to appreciate it but the lower portion of the bowl is a sea of tiny crystals.

A sea of crystals in the vase above

This is just an arbitrary snap shot of a few workers according to Mouse. Mouse has also said that Portmeirion Starfire bowls are his favorite as they are very convenient for holding chocolate ice cream, "Now that's what a good bowl should be used for" he remarks whistfully or is it wishfully! I see his point.

Mousquay versus Banksy: Tate Modern banks on Street and Graffiti Art

2008-05-26T14:21:00.005+01:00

Mouse has been on his travels and has not blogged for a bit and I have plenty of questions for him. What is art? A tired question, but still I find myself asking Mouse after a news article. He seemed a bit reluctant to respond, but topping up his glass of port has a marvelous effect. 'Well, it used to be in the eye of the beholder', he laughs, 'or perhaps not'. I wonder how many glasses of port he has had. 'Take Banksy, he muses, 'the work is creative, but Bristol City Council were happy to eliminate his work, after all, do all manifestations of creativity have to be kept in perpetuity? Then we saw a combination of recognition and consultation back in the Summer of 2006 and Bristol keeps a Banksy near the council offices. And no doubt the council will argue it supports street art in general, and with some justification.'

So what is he saying, that art is not only creative and has to be recognised? Mouse takes another sip from his glass, 'The Tate Modern has invited graffiti artists to decorate the exterior walls of the gallery, a listed building no less. But the images are to be washed away in a few months. Perhaps it only has to be recognized for a time, perhaps it is an advertising gimmick, perhaps it is still all in the eye of the beholder', he says winking and goes on, 'perhaps permanence is not important and a gallery is just another museum once an object is lifted out of context.' But this is specially commissioned work, I think I neatly argue. Mouse laughs, and I can tell I've missed the point. 'All you need is to take a digital image, and the work can be recreated...' He glances at his empty glass indicating he would like the state of the glass from a few moments ago recreated. I head for the port but he has wandered off in search of chocolate biscuits.

The Collector is dead, long live the collector. Antiques and Art are a hit.

2008-05-05T16:27:00.006+01:00

Mouse has been a tad busy lately, so he has missed a couple of blogs. He is a cheery type. He has been looking to the future quite a lot lately, it is probably the sunshine I think. 'What we need to do', he mumbles through a mouthful of chocolate biscuits and wiping the crumbs from his whiskers, "is to get an integrated concept of art, design and antiques into our psyche... ". Puzzled, I interrupt and ask him what he means. Through slurps of ginger beer he elaborates, "Well, we might have to accept that the dedicated collector is on the way out". I think my worried look spurs him to become a bit more expansive. "Look, it's not a problem, we might be looking at reducing numbers of the monotheistic dedicated collector, but we could be seeing the rise of a new generation of collector."
From left to right, Art Nouveau Copenhagen, Kerry Goodwin design for Cobridge and a L Hjorth figure. Age span 100 years, roughly!

I think I am catching his drift, but I can tell he's not convinced. He continues. "We need to instill a new attitude of integration between the new and the old. Instead of antiques being a niche market, we should be working for them to become a fully integrated part of decoration and design. So a buyer is just as likely to buy a glass from a dealer as say, IKEA. We need to market and advertise ourselves very differently". I puzzle about this for a minute or two, wondering how to set about this. But it's too late, Mouse has wandered into the garden, vizor in hand, off to his favorite deck chair. There'll be no shifting him before the twilight.

Google Analytics - Antique Sales Fall

2008-04-22T19:24:00.006+01:00

I’ve told you before that Mouse likes doing maths. A little while ago he noticed on Google Trends that whilst chocolate was performing well antiques were not going so well. Well he got his abacus out and looked at a couple of trends comparatively. Antique furniture he knows has been going down in value so he checked the web searches for this and blogs. This lets you know the volume of traffic in Google searches (right hand axis) per year (bottom axis). Well the message is clear, everyone is blogging. Interesting, says Mouse over my shoulder, I wonder if anyone is listening? He yawns. What about glass, he asks. Is it a good time to buy? He gets me to look at the year on year price change of antique glass versus the search volume. Both are in decline with a 6-8% fall in price year on year (not incl. auction or ebay sales, and for moderately priced UK glass in the range roughly $100 - $1000).

