Guides...and blogs
GUIDES
Antiques Glossary
Antique, Vintage or Retro?
Boxes, Packaging and External Appearance
Buying at Auction
Design Registration Mark/Registration Diamond
Getting the best price for your possessions
Grabbing a Car Boot Bargain
Packaging Breakables
Patent Searches
Registered Design Numbers
Wales & Borders Auction Houses
Accentuate the positive...
Sunday 21st April 2024
If you are faced with a large quantity of potentially interesting film negatives, and you want to produce prints, what do you do? First we made a light box, which was ok..ish in viewing the negatives to try to see if they might be of interest. A better way of viewing the negatives was to use a white screen page on my Android tablet. But it still took a real effort to interpret them, so the next step was to photo the negatives and then use a software inversion programme. Trouble is, the quality was sorely lacking and it was a long-winded process. So finally, after research, we invested in a scanner, the Epson Perfection V550, which we bought from Curry's eBay…
Cardiff City Auctions
Wednesday 18th September 2019
One of 3 auction houses in Cardiff and the newest. Run by Dave and Kirsty, Cardiff City Auctions have a punishing schedule of two auctions every fortnight The Household, Garage and Garden Auction is on alternate Saturdays at 1pm The General Auction To Include Antiques and Collectables is on alternate Sundays, also at 1pm The two auctions are held in adjacent spacious rooms and they will usually display items well which, with online bidding available via Easy Live Auctions at a modest additional fee, usually results in good prices being achieved The auction house is located next to the flea market at Unit 7 Industrial Estate, Clydesmuir Rd Cardiff, CF24 2QS, telephone 029 2046 5377
Make Me a Dealer
Wednesday 28th November 2018
BBC and Paul Martin have got together again for a new antique and collectables programme but how good is it? FORMAT Two wannabe dealers tour an antiques centre, where they select possible buys and Paul opines on their choices. This is the practice bit. Then they are given an auction catalogue, and online access, to pick items to buy at an auction, each having a self chosen budget. As the budget is largely ignored this seems a redundant feature! At the auction they have to buy 3 items for onward resale, and this is the first part of the programme that almost works. When buying, there is always a danger of overbidding on items just because they have been selected. It is always…
Empress of Ireland: Laurence Irving and Mabel Hackney
Saturday 17th November 2018
Sometimes you start to investigate a piece of ephemera and it suddenly becomes emotional. That was the case when we started researching this page from an autograph album and realised the tragedy behind the signatures, and the later sad signature of a friend, Seymour Hicks. Here is the listing for the autographs: Autograph Lawrence Irving 1871-1914 & Mabel Hackney 1880-1914 Empress of Ireland Wiki excerpts: "Laurence Sydney Brodribb Irving (21 December 1871 - 29 May 1914)[1] was a well known English dramatist and novelist. He died along with his wife in the RMS Empress of Ireland disaster. Irving was married to a fellow performer, actress Mabel Lucy Hackney (1880-1914) Laurence and Mabel were on a tour of first Australia and then North America from…
Peter Pan
Friday 16th November 2018
One of our favourite recent purchases was an old autograph book with theatre and stage signatures from the WWI era. This is the autograph of Pauline Chase, who played the lead role of Peter Pan and adds "I'm youth, I'm joy" J M Barrie wrote, re Peter, "Either he must be the whimsical fairy creature that Nina Boucicault made him, or he must be the lovable tomboy of Pauline Chase. there is no other way" She retired from stage in 1913. Presumably Edward Compton is Edward Compton Mackenzie, actor-manager, whose daughter Fay Compton starred in several of J M Barrie's plays. The "I'm Nobody" reference is intriguing, might he have played or understudied for Captain Hook? (if the Nobody calls Peter…
Eric Ravilious mug
Saturday 10th November 2018
Bought on Sunday, collected on Monday, listed on Tuesday, sold within a few hours. We may well have underpriced this rare black and white colourway! The design was reworked by Wedgwood for the 1953 coronation, Ravilious having been killed in WWII. This colourway is seldom found.
