Archive for Post Bag
Amazing Antique Dog Collection
Posted by: | CommentsI’d like to show you an astonishing collection of antique dogs sent to me by AntiquesAvenue blog reader Margaret. This lady clearly knows how to select a great antique dog , many of hers dogs have legs which are separated from each other and the main body rather than molded as one piece and look at those pretties carrying baskets of flowers. Many pottery dogs like these were made by the Staffordshire potters throughout the Victorian era. The more delicate porcelain examples were often made in Germany and Austria about the same time.
Thank you Margaret for sharing these with us
Do you have a collection you would like to share on AntiquesAvenue Antiques blog? If so please do get in touch – Anne.
Vintage costume jewellery – can you help identify this necklace?
Posted by: | CommentsThis necklace belongs to Jan a reader of AntiquesAvenue blog. She is looking for help in identifying the maker of this piece of vintage costume jewellery. I have no idea and it is such a stylish piece that I thought you might like to see it and maybe you can help.
The necklace is made of silver toned metal and is thought to date from the 1940s. Jan says “On the clasp at the back it looks like H H and inside the square clasp is another funny little mark like a long arrow with bits coming from it. ”
Please do leave a comment here if you have any information .
Help me to help you – from my postbag
Posted by: | CommentsAs regular readers know I am always happy to try and help out with queries on your vintage, antique and collectable items. If you would like help I do quite a bit of information from you first. Here is a question I received today and my reply. Please help me to help you and provide me with photos ( .jpg format only), information on any markers markings, size and colour and for jewellery items the weight in grams.
I have an erly 20th century rose gold gate bracelet – in very good condition and in original box – can you give me an idea of how much it would be worth?
My Reply:
Hello,
Happy to try and help but I will need more information from you. Please can you send me photos in .jpg format and especially take care to photograph any makers markings. In order to ascertain the value of a piece of gold jewellery I will need to know what carat the gold is ( is it hallmarked ? ). If it is not hallmarked how do you know it is gold? I also need to know the weight of any piece of gold jewellery as its value is very much determined by the current gold prices per gram.
All the best
Anne
How do I add a charm to a vintage charm bracelet?
Posted by: | Comments
- add charm to bracelet
From my Postbag:
I’m interested in one of your vintage silver charms, the helter skelter, it would be the 1st charm i have bought to add to a bracelet from a relative to excuse daft question, but how will the charm attach does’nt it need a ring on the top of the charm to be attached by the jeweller? is one supplied, are they easily bought?
My Reply:
Excellent question. Whilst you can get a Jewellery to help with adding charms to your vintage charm bracelet this is something you can also undertake yourself relatively easily. Here is a brief guide;
You need – your charm, your bracelet, an O ring, two pairs of nose pliers.
Read More→
Wedding cake anyone? Vintage Venitian glass beads
Posted by: | Comments
Venetian glass beads
This vintage glass necklace is another wonderful piece from the owner of the Palais Royale perfume bottles. Cyril tells me :
My wife has also got a Victorian necklace from the same source, pictures attached. It is 30 inches in total length.
Well I have to differ slightly on this necklace I think it is a bit later than Victorian most likely from the 1920s or 1930s. It is made of venetian glass hand made lamp work beads. The pinks, blue and gold combination would make this a very collectable necklace. Each bead has been hand crafted over a hot flame with each intricate detail being a separate piece of applied coloured glass. These are known as wedding cake beads . This term comes from the way the beads look as if they have had the decoration applied in the same way as icing is applied to a wedding cake.
I have no doubt that the beads here are genuine vintage pieces of jewellery but please do take care if you look on the interenet or eBay to buy wedding cake beads . These are still being made today with most being imported from China and India. The new ones have a slightly different appearance so pleas make sure you buy from a reputable source unless you know exactly what you are looking at.
A genuine venetian glass wedding cake bead vintage necklace would sell for somewhere between £30 and £130 depending upon condition, colour, length and pattern of the beads.
Information on Poole Pottery please?
Posted by: | Comments
Poole Delphis dish
From my post bag:
“I am finding it hard to find info on Poole pottery designs and artists. Is poole pottery always marked Poole on the back?
Who is MA? thats what my piece is marked. When was the Delphis line made and who started that line? “
My Reply:
When you are looking for specific detailed information about an art pottery there are two good things to try: Collectors clubs and Books dedicated to that pottery.
In the case of Poole Pottery there is loads of information around in fact it is possibly the best documented of all art potteries due to the number of enthusiastic collectors.
The Book “Poole Pottery” by Hayward and Atterbury has a long list of the decorators and artists with their signatures. You need the book alongside a picture of the piece and the mark to determine exactly who the artist is. I would need to see a picture of the “MA” signature to be able to help more here.
Another (cheaper) usefull book is “Collecting Poole Pottery” by Robert Prescott-Walker with lots of pictures and background information ( no artist signature lists in this one). Many years ago I attended a several week long course on ceramic identification run by the author of this book and he certainly seemed to know his stuff.
The Poole Collectors club website has forums galleries and reference pages which will help you lots too.
Is Poole Pottery always marked on the back ? I have come across the occasional piece without factory markings but this is relatively rare.
The Delphis line seems to have run from circa 1963 to circa 1979 with the earlier studio range being the most desirable. According to the Poole Pottery” book, the line was started from a range of shapes designed by Robert Jefferson, thrown by Guy Sydenham and decorated by Robert Jefferson and Tony Morris”.
Researching your antiques and vintage items is part of the fun of collecting – Enjoy
Palais Royale – French antique perfume bottles
Posted by: | CommentsI get a regular stream of questions asking for information on your antiques, it is always interesting to take a look but today it was a real pleasure to be sent a photograph of these wonderful perfume bottles.
How pretty are these? So very desirable for any perfume bottle collection. The gentleman who sent me this picture tells me that they were given to his wifes mother in 1922 and they were not new then – he believes that they are venetian glass.
I completely agree that they were not new in 1922, these are Victorian. I think that they are Palais Royale pieces. The Palais Royale is in Paris and was built in1629 for Cardinal Richelieu, later becoming the residence of the Duke of Orleans. Shops and cafes were built in the grounds of the palace and these were patronised by wealthy visitors looking for trinkets and souvenirs. Commonly we find today small pieces known as Palais Royale – they have a few things in common – ornate gilt metal work, mother of pearl, mirrors, glass, flowers for example.
This perfume bottle set would originally have had a cover ( you can see the grove in the wooden base where it would have fitted ) – I think a glass dome rather than a wooden case – who would want to hide such finery. I notice that there are “Gems” set into the metal – it is difficult to be sure from one photo but these are most likely glass. I see some of the flowers are also coloured – perhaps enamel? There was a great french glass making industry and so the perfume bottles could well be French although they may have been imported from Italy. I suspect that the blue colour is overlaid on the glass but again this would need to be looked at in person to be sure.
Age – Victorian, Retail value? - a few hundred pounds depending upon condition.
AntiquesAvenue has a few genuine vintage perfume bottles for sale but not quite as grand as these.
Can you identify these glass paperweights?
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Glass Paperweight
From Todays Post Bag:
I have two paperweights bought in 1970 they are both scolloped eight segments with different patterns inside I have not seen anything else like it can you tell me anything about them?
My Reply:
The shape of these paperweights is most unusual however the canes inside have a very “Cogged” appearance which is typical of paperweights made in Murano, Italy around the time you purchased these. They are quite collectable because of the unusual shape however I dont think they have any great value. If they were mine I would be selling them for around £25 each. I hope this helps
- Two Paperweights
AntiquesAvenue always has a nice selection of European Glass Paperweights for sale
