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 ...

Chinese Art Market Woes – Just how secure is this bubble?

"Bah!" said Scrooge, "Humbug!" - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol We had hoped that we’d heard the last about the Qian...

A New Twist on Ye Olde Get Rich Quick Scheme

Doncha just love Get Rich Quick! schemes?  They're seductive, aren't they? I especially like the ones that come disguised as someth...

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...

"Mommies' Hobbies" translate into cold, hard cash

I'll admit to being way behind the times, and a Forbes post I read this morning shows me that I need to get with the program. In my mind...

What is Art Deco?

A couple of weeks ago, I said that I was going to do a series about design movements. I'll start today with one of the best known: Art D...

We're Going to the Fair!

Oh, we're going to Kentucky, We're going to the fair To see the senorita With flowers in her hair Well, not really to Kentucky, whic...

Handshake deals

My father was a man of honour, Sir!  - Geoffrey Charles, in Poldark , Winston Graham An interesting thing happened yesterday.  We went to vi...

More on the Qianlong Vase

It now appears that the transaction for the Qianlong Vase will be completed.  At least, that's what auctioneer Peter Bainbridge is being...