Ararat Antiques Fair

Fine pair of very large vases Blue Children Series by Royal Doulton October 1924 51cm (20 inches) H $4,750 Victorian Oak Wind-out table $2,3...

Antiques for Everyday: The Butter Dish Incident

Among my recurring spiels is the idea of Everyday Antiques , that is, that Antique are Green , cost effective and sustainable, and that thei...

How to Introduce Children to Antiquing - Part II

From a parent’s point of view, antiquing with children has some compelling arguments. One is getting them away from television and computer ...

How to Introduce Children to Antiquing - Part I

In addition to our antiques fair circuit, Martin and I attend a couple of what I call ‘mixed markets’ during the year.  You know the sort o...

Quick update - Aleta's Antiques Museum

Brr!  It's freezing!  Well, not quite: it's 2.9 degrees. I suppose we'll have a frost tonight. This'll be short; it's Mo...

Countdown to the Fair - eight days out

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis Meet me at the fair! Don't tell me the lights are shining Any place but there! Meet Me in St. Louis - Ker...

Buying Antiques on eBay - postscript

I should follow this morning's post by pointing out that there are, actually, some really good and trustworthy people selling on eBay. T...

Can I Buy Antiques on eBay (safely)?

It has to be the number one eBay question we're asked.  Some version of  'Can I buy antiques on eBay?' What people are really as...

Grandma's stuff - Part one

"It will be better if you say it very quickly...." -Maria, regarding bad news, in West Side Story One of the hardest things about ...

Little girls and money, Part One

A little girl came over to our table at the Wentworth Park antiques markets the other day. Let me rephrase: a mother came over to our table...

The White Glove Treatment

Ike, he found a chair and asked her "Won't you set down?" with a smile And she answered up a-bowin' "Oh, I reckon t...

How many antiques auction houses can one city support?

Martin and I don't often disagree but we've got a bit of a friendly bet going on whether or not Sydney needs one more auction house ...

Moore may be less: Possible fake sculpture at Melboure Auction House

The Age reports this morning that Mother and Child, a sculpture purportedly by the late  Henry Moore, a famous 20th Century British artist,...

English Excursions

All sorts of fun happenings at English societies this spring.  The French Porcelain Society is going to Copenhagen the first week in May, wi...

Art theft: things that make you go, 'hmmmm'....

I was just thinking of the multi-million dollar heist at the private home of the head of Moscow's Russian Gold company earlier this mon...

Auction Tips

You can't really put yourself into bankruptcy buying a million dollar antique at an auction by absentmindedly scratching an eyebrow.  It...

What are Antiques?

' A ntique' is one of those words everyone knows, but no one can define. What do you think an antique is? We've written  What ...

Aleta's Featured Article at Google Knol

I was just thrilled that Martin's and my annotated essay on collectables was featured on the front page of Google Knol.  Do have a read...

Open mouth, change feet.

GOSSIP!   What snot face event planner told an antiques dealer we know that her business was ‘not necessarily the kind of trade we want’?  T...