‘My name is George & I am addicted to old Stuff!’ it has taken me many years to realise but being an antique dealer is an addiction.

I suppose it’s only because of the addictive nature of the trade that some of us still do it, as the antiques trade can be a wicked mistress. How many of us have been soaked to the skin while we tramp around fairs or boot sales looking for those hidden gems ,most of us involved in the trade work far too many hours every week (I suppose if we had a union we would have all gone on strike many years ago) but it must be one of the only jobs in the world where you are never off duty, many of us have been on a day out with the family and ended up coming home with a boot full of purchases that we just happened to stumble upon.

I was asked the other day about how do you become an antique dealer and this got me thinking, I don’t think many of us has ever thought about how we got into the trade as most people just fall into it either as a hobby that progressed or like myself a family connection to the trade, I was brought up surrounded by antiques and spent most of my younger years being dragged around shops and fairs. But if someone does decide to join us and become a vivadiere of vintage items, we should encourage them with our arms wide open.

Over the last few months or so I have experienced firsthand how strange the life of an antique dealer can get. I have always tried to promote this wonderful trade in various ways, because deep in my heart I don’t do what I do because of the money, it is and has always been because of my love of the items and people that I get to meet every day. I had the honour of being invited to a meeting to discuss the next National Antiques Week at the wonderful Core One Antiques in London by Gail McLeod recently, it was amazing to be sat around a table with so many people who share my love for the trade and some great ideas were discussed and I have great hope for the next National Antiques week because of this.

Another little adventure that I have been on is the Secret Removers, I was asked just after Christmas if I would come on board as an onscreen expert/presenter on this brand new channel four show. I am always keen to try something new so I jumped at the chance. Well what a ride it was I got to meet some wonderful people including Alison Cork who enjoys fine food and wine as much as me so obviously we hit it off straight away over this shared passion. My role on the show is to talk about any objects we find during the make-over as well as how to make collectables etc fit within a modern home. But I seemed to also develop another role which I found the most fun and this was to give my thoughts on some of Alison’s make-over ideas, this area of the show I found very fun and easy as all I have to do is be myself and tell her what I really think. Sometimes this can be very easy especially when it comes to things like a tartan panel made up from cut up wallpaper, but I am very glad to be able to call Alison a good friend and it is because of this that I think she lets me away with my criticisms.

I also filmed an episode with Claire Smith which was very fun, so hopefully we will get to do some more together in the future. The first batch of shows were broadcast a few weeks ago and have seemed to gathered a good reaction and we are waiting to hear when the second batch of shows will be aired but we should hear very soon.

So what next? Well they are a few things in the pipeline that could be very interesting, but I must say I have really enjoyed being able to get back to doing what I really love over the last couple of weeks and that is buying and selling old stuff.... I fear I am too far addicted to get out but on the other hand why would I want to :-)

This article is from the Independent Newspaper & features some quotes from George Johnson of Lady Kentmores Antiques

Will the home library survive the surge of the e-book?

By Alice-Azania Jarvis

I've not actually read any of them. I just love the bindings." So said the actress Davinia Taylor earlier this year when she decided to put her house on the market – complete with its carefully-sourced collection of classic books. Rarely removed from their perch on a bookcase in the living room, their primary purpose was to disguise Taylor's walk-in fridge. And so, with the fridge no longer destined to be a feature in her life, the books were deemed redundant.

In January Amazon revealed that it was selling more books in Kindle format than any other, and global sales of eBooks are expected to surpass the $1bn mark this year. In an age when literature is increasingly going digital, books hold a curious role in our homes. There aren't many purchases which, once used, would be placed on proud display in our living rooms, considered a vital part of our identity and carted round with us as we moved from one home to the next – particularly not when a virtual equivalent exists. And yet that's precisely what we've been doing with our books. Will the digital revolution change that?

Perhaps. After all, both the music industry and the print media have felt the heat of virtual competition. But in the meantime, there's every indication that, while we might do most our reading on-screen, the living room tradition of displaying our (non-digital) books is alive and well. When Michelle Obama and Samantha Cameron were photographed perched on the sofa of the Downing Street kitchen, attention immediately turned to the bookshelves (black, £665, available from OKA Direct). What did the presence of Mrs Beeton's Household Management say about our Premier's family? And why do they keep the Complete Works of Shakespeare in the kitchen? Similar treatment was meted out to both Milibands during the run-up to the Labour leadership contest. When it comes to the crunch, nosing around someone's bookshelves is interesting.