In 1978, the M25 was little more than dots on a map!
Tuesday 23rd October 2018
In a large ephemera lot we found motorway and trunk road plans from the 1970s. This extract is from a 1978 map that we shall list on eBay. Would life be better or worse without the M25?
A collection of books on construction, maps, plans, linen and ephemera
Friday 12th October 2018
That was the rather underwhelming catalogue entry for a recent auction lot. But we went to the preview with this as the main item of interest, only to find out that the plans were of sewage works! Still, where there's muck there's brass, so we bought these and an associated lot of royal ephemera that had many photo negatives. Time will tell whether we were right but at time of writing these have sold already and illustrate the diversity of items to be found in such a lot: So Bracing: 1971 Skegness Leaflet and Accommodation Guide Austin Motor Company "Longbridge Today" 1930s Company Booklet Post Office 1974 Guide to New County Names Dudley Zoo 1937 Opening Year Guide Merseyside's New Railways Leaflet 1970s Mersey…
Antiques reference: Books or Internet?
Monday 17th September 2018
A recent Antiquer's forum post featured a pile of reference books bought for AU$50. While reaction was generally positive, and in some cases envious, one responder said that they were getting rid of their books and using internet resources instead. So we thought, is it feasible to rely solely on the internet for researching antiques? The internet certainly has some major advantages that we would not wish to lose: Forums can be excellent for bringing together a wealth of far flung knowledge that can greatly assist identification e.g. Antiquers Google can be invaluable at finding other examples of a piece. Wikipedia has become an indispensable research aid And there are many other sites that are important sources of information. We show several of these in our…
Jack Jones, Secret Agent (?)
Sunday 16th September 2018
Reading the Times recently, I was reminded that KGB defector Oleg Gordievsky had said that Jones provided intelligence to the Soviet Union and received payment . These allegations resurfaced in The Spy and The Traitor by Ben MacIntyre At the time these reports first emerged, Jones denied this and claimed he had been working for British intelligence. Separately allegations were also made about Michael Foot. Whatever the truth of the matter, and whether either man was guilty of spying for the Soviet Union, in this autograph of Jack Jones there is a little slice of history for sale!
The unidentified but interesting ceramics box!
Friday 14th September 2018
We buy lots of ceramics and inevitably we have accumulated many items that we cannot identify. Sometimes we seek help from online forums but, all too frequently, the item remains a mystery This is the latest to go in the box, a kind of porcelain Room 101: Polychrome Chinoiserie plate, looks to be porcelain and possibly British. 8 1/2" diameter, pronounced foot, outline transfer print with extensive hand painting. We have two of these, one has no markings, the other has an impressed 6 or 9. Looking at an angle one can see that features were originally painted but they have worn, as have many stems. But what age and pattern is it, never mind who made it? We now have so many mystery ceramics…
Lisa Minghetti and Philip Alexius de László
Thursday 13th September 2018
This photo is of Lisa Minghetti as painted by Philip Alexius de László A beautiful young woman and one of László's best known portraits. Lisa must have loved it, using a photo of the painting to sign autographs for her admirers This photo is signed by Minghetti "To Dear George" and dated 1936. The following year the BBC reported "Only twenty-four years of age, Lisa Minghetti has already had a brilliant career. Her main studies were at the Akademie fur Musik in Vienna, her native city, where she studied under Jacques Thibaud and Carl Flesch. Since then she has appeared in almost every important musical centre in Europe. In London last year she played Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1, in G…
So when does Christmas 2018 start?
Wednesday 12th September 2018
For most people the run up to Christmas starts in the mid-autumn when the shops start to stock Christmas goods and the John Lewis and Coke adverts appear on the telly. The shops started much earlier, designing and sourcing the 2018 Christmas ranges at the end of 2017 and start of 2018. But our 2018 Christmas stock buying started in April 2015 when we bought a number of boxed Snowmen (made by Coalport) which promptly went on display. Only for a recent hall redesign to see the Snowmen packed away again.. So we decided they had to be rehomed, which is why they have just been listed on Ebay and two are Walking in the Air to new owners already!
