Meet the collectors

How does a collection begin and what makes a collector tick? From Roald Dahl books to mother-of-pearl buttons, Staffordshire figures, tartanware and walking canes, Alice Roberton speaks to five collectors about their curation of interesting antiques

Anthony Moss
Founding member & joint Chairman of The Antique Cane Society

WALKING CANES

‘Collecting has always been my craving, starting at the tender age of nine, collecting books. Coming from an inherently poor family, we had little in the way of personal possessions, so when my wife Deanna and I got married 57 years ago, we bought Victorian furniture as it was cheap. In the 1970s, our appetite expanded to encompass a wide range of antiques and collectables. In 1998 Deanna made the mistake of buying me a few walking canes, and thus my passion as a ‘Rabologist’ –a collector or student of walking sticks – began. Collecting is like controlled hoarding; to some degree an obsession and illness. The thrill is the discovery, and as I wander around an antiques fair my eyes are trained to only see walking canes. I am not driven by buying only the best, but by finding a rare example and a missing specimen to add to the 2,600-plus pieces in my collection. It is worth pointing out the difference between a cane and a stick – one carries a cane and walks with a stick.

‘Nowadays, collectors and dealers approach me with offers or unusual finds – I’m in touch with a network of dealers in the UK, US, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France and Italy. Deanna and I have fond memories of attending fairs such as Olympia Art & Antiques Fair and Battersea Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair, both still running today. Online auctioneers like Hannam’s, Burstow & Hewett and Sworders – and eBay – are all good sources. Sometimes it’s challenging to refuse a good piece, especially if it has some exciting provenance or is exceptionally rare.

‘My wife banned me from filling the house with walking canes, so I have a few choice pieces on display around our house in stick stands! A standout piece is a silver-handled Art Deco cane, commemorating the dirigible airship Norge making the first-ever crewed flight over the Arctic ice cap from Europe to North America. A dynamic design made of silver, it has the maker’s mark and initials of famous French jeweller Gustave Keller. I find it incredible how much history is bound up in these wonderful objects. ‘Completely obsessed with the subject, I have written a book called A Visual History of Walking Sticks and Canes, which includes pieces from my collection, and details on everything from cane classifications to handle motifs. My advice for a young collector would be to buy quality, not quantity –a collection of 15 excellent walking canes is far better than a collection of rubbish.’ antiquecanes.net

Laura Hunter
‘chintzfluencer’

STAFFORDSHIRE FIGURES

‘I first acquired a piece of Staffordshire pottery around four years ago at an antiques show in Henley. I was attracted to the bright colours – at the time we lived in a modern house, and I liked the juxtaposition of it amongst all the minimalism. I’m very attracted to ‘chintzy’ items, like pottery figures or embroidery. I also collect crochet doilies, which I use under vases, coasters and candles. My grandparents were big fans of a ‘knick-knack’, so I’m guessing it’s a genetic thing. ‘I collect mainly figures of people, and some cows, but I’m not so keen on the dogs. What’s great about these figures is that they are readily available in most charity shops as well as antiques shops and fairs – Lamb Arcade in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, has become my favourite hunting ground. Whenever I visit a new town, I generally come back with something – they serve as nice mementos of the places I visit. People have also started buying them for me as gifts, which is rather nice. They have a real sense of nostalgia for people and the most common comment I hear is, ‘My grandma used to collect these!’ ‘I usually display figures on bookshelves where they can be seen; in the living room I have around 10 figures on our TV cabinet. I also have a few on bookshelves in my study. We are currently renovating, so quite a chunk of my collection is stored away, but as and when a room is finished, I pop a couple out on shelves. On my Instagram account @nofeaturewalls I mainly focus on interiors and fashion, but the figures occasionally make an appearance.

‘My favourite item is a group figure of two gentlemen, bought from an antiques shop in north Oxfordshire. It’s in really good condition and the colours are still so bright; I just love it. I usually pay £40–£100 for a piece, but my best bargain to date was a flat-back cow and milkmaid set that I got at a Sue Ryder shop for £1!’ nofeaturewalls.com

Pom Harrington
owner of Peter Harrington

ROALD DAHL BOOKS

‘Peter Harrington, one of the world’s leading rare book dealers, was founded by my father, so I am the second generation to work in the rare book business. I love collecting books – it’s not just work, it’s also my hobby. I started collecting Roald Dahl when I was around 21, after my father gave me an inscribed first edition of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar for Christmas. In the beginning, I didn’t have a big budget so I’d visit smaller book fairs and pick up first editions when I came across them. The first Dahl book I bought was a first edition of Kiss Kiss for £30–£40. I collect UK and US editions of all his books, and most are inscribed.

‘There is an element of nostalgia linked to collecting in any form. Most people collect something that connects them to their childhood, significant episodes in their life, or things they love. I strive to make my collection the best it can be, so if I ever find better copies of any titles, I swap them out. It’s fun upgrading books in my collection; it is something that can keep going for as long as I want it to.