"You can tell a lot about someone by their choice of books – and how many they've got," says Doug Jeffers, owner of the My Back Pages bookstore in Balham, south London. "You can tell their political views, their interests, when they did most of their formative reading and, as a result, how old they are. You can even guess where they go on holiday and what they do for a living."

Household stylist Abigail Hall agrees. "I often style houses for sale and you'd be amazed how important the contents of your book case can be. People form judgments about the type of person who lives in the property as a result. So the paperbacks they've bought on holiday go straight into storage, and the classics go on display."

Given this, it's no surprise that those seeking to bolster their own intellectual reputation stock their shelves with an eye to something other than pure entertainment. As interior designer to the rich and famous (previous clients include the Rooneys and Status Quo's Rick Parfitt), Laura McCree is skilled in the art of reputation-management-via-bookshelf: "I've created whole libraries before. Recently, I did the house of a client who wanted to look like he read a lot. I stocked a library which stretched over two floors."

But it's not just a matter of which books we display that's interesting – how we choose to do so has become an equal point of fascination. "They can almost sculptural in that they offer a physical presence," explains Hall. "It's not just about stacking them on a bookcase, it's how you stack them. I've seen books arranged by colour, stacked on top of each other. Once I saw a load of coffee-table books piled up to become a coffee table in themselves." Recently one national newspaper went so far as to create a Flickr group on their website, inviting readers to upload pictures of their bookshelves for everyone to see. The results ranged from the mundane (untidy paperbacks spilling out of Ikea shelves) to the highly artistic. If nothing else, they confirmed our enduring love affair with the prominently-displayed book.

Curiously, this whole phenomenon – the whole wearing one's personality on our bookshelves – is, in fact, a rather modern one. "It wasn't really until the paperback explosion of the 20th century that books became widely available," explains George Johnson, owner of Lady Kentmores antiques in Callander, Scotland. "The Victorians had been great book collectors – it was very much in keeping with the ethos of the era – but it was an expensive pursuit. To have a library was a sign of status." When Penguin launched its run of ten titles in 1935, the possibility of buying – and displaying – books opened to the masses. In the late 1980s Ikea arrived on the scene, offering cheap bookshelves which promised a stylish way to store books without costing the earth. Ever since, we've been hooked.

"Books define a space," reflects Abigail Hall. "If you have some books and a comfy chair, you have immediately created an area." McCree agrees – books, as she puts it, are an "interactive display tool." It's a trick of which countless hotels, cafés and Harley Street surgeries are only too aware.

Placing a few carefully-chosen books atop coffee tables is the oldest trick in the, well, book. Indeed Johnson himself has repeatedly been drafted in to advise clients on which titles to place where. "Hotels are one of the great buyers. It's about creating an ambiance. No one actually reads the content"

Perhaps, then, the future of books lies in this. With more and more being bought in digital format, the first casualties of the tangible variety are likely to be the beach-read paperbacks – the ones that, if you invite Hall around, would be relegated to the garage anyway. But given the uses to which we put our other tomes – whether they're deployed to show-off, look pretty, or create an atmosphere – the odds of them hanging around look good.

"Already, you can see signs of the book industry moving in that direction," notes Hall. "You can buy books in design shops specifically for that purpose. Even novels are getting a makeover: books by authors like Terry Pratchett were always very striking, and other titles are getting similar treatment." As for vintage books, the future – like that of vintage vinyl – looks positively rosy; one recent sale saw an illustrated copy of John James Audubon's Birds of America sell for a record £7.3m. "The love for great work is still there," says Johnson of this. "An eReader is all right sometimes – but there's nothing like the real thing."