President Chiang Ching-kuo (Chinese: 蔣經國) 1986 Photo
Wednesday 12th September 2018
In the mid 1980s Dr. Mehta wrote to many world leaders and leading statesmen seeking their photos and autographs. Though most responded with stock photos and facsimile autographs, some also wrote personal notes. Featured is President Chiang Ching-kuo, who was president of the ROC (Taiwan) until his death in 1988. Wiki: "The President of the Republic of China is the head of state of the Republic of China. The ROC was founded in 1912 in mainland China. However, after the ROC lost control of the mainland, the government of the Republic of China relocated to Taiwan in the late 1940s." We bought a file of many of the letters and photos sent to Dr Mehta, together with other signed photos of politicians from…
We sell history......wherever you are!
Friday 24th August 2018
In May 2018 we decided to focus this website purely on paper and ephemera. We moved all other items off the site, some to our Ebay and Etsy shops, which both trade under the Penllyn Collectables name. In August 2018 we began to add more letters and autographs here and created several new categories in our important autographs and letters department to make it easier to browse. At the time of writing we have many hundreds of items for sale and this will steadily increase over the coming months. And we now post worldwide as well! Right: Cora Urquhart Brown-Potter, stage actress, signed letter c 1900 (SOLD)
Getting the best price for your possessions
Sunday 12th August 2018
Dealers (like us!) make a living from buying items and reselling at a higher price. We invest time, money, effort and knowledge to buy right and sell well So if you are downsizing, decluttering or clearing a house, how do you ensure that you get best prices for your possessions? It isn't difficult BUT you have to invest time and be thorough. Try to to examine each item, identify and value. Don't throw stuff out until identified/valued, we can still be surprised at what can be valuable! And when you sell, use the best route. 1: Identify. Use the tips in these guides. Backstamps help, as do any stamped marks or labels. Check stones in jewellery (diamond testers are cheap) and look…
Blood and Fire, Antique Salvation Army Jug
Thursday 9th August 2018
William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army and this jug, dating to 1882-1884 was discovered at a local auction house together with early 20thC mezzotints, including one of William Booth. We listed this for sale via our Etsy shop with the following description "William Booth Salvation Army Blood and Fire Earthenware Pitcher 1882-1884 This was made by Wright & Rigby in the period 1882-1884 of earthenware, moulded with bas relief side portraits of William Booth, crown above with motto "BLOOD AND FIRE", all covered in a off white glaze To the front is the symbol of crossed swords, cross and S for Salvation. To the base is a Diamond Mark (the Diamond Mark was replaced by the Registered Design Number at the…
Top 10 Collectables TV Programmes 2018 update
Wednesday 1st August 2018
We watch too much collectables television and, judging by comments from friends and neighbours, we are not alone. But some things have changed since 2015 when we first wrote this. Then heavyweight antiques expert James Lewis (pictured right) in "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" had bought a vase from a dealer at a car boot for £38, then identified it as a rare Nantgarw piece and sold it for £3650. But in 2017 up pops Paul Laidlaw, morphed into a bearded waistcoated Scottish gentleman, buying a sub miniature camera for £100 and selling it at auction for £20,000. That is the draw of Antiques Road Trip To us the key for a good collectables programme is the mix of entertainment…
Buying at Auction
Friday 20th July 2018
Buying at auction can be a daunting experience. This guide aims to demystify the jargon and help you win the items you want. Types of auction: Fine Fine art, quality furniture, fine jewellery and high value ceramics. Lot size will be low, often a single item sold at a time, damage should be minimal and prices will be high. Online bidding nearly always available. General May include quality items but are often mixed with miscellaneous and household items, furniture, furnishing pictures, books, metalware, ceramics, glass and costume jewellery. Lot sizes are bigger, sometimes a tray of items, sometimes a box (or multiple boxes) of items. Damage can be frequent. Online bidding increasingly available, consequently lot sizes are diminishing and auctions getting longer! Specialist An auction that concentrates…