Should I panic, I wonder. Mouse shakes his head sagely, as I thought he remarks. What does Mouse recommend? When the market is down you buy, buy, buy... meanwhile he’s off to his hammock for a well earned snooze.

Oil prices impact on eBay sales from the UK

2008-04-13T11:24:00.035+01:00

Mouse has been very concerned over the rising costs of postage from the UK. Just recently the Royal Mail has reviewed its prices. The largest rise has been for packages over 2kg going overseas from the UK. Once a package goes above 2kg – it goes through Parcel Force (which is part of the Royal Mail Group). An International Economy standard 3kg parcel used to cost around £30 to the USA. Now the cost of sending that same parcel is around £50. Of course, Fedex and UPS are even more expensive.

Clearly the Royal Mail is affected by rising oil prices.

Mouse has always found the Royal Mail fast and efficient. But these price changes will make it even more difficult for some US and overseas buyers to get what they want from the UK. Mouse frowns, this will depress some eBay sales and markets for heavier items. Mouse worked this out for one of his eBay sales – a Joanna Wason pottery vase, which weighs in at just under 3kg. If an item is very difficult to come by or it is very desirable, just like the Wason vase or some very fine cheese, then this will be ok, says Mouse. Still some things one cannot put a price on, “Where is my Roquefort order?”, he mumbles and wanders off sniffing the air.

On the right is a treacle Glaze Joanna Wason vase, a rarity but expensive to ship to the US now.

Antique Trends - is old the new black?

2008-04-03T19:25:00.007+01:00

Mouse says old is the new black.
In his most recent visits to fairs he has noticed a trend. Firstly, there seem to be fewer antique dealers around than there once was. Secondly, those that remain are either focused towards niche market areas or more broadly on older traditional antiques, like it was before the boom years. Mouse likes this and believes there is a lot to be said for diversity. Curiosities make good talking points although they are not always going to be kept by the purchaser in the long term. No matter they should be fun.

Of course it is not all about antiques. Non-datelined fairs sell collectibles and art, although even collectibles have seen a down turn. The inclusion of artists and craft workers selling their own goods should not be discouraged says Mouse. He thinks it is good for artists to be exposed to inspirations from the past. He is a big fan of Robert Thompson...

Speed and Performance of Excel Office 2008 on the Apple Mac

2008-03-26T18:35:00.006+00:00

Mouse likes to be at the leading edge of technology. This goes back to his early days when he used to shoot the breeze with the Bill’s, and the Steve’s over a jam scone and a good hot mug of tea. Recently Mouse started playing with Office 2008 on a PowerPC computer. Mouse uses databases to store information on his collection, but also for elaborate esoteric calculations involving cheese in imaginary space. He spends long periods imagining new types of cheese. Having read of the speed increases ‘08 can provide on Intel, and seeing moans about performance from others, he thought he would take a look. He plotted a simple quadratic, without smoothing, and compared the outputs of Excel 2004 and 2008. He also compared the outputs with Kaleidagraph (a graph package he rather likes).

Well what do you think I ask Mouse, to me, the outputs seem really poor from the new version of Excel. He nods. ‘It is not looking very good,’ comments Mouse, ‘the output is clunky and the package is terribly slow compared to 2004. I like the 2008 versions of PowerPoint and Word, but... I think I’ll stick to Excel 2004 on a PowerPC rather than change for the moment’. His interest soon wanes, he wanders away with a distant look in his eye, ‘imagining cheeses’ no doubt.