Some of the images featured come from 'Books Do Furnish A Room' by Leslie Geddes-Brown (Merrell, £24.95). To order a copy for the special price of £22.45 (free P&P) call Independent Books Direct on 08430 600 030, or visit www.independentbooksdirect.co.uk

thought I would write a blog to keep you upto date with whats happening at Lady Kentmores, callander is buzzing this week as everybody gets ready for the highland games on Saturday (31st August) it's always a nice weekend with visitors and competitors coming to Callander from all over the world.
There was some sadder news this week when armed raiders attacked an antique shop in Eyemouth in Berwickshire. This all happened last Thursday morning at about 9.50 in the morning, it is always a shame to hear things like this as most dealers are very attached to their shop and stock spending years building it up, then some idiots like this can come along and spoil it!
There has been lots of different items arriving in the shop daily over the last few weeks from vintage clothes, handbags to world war 1 sweetheart cards, so now the weather seems to have brightend up why not take a run out and have a browse.
anyway as much as I would love to chat all day I should go and do some work .......

Think before you dump! I had to visit Langranock dump this week and I was speaking to Peter who looks after it, and while we were talking I was amazed by the items people were throwing into the skips and not just the recycle ones either, one gentlemen threw in a perfectly good guitar and someone else behind him was in the process of dumping a very fine Remington typewriter which would have been made around 1910.

I have been involved in the �Antiques are green� movement which is supported by some very famous people in the trade including the antiques road show for quite a while and I am still amazed at the perfectly good items people throw away. Callander seems too in one sense embrace green issues with all the good work that is done by Callander & Climate Change and other local organisations, but on the other hand people still dump items that could be found a new home whether its through selling the items at an antique shop or donating them to a charity!

This is not only a waste and burden on the environment it can also be a very foolhardy practice for the dumper, I walked past a skip last year where a house was being cleared by the family they were just throwing the contents into a skip without looking at anything. I stopped the Gentlemen and asked him if I could have a look at what they were throwing away?

�Take whatever you want! It�s all old rubbish!�  he replied.

Well within 15 minutes I had rescued about 13 items that were heading for the landfill and they had a combined value of over £1500.  So throwing items away is not only bad for the planet it can also be like burning money!

This month�s item came to me in a plastic bag and a simple request by a local lady who just wanted to find out more about it. It just goes to show, that you should never judge a book by its cover because within the bag was an Item by one of my favourite porcelain houses.

Royal Worcester was founded in 1751 a group businessmen, with the Help and advice of Dr John Wall a physician. Dr. Wall and apothecary William Davis, who was also part of this small founding group, developed their own method for producing fine porcelain. Dr. Wall persuaded the group to invest £4500 to establish the factory in Worcester, and as they say the rest is history and over the years some of the finest items have been made in that factory including this lovely figure of sorrow that was modelled by James Hadley (August 1837 - 23 December 1903), he was born in London and became one of the more well known potters working at the Royal Worcester Factory.

Standing ten inches tall this figure depicts �Sorrow� her head held in her hand in great sadness her other hand holding a dead bird, dressed in a green Greek  style toga  with a gold armlet this figure is stunning in its simple style, and seems to speak volumes and almost tell a story of why she is sad.

 It carries the date mark for 1877. This item would have been one half of a pair of figures with the sister piece of �Joy� who holds the alive bird aloft. As for value this fine figure should sell for £450 -£525 in the right auction if it was a complete pair of figures they would sell for over £1200.

If you have an item that you would like to be considered for the antique corner, feel free to email me at [email protected] or feel free to call into the shop.

I come across this story and thought I would share it with you all;

A stolen souvenir from the Battle of Waterloo has been returned to the Borders home of Sir Walter Scott.

The silver bowl, known as a quaich, was taken from Abbotsford House near Melrose in 1994.

However, it was spotted late last year in a French antiques market by silver expert Wynyard Wilkinson who identified it and arranged for its return.

The Waterloo Tree Quaich, one of many historic relics collected by Scott, will go on public display this weekend.

The piece is made from silver gilt and elm wood that was cut from a tree at the Waterloo battlefield.

The Duke of Wellington directed his troops from a position under the tree in 1815 and it subsequently became a target for souvenir hunters.

The timbers were used to make a number of prestigious pieces including Chippendale chairs for the Prince Regent in 1821, and a chair for the Duke of Wellington, which was presented to him in 1837.

The quaich dates from 1824 and was made by Joseph Angell of London.

It is engraved with Scott's motto, "Watch Well".