Carlton Heraldic China Titanic Memoriam Miniature Urn
Sunday 16th August 2015
There's none so blind as those that will not see. OK, it's stretching the meaning of the saying but after all the studying of the lots at a recent auction (including us looking at detailed photos of the lots the night before) how come nobody spotted this little beauty? Titanic memorabilia is a major collectable area and the hairs on the back of our necks should have been standing on end when this was included in a mixed lot of crested china. Crested china was produced by a number of porcelain companies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the most well known being Goss. They would feature the crest of a town or city and made in interesting shapes,…
Antiques Glossary
Sunday 19th July 2015
The photo to the right is of a porcelain vase with Royal Worcester backstamp and Registered Number 227600. We all use jargon but sometimes it helps to have a brief explanation of terms used! We will add regularly to this glossary of antiques and collectable terms. Acid etching Technique, using hydrochloric acid, to eat into glass and so create the desired design Antique A collectable object over 100 years old Art Deco A style, prevalent between 1920s and 1940, bolder and more angular than Art Nouveau, often with geometric and streamlined shapes Art Nouveau A style, prevalent between 1890 and WWI, whereby object design was based on organic forms Arts & Crafts movement European and North American movement, prevalent in the 1880s-1910, …
Behind The Vintage Autograph Book Cover
Tuesday 16th June 2015
We love to find vintage autograph books! They usually date from the late nineteenth century through to the 1930s and we find that the late Victorian era examples tend to be full of moral rectitude and earnest desires for happiness and health. The popularity of such books appears to increase during the Edwardian era, WWI and the 1920s. The content began to change for in addition to classical and literary quotations, humorous quotes and drawings are seen, as well as many standard inclusions: An invitation to participate "All my friends I now invite, a trifle in this book to write" The entreaty not to read the next page, which then has an admonition about inquisitiveness For a girl, a rhyme about marriage "Hilda Hobbs…
Spring Clear Out!
Saturday 11th April 2015
Spring and the time had come for a clear out if we were to avoid accusations of hoarding. And the first decision we made was that we would forego buying new stock to give us chance to work through our old unsorted stock. Missing our regular auctions felt very strange, but it was essential. There was a box of old keys that we had used as a door stop for months. Broken down into homogenous lots, sales soon mounted, the star lot being old clock and watch keys. Box of old glass stoppers...off you go to online auction. Those pieces of Capodimonte that were too large and fragile to pack? Large boxes acquired and they started to sell. Automobilia posters and Victorian…
Packaging Breakables
Sunday 25th January 2015
"Best packing I have seen - great item and fast delivery - thanks". This was in respect of the torsion clock in the picture and while it is the kind of feedback we like to get, getting antiques and breakables safely to the buyer demands attention to detail. If sending breakables by post then good packaging is essential. Poor packaging can leave both sender and recipient disappointed and out of pocket, as well as potentially causing danger from broken glass or china shards. We've learned a few tricks over the years from sending many thousands of breakables by post and, while some may seem obvious, here are the essentials to minimise the risks. 1. Only send what the parcel company and the laws…
British Resistance WWII/ G.P.O. Highworth
Saturday 10th January 2015
Sometimes an innocuous auction find can lead to fascinating history. On this occasion it was a 1944 letter from Colonel F.W.R. Douglas, of Auxiliary Units, G.P.O. Highworth, Wilts., congratulating Captain W.H.L. Chattin on his MBE. Our curiosity was piqued, an odd address for a military unit and what were the Auxiliary Units functions?. We bought the auction lot, it was quite expensive! Later research showed that G.P.O. Highworth was a post office run by postmistress Mabel Stranks, and was the secret gateway to GHQ Coleshill, the training centre for organised resistance to complement regular army defence in the event of a German invasion. A comprehensive internet archive of the British resistance, including Mabel Stranks' operation of the secret gateway, is at Coleshill…
