Welcome to our first newsletter where we hope you will find some information that is of interest to you.  We would welcome suggestions and comments from you for future issues.  Also, if you would like to send us an article that we could consider for publishing in a future issue, then please email it to us.

  

 

On Sunday, 19^th November we had our normal stand (A5) at the Alexandra Palace Antiques Fair in London.  This is an event that we look forward to and thoroughly enjoy.   It starts the evening before when we book into a nearby hotel and have a nice relaxing meal before the busy day ahead.  When we arrive at Alexandra Palace around 7 a.m., the place is already a buzz with more than 700 stall holders arriving with their wares.  The car park lies at the bottom of the hill leading up to the venue so there is a lot of huffing and puffing as everyone pushes their trolleys uphill. When the doors open at 8 a.m. there is one mad rush to get to your table and put out as much stock as possible for the dealers, who have paid extra to enter with the stall holders,  to peruse and purchase.  The atmosphere is electric and this continues until the end of the day. 

Sadly, after 25 years of running the event, the organizers have not been successful in negotiating suitable terms to hold the event in 2007.  We have to hope that this will be resolved in the future as the event attracts dealers and collectors from all over the world.

 

    

Lorna Bailey, the talented and successful pottery designer and artist, has announced that she is going to have a break from her work to concentrate on bringing up her family.  This will make her signed pieces even more in demand and collectable. Although we sell her work at the fairs, we have yet to include her work on our website.  This is mainly due to the difficulty in obtaining enough stock at the right price.  However, we are sure that there will be a Lorna Bailey category on the site in the near future.  In the meantime, if there is a Lorna Bailey piece that you are looking for, please let us know on the Contact Us page of our site. 

Lorna Bailey through her art deco wares has often been referred to as the Clarice Cliff of the future. Clarice Cliff wares are, of course, highly collectable and can command some very high prices. 

Unfortunately, there are many fakes of Clarice Cliff’s work on the market so collectors have to be extra vigilant as the fakes have generally been made to a high standard.  There are many excellent books on the market detailing her work so check the design and shape against the reference books.  (On our Recommended Reading page you will find a link to Amazon.co.uk where you will be able to find the books). Also, check the colours and the quality of the decoration on the piece preferably against a piece you know to be genuine.  To be sure you are buying a genuine article; it is always safer to buy from a reputable dealer.

 

Christmas is just round the corner and the new Christmas collectables are now available in the shops to give as a special present or to keep for your own collection. From Moorcroft there is ‘ New dawn at Christmas pot and tray’; from Royal Doulton ‘Festive Wishes’ limited edition figurine; Royal Crown Derby have ‘Silent Night’ a limited edition of 500 and many more.  Many of these will become the sought after collectables in a few years time.  

Following a very busy spell, especially with the run up to Christmas, we will be concentrating more on increasing our stock over the next three months rather than travelling around the country to the large Antiques & Collectables fairs.  It can be a very tense task transporting expensive porcelain around the country in bad weather conditions so it is safer to wait until the spring.   However, we will continue to attend the local fairs here in Kent where we live.  We always have a stand at the Grand in Folkestone, Kent, on the first Sunday of every month so, if you are in the area, we would love to see you there.  

We will be continually reviewing and updating the site design, stock available and content of the newsletter so please add us to your favourites and keep returning to see what is new.  This is an exciting venture for us and we are willing to put in the hours and effort required to be your first point of call when you are looking for that piece to add to your collection. 

We both wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2007!