'Hugely grateful'

The quaich was one of a number of items stolen from Abbotsford when it was owned by his descendants, Dame Jean and Mrs Patricia Maxwell Scott.

Jacquie Wright, executive manager of the Abbotsford Trust, said it was "hugely grateful" to Mr Winyard for spotting and returning it.

"Scott collected a fascinating array of objects during his lifetime and we're delighted that the Waterloo Tree Quaich is back in the collection and can be seen and enjoyed by our visitors," she said.

The trust is currently trying to raise about £10m to secure the future of Scott's Borders home.

It is awaiting a decision from the Heritage Lottery Fund about a grant application for more than £4m and is also consulting with the public about its proposed plans for the attraction.

Well its the first of Febuary and Callander is starting to get that start of the season feel, with Sir Ian Botham in town this morning to open up the new Salmon fishing season on our local river the Tieth.
 There was a parade down the mainstreet led by Sir Ian and a pipe band that was followed by a huge number of fishermen all eager to land the first salmon of 2010. The season was opened after some speaches and Sir Ian pouring a dram of whiskey into the Teith.
The Teith is a very fine river and even contains pearls with some Teith pearls finding there way into jewellery worn by historical members of the royal family.
we have been very busy over the last week in the shop putting out lots of new editions to the shop as well as having lots of interesting customers.

It was my 10th wedding aniversary last week and to celebrate it the Dawn and I had a loverly lunch at the Famous Roman Camp hotel here in Callander, which has had some very special guests over the years even playing host to the Beatles, It was a really loverly lunch and the wine was pretty good too.
 So if you visit the town remember to give it a try for lunch or dinner.
we are looking forward to Club Noirs Valentines Venetian Masked Ball, which is on the 13th Febuary and is a must for any fans of burlesque and Glamour.
and with Valentines around the corner it is a good time to start looking for that special gift for you loved one...

Well here is the first blog of 2010, we are in this months edition of company magazine so its off to a blazing start for this year.
The shop has been very busy over the festive period and it seems confidence is growing again in the antique trade.
One of the areas we have been very busy is Masonic items with a high demand in all thing but Masonic tokens seem to be a growing area of the market with us selling tokens to all parts of the world, so if you have any to sell get in contact as we have customers waiting.

The other area were we seem to be seeing a large increase of buyers is in the mourning jewellery sector with demand and price increases in Victorian and older mourning jewellery. especially pieces of high quality with braided hair etc.
The price of gold seems to be staying high and this has seen an increase in people selling off there unwanted items but beware some of the companies advertising at the moment do not take into consideration the collectable nature of some items and very collectable items that can be worth a lot more than there scrap value are sold at a fraction of their true value, meaning people are losing out.
If an item is old or of exceptional quality you should always get an antique appraisal before scrapping it one ring we sold for over £700 would have been worth only £45 at current scrap prices!
we will be closed the odd day in January as it is usually quiet month in the trade so telephone us first to check our opening times if you are making a special visit to us.
hope you all have a great 2010
     

Well hello from Callander on this wet and cold October morning, I get alot of people who tell me there can not be many bargains to be found in the world of antiques anymore. Well this is not really true although ebay and the likes means that an item can be put up for sale and brought by anyone in the world it does not mean to say that ever treasure has been uncovered Just last week the largest ever hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold was found in Staffordshire and another story to break this week is;

well I have spent the last week doing lots of stuff on the website that a lot of you have comented on already. Aswell as new pages on Callander we have added a page on William Wallace as we get asked lots of questions about him in the shop, we have also added a page all about antiques and green issues, after I was asked about this in an interview i did on Friday.

If there is anything else that you would like to see on the site just drop us an email and we will see what we can do.
I have a very busy week ahead as one of our friends Lou Hickey is having her first gig as singer in new band the Codeine Velvet Club which is the spin-off project of Jon Lawler of the Fratellis and bears much the same relation to his main band as Alex Turner's Last Shadow Puppets do to Arctic Monkeys. CVC are very much in the Puppets vein, all mariachi brass and John Barry drama, an opportunity for Lawler to breathe some late-60s orch-pop air, offering a respite from his indie-rock day job before the Fratellis start working on their third album. They're a duo with a backing band, and the presence of Lou Hickey on lead vocals further heightens the sense of CVC as period fetishists, with shades of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, although the music they make is far brassier and vampier than their closest contemporary equivalent, the collaboration between Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell.
If you have chance catch them tomorrow night at the Classic Grand Glasgow or check out there new song Vanity Kills on you tube.
Hope you all have a good week....