The Antique Mouse Cooks Delia

2008-03-22T19:00:00.003+00:00

Mouse has been trying out the latest Delia Smith How to Cheat recipes. Apparently this new book has been dividing people the length and breadth of the country. He recons that people have been cheating all the time, but have not been owning up to it. What a smart idea to get ready cooked mince out of a can! And if it is a good quality can of mince from Waitrose (the Mouse does not go anywhere else to shop than Waitrose) it is even smarter. He does not have time to shop more than once a week, and with such a busy lifestyle, sometimes he likes to make things on different days instead of the ones he originally planned. He thoroughly recommends the Soupe de Possion, but it must be with ‘the works’ – good Gruyere and croutons, a side relish and a little bit of brandy and dressed lobster. Also the crab cakes with the special mayo are wonderful. All that he knows is that the recipes taste delicious (well, he knew they would) and that there is very little washing up, which is a really good thing. He is going to try some chocolate cake later……he says try the recipes then decide! (You know Delia's in Wikipedia).

Chocolate, Antiques and Collectibles Buying and Selling Trends

2008-03-16T09:00:00.004+00:00

Mouse likes maths. Lately he has been studying the trends on the web of his favorite things, antiques, collectibles and chocolate. He has been investigating Google Labs and Google Trends. This lets you know the volume of traffic in Google searches (right hand axis) per year (bottom axis). It is normalised which will allow for the increase in human and mouse users with time. It is not perfect but an interesting guide. He looked over the period from 2004 to the start of 2008.

He was very happy to note that chocolate had not shown any decline, ‘whilst there’s chocolate there’s life’ is one of his favorite sayings. Collectibles has declined a bit but not as much as antiques in general. Is this because fewer people are clicking, or, newer users are not so interested in antiques? Mouse is smart, he thinks a bit of both. A number of his investigations have suggested a roughly 50% decline in activity in a number of traditional areas, even digital photography, his favorite hobby, has fallen. The antiques field is a little worse.
Mouse cannot decide whether he likes a collectible or an antique for Christmas. He notes that fellow mice tend to prefer collectibles for Christmas and antiques in the New Year, chocolate is good anytime. With a thoughtful look he indicates, ‘that too much blogging makes you hungry’, not enough chocolate he murmurs, he’s off now, bye.

Earthquakes and glass

2008-02-23T19:22:00.008+00:00

Well, doing this blog for the first time was a bit of a stress for The Antique Mouse, but we got there. He is still finding his feet with this blogging business. In fact he did enjoy being photographed, although he now thinks he should go on a diet and he is not sure whether this was his best side.
One of the Antique Mouse's favourite things is glass, (well obviously when you take a look at him), and he was most perturbed when he felt the earthquake last night. He has a glass collection and has spent most of the day checking it over. At least it all got a good dusting. His favourite piece at the moment is a piece by Stuart glass. It is a relatively modern piece by Iestyn Davies.
When the earthquake came the place rattled and the glass tinkled. All the shelves stayed in place - thankfully. Generally earthquakes and glass don't mix! The Mouse hasn't broken anything since a rather unfortunate accident in 2002, but we won't talk about that! Maybe later.....

Introducing The Antique Mouse

2008-02-23T13:38:00.004+00:00

I have been told that blogging is the latest craze. It is trendy, and the Antique Mouse always likes to keep up to date - so he told me he wanted to share his thoughts with you.
Me and the Mouse like to talk with our friends about the latest gizmos that we have tried out, the latest designs and art and lifestyle and in particular what's hot out there.
There are so many questions unanswered - so will normal DVD's work on Blu-Ray DVD machines, where has all the good antique glass gone, and most importantly where has all the good cheese gone?
I have been acquainted with the Antique Mouse for a number of years now. He likes the fine things in life. He is not averse to a glass of port with his cheese. He is very knowledgeable, for a mouse, and knows what he likes.
Today we have been discussing whether Collectibles are 'ibles' or 'ables'. We have agreed it's 'ibles' because it reminds Mouse of nibbles.
I hope that this is not the first and last blog that we are going to do, and that someone out there is going to be interested or get interested.