Antique Valuations For UK Probate

Chad Valley and Chiltern are among the best loved of all the vintage teddy bear manufactures. Both companies started making their first soft toys in 1915 when Chiltern made their now famous Master Teddy and Chad Valley produced their first jointed plush teddy bears. The bears of both companies have Read more [...]

Often the best things in life are discovered by accident. A cottage with a 'For Sale' notice discovered while taking a country walk; a wrong turning while driving suddenly reveals a breathtaking view; discoveries are often made in life and in work, when we least expect them. Who would have thought Read more [...]

What's five inches tall, 25 years old and worth £10,100? A Welsh pensioner found out last year when she put a complete set of 20 plastic Star Wars figures (pictured 1), bought originally for 49 pence each, up for auction at Vectis, the Teeside saleroom specialising in toys. The antiques industry Read more [...]

The years between 1880 and 1890 are considered Kirkcaldy's Golden Years - with famous names from that time including the economist Adam Smith, architect Robert Adam, and a thriving industrial network of linoleum works, rope making, nailsmiths, coal, clay, linen and ten potteries. A socially-aware work Read more [...]

Carriage clocks, in the form we associate with them and as the name applies, were first made in the early 1800s as portable timepieces to be used when travelling. Although earlier clocks such as the pendule d'Officier and the montre de carrosse had been used for this purpose it was the development, Read more [...]

Arts and Crafts was one of the most far-reaching and popular movements of modern times. In the Western world, it spanned three decades from the 1880s to the outbreak of the Great War. The Folk Crafts or Mingei movement flourished in Japan in the inter-war years. Arts and Crafts' influence continues to Read more [...]

At one time I collected musical boxes both antique and modern and as I now collect old bears and discovered that I could combine the two, it was a natural progression for me to start collecting antique musical bears. Many people collect them today and it is nice to know that so many of the old manufacturers Read more [...]

Chipped or broken glass? Despite first impressions, all may not be lost, as Ian Dunn discovers on a visit to a glass repair specialist.... The snag with collecting ceramic and glass objects, it is often remarked, lies in their vulnerability. With furniture, damage is not seen as quite so important Read more [...]

The stock market has proved unreliable in recent years, pensions are worth a fraction of what they were even a few years ago, and low interest rates have made the Building Society unappealing. So how do you create a little nestegg for the future, with all these traditional methods seemingly down and Read more [...]

Jack Vettriano is a rare bird indeed. He is so successful that instead of scraping a living selling the odd painting, his work is highly sought after and the artist can command thousands of pounds for each work. Proof of his popularity is not in short supply. At a recent charity auction The Look of Read more [...]