Out & About August 2017

OA antiques

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), Veduta del Tempio della Sibilla in Tivoli, sold for £250

An African Ndebele Beadwork jocolo, or ‘bride’s apron’, early 20th century

The town of Mauchline in South West Scotland made souvenirs over a period of 100 years, until 1933 when the last factory burnt down. Troika pottery was made in Cornwall between the 1960s and 1980s and was a particular collecting phenomenon in the 70s. It is now considered valuable. Troika can take the form of vases, tableware, lamp bases and even wall plaques, and can fetch in the region of a few hundred pounds for good and fine examples. Collecting of the natural-coloured sand of Alum Bay as a souvenir when visiting the Isle of

Wight has also been a pastime since Victorian times. As a child, I remember friends holidaying there and coming back with glass bottles looking beautiful filled with sand. We see paperweights and curios from Alum Bay at auction and these can make small returns. Holiday souvenirs are not limited to the UK, of course. Aboriginal dream pictures and artefacts do come up from time to time, as well as Mdina blown glassware from Malta, which comes in the form of vases and bowls. And we have

even had wooden objects carved by the people of the Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific or pieces made by Amazonians and those in African countries. I collect Pilgrim Shells, which were originally worn on cloaks by those on their way back from a pilgrimage, to let others know that they had made it to the destination. I favour the ones carved out of mother-of- pearl, which are from the Holy Land and depict scenes from the Bible . You can buy them at auction for around £100.

A pair of 19th-century Inuit snow goggles, carved from a piece of caribou antler c.1880

A carved Pilgrim Shell

If you’ve any jewellery, antiques and collectables you’d like valued for auction, don’t forget SAS hold free valuation days every Wednesday at: Saleroom Two, 80 Greenham Business Park, Newbury, RG19 6HW. Telephone 01635 580 595 for an appointment. www.specialauctionservices.com See over the page or a chance to join Thomas Plant on a great antiques pursuit and raise money for charity

Thomas Plant discovered his love for auctioneering at a young age, living on the family farm. Watching the man with the gavel at local cattle auctions was a regular event, and Thomas quickly decided on which side of the rostrum he’d rather be. He went on to take a degree in antiques and served his apprenticeship with leading auction houses, including Christie’s in London. Today, Thomas is the co-owner of Special Auction Services in Newbury and is also a favourite TV expert on BBC programmes, including Bargain Hunt, Flog it! and Antiques Road Trip .

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