Humorous Masonic Postcards: Millar & Lang
Saturday 6th December 2014
In 1901 Leo Ditriechstein's play, "Are you a Mason?" premiered in New York and this may well have been the inspiration for the "Are you a Mason?" American black and white postcards and the subsequent National series of humorous Masonic postcards published by Millar & Lang of Darnley Works, Darnley Street Glasgow. While these cards are parodies, they were often purchased by Freemasons. Today, reproductions of these cards are easily found, but original Millar & Lang humorous Masonic postcards are quite rare and highly collectable. We have been able to acquire the following original postcards which are available for purchase In our Masonic Postcards Section 1614 Are you a Mason? The Initiation. (1614) 1615 Are you a Mason? The Sign From Labour to Refreshment (1615 1616 Are you…
Boxes, Packaging and External Appearance
Sunday 26th October 2014
You will find record cases like these, stuffed full of 1960s-1970s LPs, at many auctions. Unless the vinyl LPs are of commercial interest, the case itself may be the most valuable item in the lot. Appearance. In the world of collectables it is often wise to ignore the old adage "dont judge a book by its cover". If an item, despite flaws or damage, looks the part or has presence, then value is enhanced. Beauty may be skin deep but it still outsells drab every day of the week Is the original packaging present? Original packaging and instructions can be significant enhancers of value. While the contents may comprise the bulk of the value, particularly if in mint condition, packaging and instructions…
Gambling, gut instinct or foolhardiness?
Wednesday 15th October 2014
Sometimes it pays to take a chance. It is the middle of an auction and a lot that we had walked past earlier, a large but dilapidated wood chest, came up for sale. We had no intention of bidding until the auctioneer offered that the chest contained some interesting plans. To us interesting is THE magic word. Hearing it unhinges any common sense we possess and we decided to bid blind. Unfortunately someone else had obviously examined the contents in more detail and had left a commission bid, that was higher than we wanted to go. Gritting teeth, we bid up, and up again, until the lot was secured. Later came the reveal, some old maps, and other restricted licence maps that…
Antique, Vintage or Retro?
Sunday 12th October 2014
These three simple words are so often misused that we have set out our understanding of how they should be used, and are used in our item descriptions Antique: Oxford dictionaries defines an antique as "A collectable object such as a piece of furniture or work of art that has a high value because of its age and quality " The problem with this definition is that it is highly subjective. What age is needed, how much quality and is it collectable? With antiques sometimes attracting lower customs import duties this was a problem facing US Customs until, in 1930, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act was passed which codified most antiques as objects produced prior to 1830, i.e. over 100 years old. There are variations but…
Registered Design Numbers
Sunday 28th September 2014
The system for registering decorative designs started in 1839 and this was shown on products from 1842 with the introduction of the Design Registration Mark (Diamond Mark. At the start of 1884 the Diamond Mark was replaced with a Registered Number. This can be a very useful way of dating when a design was first registered, though products made using that design could be made years later and the precise allocation of numbers to years varies between sources Registered Numbers are often abbreviated to "Rd No" or similar. In the photo the base is stamped "REG DES NO 945535", which would date the design to 1970. 