What's in a name?
You know us Brits, manners maketh man, so let's introduce ourselves.
For those of you who don't know this piece of cockney rhyming slang, it's from ‘me old china plate’ meaning ‘my old mate’. So this blog is both an invite to become friends who chat about antiques and vintage, and also an allusion to my minor obsession with antique plates… and saucers …teacups … jugs…
My path to becoming an antique and vintage seller has been a meander, but aren't they the best kind? I love to mooch around, follow my nose, and so that's what my life has been: a bit of a saunter through working in radio, retail, archaeology and teaching. They all help me in some way now.
When I was digging on archaeology sites in south London the most common find was pottery: Victorian drainage pipes, saltglaze pots, white clay pipes, the odd bit of Roman greyware. All the workaday clay of homes in utilitarian creams, browns and greys would be dug and washed to form the chronology of lives lived in that place. Occasionally, gleaming from the dirt would be a fragment of something special, a prized possession, the best china. Scraping trowel across brown dirt, a gleam of blue and white … the sheen of burnished orange samian ware … a tin glaze handle would appear and the heart would lift. Now, I dig in charity shops, auction houses, skips, roadside offerings, garage and car boot sales, fairs, anywhere I might find a lost treasure. The dig site might be different, but the thrill is the same.
It's taken decades for me to learn the little bit I've picked up. I don't claim to be an expert, lots of people know much more than me about all sorts of things that I don't even know exist. But that's the joy of the past: there's always more to learn.
So if you'd like to discover antiques and vintage finds with me, learn how to identify them and discover their fascinating history, then I'd love you to follow along.
Che
r