‘I currently have around 100 pieces. Some of my favourites deal with significant ‘firsts’ in Dahl’s career. The first is a copy of Fantasia, which is a Disney animated film, inscribed by Walt Disney to Roald Dahl. Walt Disney gave Dahl his first real break: his first book, The Gremlins, was published by Walt Disney Company in 1943. Another favourite is a first US edition of The Gremlins – it couldn’t be more poignant as it is inscribed by Dahl to his mother, who he shared a very close relationship with. Many of Dahl’s books were first published in the US, where he lived for much of his life, as his wife was American. Early UK editions signed by Dahl are hard to find.

‘The search is never-ending, and I am on the hunt for an inscribed UK edition of The Gremlins. I am also missing a UK first edition of James and the Giant Peach and a US edition of The Witches. I believe my collection will one day be complete and I suspect I will sell it, but I am nowhere near that point yet.’ peterharrington.co.uk

Jennifer Bristow-Smith
Textile dealer

MOTHER-OF-PEARL BUTTONS

‘I remember being fascinated by the jars of old buttons my grandmother had collected for repairing clothes, and I spent hours sorting through them as a child. My own collection didn’t start until more recently though, when I began my antique textile business, Starched and Crumpled – even then, it wasn’t a deliberate decision. It was something that happened in the margins of going to markets and auctions and seeking out stock for my business. I would often find myself buying Victorian buttons to replace those missing on antique clothing and, before I knew it, I had amassed quite a collection!

‘I have many jars of buttons displayed on the shelves of my studio in Scotland. I love how buttons are both useful and decorative. I have several thousand, all in different shapes, sizes, colours, and materials, but the ones I like best and purposefully collect are 19th-century, intricately carved, mother-of-pearl buttons. These are the ones that go into a special box whenever I find them, and I won’t part with them. It’s difficult to say where or how I collect, because I rarely go looking for them; they just seem to turn up in all sorts of places, from West Country auctions and second-hand shops in Scotland, to eBay and antiques markets in France. There is definitely a bit of magic involved in finding buttons, and I have come to believe that the less you look, the more you find! ‘Some 20 years ago, when I was living in Norway, a friend and I travelled together to London and visited

Portobello Market in search of antique fabric. I remember finding a wonderful shop full of antique buttons and, to my surprise, my friend ran away in distress. I couldn’t understand it, but have since discovered that having a fear, or phobia, of buttons is a very real problem – it’s called ‘Koumpounophobia’. ‘An enormous pleasure for me was when my five-year-old granddaughter started sorting through some of the jars in my studio and picking out the buttons she liked best – she chose the rarest and most sought-after. At five years old, the girl already has good taste! I love how this appreciation has gone full circle, from me sorting through my grandmother’s buttons to my granddaughter sorting through mine.’ Instagram @starchedandcrumpled

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Erika Stefanutti
Artist and craftsperson

TARTANWARE

‘I’ve been a collector for as long as I can remember. Among my first collections were small pebbles and acorns picked up outside, empty perfume bottles and small glass animal figurines purchased on family holidays. Then came stamps, dolls’ house miniatures and furniture, found feathers and birds’ eggs, fossils, books, postcards and beads. I could go on. Objects hold a great deal of romance for me, and so I’m still on the hunt for interesting things to ponder. I’m lucky in that my family travelled to South America and Europe quite often when I was a child, and so I was exposed to the particular aesthetics and crafts of these places from an early age. This must have had a significant influence on me, as I produce handmade desk furnishings and decorative objects – all made by hand – from my studio, Parvum Opus.

‘Today, I am a collector of many things including books, ex libris bookplates, antique engravings, modern paintings and works on paper. Also, Grand Tour plaster intaglios, pietra dura paperweights, antique desk accessories and pen wipers, watch fobs, desk seals, antique diatom microscope slides and biscuit barrels. I even collect magnifying glasses, Imari porcelain and blue-and-white Canton export plates, and minerals and fossils. When it comes to tartanware, I have 65-plus pieces in my collection, so far. I don’t have a particular favourite, but I particularly love the tiny tape measure, a round ruler with a secret matching tartan pencil and eraser inside, and a jotter with a gold-tooled leather spine that is full of notes about several ‘voyages à Paris’, c1850. I can only imagine, since the notes are all in French, that the owner either travelled to England and Scotland herself and selected this piece as a souvenir, or was given this piece by a special friend. ‘A good number of my tartanware pieces are displayed together on a shelf in our library, but I have several pieces that I put to use like the string holder, letter sorters and rulers –I like the idea that these collected pieces can be useful in a new century.

‘I don’t plan on selling any pieces from my collection, as they are sources of inspiration and fascination for me. I do occasionally, however, share images of these pieces on my Instagram account @parvumopus and the feedback is always very positive. People just love tartanware, I imagine for the same reasons as I do: the infinite variety of forms, the intimate scale, the functionality, the craftsmanship and patina and, of course, the wonderful patterns. I’m never on the hunt for any specific pieces but, should a piece cross my path, I’ll always find it difficult to resist!’ parvumopus.com

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