1884.........1 1885.........19756 1886.........40480 1887.........64520 1888.........90483 1889.........116648 1890.........141273 1891.........163767 1892.........185713 1893.........205240 1894.........224720 1895.........246975 1896.........268392 1897.........291241 1898.........311658 1899.........331707 1900.........351202 1901.........368154 1902.........385180 1903.........403200 1904.........424400 1905.........447800 1906.........471860 1907.........493900 1908.........518640 1909.........535170 1910.........552000 1911.........574817 1912.........594195 1913.........612431 1914.........630190 1915.........644935 1916.........653521 1917.........658988 1918.........662872 1919.........666128 1920.........673750 1921.........680147 1922.........687144 1923.........694999 1924.........702671 1925.........710165 1926.........718057 1927.........726330 1928.........734370 1929.........742725 1930.........751160 1931.........760583 1932.........769670 1933.........779292 1934.........789019 1935.........799097 1936.........808794 1937.........817293 1938.........825231 1939.........832610 1940.........837520 1941.........838590 1942.........839230 1943.........839980 1944.........841040 1945.........842670 1946.........845550 1947.........849730 1948.........853260 1949.........856999 1950.........860854 1951.........863970 1952.........866280 1953.........869300 1954.........872531 1955.........876067 1956.........879282 1957.........882949 1958.........887079 1959.........891665 1960.........895000 1961.........899914 1962.........904638 1963.........909364 1964.........914536 1965.........919607 1966.........924510 1967.........929355 1968.........934515 1969.........939875 1970.........944932 1971.........950046 Not only is the…
Patent Searches
Sunday 28th September 2014
Patent numbers, when found on an object, are a very useful way of researching and identifying objects and their earliest possible production dates. Whereas the 1839-1991 Diamond Mark and Registered Numbers were concerned with ornamental or decorative designs, patents were concerned with how things worked. A product could have several different patents applying and a patent could be applied across several products. There are extensive patent records available, many digitised. In the photo example we have an old signalling lamp with a UK patent number of 535575/1941 on the rim. We were initially unsure whether the last number was a 5 or 6 so we cross checked the logo to confirm the maker of the lamp (British Thomson-Houston) and then searched…
Wales & Borders Auction Houses
Sunday 28th September 2014
Photo: Ben Rogers Jones (Rogers Jones, Cardiff) Checking out our local auctioneers is something of a busman's holiday for us, but attending an auction is great fun whether you are on business or holiday. Why not visit one of these the next time you are in Wales? Abergavenny: J Straker Chadwick Cardiff: Anthemion Cardiff City Auctions Rogers Jones Carmarthen: Peter Francis Colwyn Bay: Rogers Jones Froncysyllte: Cooper Barrington Llandeilo: Jones & Llewellyn Leominster: Brightwells Ludlow: McCartneys Pontrilas: Nigel Ward Pontypridd: Pontypridd Auctions Ross on Wye: RG & RB Williams Whitchurch: *Morris Bricknell are no longer holding their regular Whitchurch auctions. Sad, they used to be good fun and with some terrific bacon rolls!
Design Registration Mark
Sunday 21st September 2014
Also known as the Diamond mark, this was in force between 1842 and 1883. It shows what the item was made from, how many were included in a bundle and the day, date and year. The date is the date of design registration, and products bearing the date could be made some time thereafter. The Rd in the centre stands for Registered. The mark was superseded in 1884 by the Registered Design Number 1842-67 (a number in right corner of diamond) A= class B= year C=month D= day E= bundle 1868-83 (a letter in right corner of diamond) A= class B= day C= bundle D= year E= month Month: A = December B = October C = January D = September E = May G = February H = April I = July K = November M = June R = August W = March Exceptions: 1857: R used 1-19 September 1860: K used in December 1878: G used in place of W 1-6 March Year 1842-67:(number in right corner) A =1845 B =1858 C =1844 D…
Grabbing a Car Boot Bargain
Thursday 7th August 2014
Buying at car boot sales can be great fun. Here are our top 12 tips to help you bag a bargain: 1. Wrap up well in winter. It can be numbingly cold first thing in the morning and you will need to keep warm to concentrate on the rummaging. 2. Take plenty of small change. Cash is king but displaying a handfull of notes is not a good way to drive prices down. 3. Carry a torch and a magnifying glass. Covered car boot sales can be quite dim and you may need to check backstamps or condition. 4. Take bags and wrapping material if you intend to buy glass or ceramics to avoid breaking items. 5. Take a phone so that you can check…