{"id":5746,"date":"2022-03-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-28T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=5746"},"modified":"2022-05-06T15:12:43","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T13:12:43","slug":"meet-the-collectors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/2022\/03\/29\/meet-the-collectors\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the collectors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Meet the collectors<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

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 <\/strong>speaks to five collectors about their curation of interesting antiques <\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n

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Anthony Moss
Founding member & joint Chairman of The Antique Cane Society<\/span><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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WALKING CANES<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Collecting 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 \u2018Rabologist\u2019 \u2013a collector or student of walking sticks \u2013 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 \u2013 one carries a cane and walks with a stick.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FROM LEFT A cane with ivory handle in the shape of a greyhound, encrusted with tourmaline sapphire cabochons; a finely carved ivory handle of a man taking snuff, c1890. Both from Anthony\u2019s collection.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Nowadays, collectors and dealers approach me with offers or unusual finds \u2013 I\u2019m 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\u2019s, Burstow & Hewett and Sworders \u2013 and eBay \u2013 are all good sources. Sometimes it\u2019s challenging to refuse a good piece, especially if it has some exciting provenance or is exceptionally rare.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018My 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\u2019s mark and initials of famous French jeweller Gustave Keller. I find it incredible how much history is bound up in these wonderful objects. \u2018Completely obsessed with the subject, I have written a book called A Visual History of Walking Sticks and Canes, <\/em>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 \u2013a collection of 15 excellent walking canes is far better than a collection of rubbish.\u2019 antiquecanes.net<\/a> <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

Laura Hunter
\u2018chintzfluencer\u2019<\/h5>\n\n
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STAFFORDSHIRE FIGURES<\/em><\/h4>\n\n

\u2018I first acquired a piece of Staffordshire pottery around four years ago at an antiques show in Henley. I was attracted to the bright colours \u2013 at the time we lived in a modern house, and I liked the juxtaposition of it amongst all the minimalism. I\u2019m very attracted to \u2018chintzy\u2019 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 \u2018knick-knack\u2019, so I\u2019m guessing it\u2019s a genetic thing. \u2018I collect mainly figures of people, and some cows, but I\u2019m not so keen on the dogs. What\u2019s great about these figures is that they are readily available in most charity shops as well as antiques shops and fairs \u2013 Lamb Arcade in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, has become my favourite hunting ground. Whenever I visit a new town, I generally come back with something \u2013 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, \u2018My grandma used to collect these!\u2019 \u2018I 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.<\/p>\n\n

\u2018My favourite item is a group figure of two gentlemen, bought from an antiques shop in north Oxfordshire. It\u2019s in really good condition and the colours are still so bright; I just love it. I usually pay \u00a340\u2013\u00a3100 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 \u00a31!\u2019 nofeaturewalls.com<\/a> <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

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A favourite piece in Laura\u2019s collection is a group figure of two gentlemen, which she displays on a bookshelf alongside other prized pieces.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
Pom Harrington
owner of Peter Harrington<\/h5>\n\n
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ROALD DAHL BOOKS<\/em><\/h4>\n\n

\u2018Peter Harrington, one of the world\u2019s 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 \u2013 it\u2019s not just work, it\u2019s also my hobby. I started collecting Roald Dahl when I was around 21, after my father gave me an inscribed first edition of The <\/em>Wonderful <\/em>Story <\/em>of <\/em>Henry <\/em>Sugar <\/em>for Christmas. In the beginning, I didn\u2019t have a big budget so I\u2019d 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 <\/em>Kiss <\/em>for \u00a330\u2013\u00a340. I collect UK and US editions of all his books, and most are inscribed.<\/p>\n\n

\u2018There 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\u2019s fun upgrading books in my collection; it is something that can keep going for as long as I want it to.<\/p>\n\n

\u2018I currently have around 100 pieces. Some of my favourites deal with significant \u2018firsts\u2019 in Dahl\u2019s career. The first is a copy of Fantasia, <\/em>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 <\/em>Gremlins, <\/em>was published by Walt Disney Company in 1943. Another favourite is a first US edition of The <\/em>Gremlins <\/em>\u2013 it couldn\u2019t be more poignant as it is inscribed by Dahl to his mother, who he shared a very close relationship with. Many of Dahl\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n

\u2018The search is never-ending, and I am on the hunt for an inscribed UK edition of The <\/em>Gremlins. <\/em>I am also missing a UK first edition of James <\/em>and <\/em>the <\/em>Giant <\/em>Peach <\/em>and a US edition of The <\/em>Witches. <\/em>I believe my collection will one day be complete and I suspect I will sell it, but I am nowhere near that point yet.\u2019 peterharrington.co.uk<\/a> <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

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One of Pom Harrington\u2019s favourite pieces in his Roald Dahl book collection is not actually a book Dahl wrote, but a copy of Fantasia, inscribed by Walt Disney to Dahl.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
Jennifer Bristow-Smith
Textile dealer<\/h5>\n\n
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MOTHER-OF-PEARL BUTTONS <\/em><\/h4>\n\n

\u2018I 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\u2019t start until more recently though, when I began my antique textile business, Starched and Crumpled \u2013 even then, it wasn\u2019t 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!<\/p>\n\n

\u2018I 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\u2019t part with them. It\u2019s 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! \u2018Some 20 years ago, when I was living in Norway, a friend and I travelled together to London and visited<\/p>\n\n

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\u2019t understand it, but have since discovered that having a fear, or phobia, of buttons is a very real problem \u2013 it\u2019s called \u2018Koumpounophobia\u2019. \u2018An 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 \u2013 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\u2019s buttons to my granddaughter sorting through mine.\u2019 Instagram @starchedandcrumpled <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n