I am writing this blog on a wet bank holiday Monday, It has been another interesting week at lady kentmores. we have started a new feature as some of you might of noticed we now publish phlogs this are audio blogs we have done three so far and received some very positive feedback check them out here Listen to our phlogs

We have come to the conclusion that we must be a very modern antique shop with our many uses of the internet such as facebook , Twitter , if any one out there has any other internet ideas for the shop let us know as we love trying new ways to keep in contact.
We have also had a move around in the shop this week and expanded our costume jewellery section due to popular demand.
The youngest member of the team Amy-Madison started school for the first time we are very proud to say that she loves it...
This week look out for the bbc home and antiques magazine hitting the shelves with our shop in it.

We have the honor of Featuring in a blog by Judith Miller Of The Millers Antiques Guides fame
www.millersantiquesguide.com/blog/2009/08/youtube-and-antiques/ This is a huge honour as I have read her antiques guides with excitement every year they are published since I first started this game when I was barly able to reach the tables at antique markets and they are a essential part of any antique dealers libery.
She Featured our new video tour of the shop which can be found on the front page of this website if you have the time take a look.
We have got a lot of interesting items in this week including a range of Arora Hidden Treasure collectable figures all with 22ct gold plating and Austrian Crystals as well as lots of fabulous costume jewellery.
So we start this week with excitment at what it will bring.................................

Well it has been a very busy couple of weeks in Lady Kentmores with lots of new treasures coming in every day.
As well as lots of items finding there new keepers we see our selves as really an adoption agency lol reuniting objects with their new keepers.
We have also now got a large range of masonic items in stock from penny tokens to masonic jewelry if there is anything you are looking for just ask.
With the lighter nights we are opening later some nights so if you fancy a run out on a summer evening drop us an email or ring us to see if we will be open.
We have a museum section of old packaging and ww2 civilian items ration books etc so if you have any of these items lying around let us know and we will buy them from you for our museum.
That is about it for just now remember to sign up to our twitter page for daily updates on whats new at lady kentmores.

It has been another busy week in the shop, we had some great news this week when we were told we will be in October edition of the  BBC'S Homes & Antiques magazine so keep an eye out for us in that.

We have also had a lot of vintage coins and banknotes in this week so why not pop in for a browse, Twitter has quickly Taken off and we have added a widget to the front page of our website so you can keep up to date with whats happening at Lady Kentmores. Why not become a fan of our tweets over at twitter.

We have also have a very nice piece of Clarice Cliff in the shop so if you are a fan of hers you need to be quick as her items always sell very quickly.

we will post another blog soon but in the mean time we will keep you up to date with daily tweets.

It been a busy week in the shop with a lot of additions to the shop this week including some wonderful coins and a whole load of vintage photography items.

We now have large selection of World War Two items in stock including over 1600 uniform buttons......... as well as many other items from that period.

We are also pleased to announce that Lady Kentmores is now on Twitter follow us with the link below;

In the last week a lot has happened we have lost two true stars. Michael Jackson who has changed the face of music since the 1970's and Farrah Fawcett who will be remembered as a true star of stage and screen.   So what has this got to do with the world of antiques and collectables   you ask, It has been announced that instead of a refund the 900,000 or so Jackson fans who had tickets for the O2 concerts can get a collectable holographic souvenir ticket instead With this many available   I am not to convinced this is going to be a great great investment I could think of a number of ways you could invest the £75+ that the tickets cost that should bring back a better return.

This week also say the royal mint issuing some mis-cast 20p coins with no date the first for hundreds of years to enter circulation These coins have been fetching £100+   on various auction sites a lot over the   true value that these coins are worth. There could be upto 200,000 of these coins in circulation so I would wait till the publicity & price dies down before buying this coin if you really do want one for your collection.

Sox the shop collie is in today and as usual getting loads of attention from all the people coming in and she is loving it.

Well Today in the shop we had a very special guest Anita Manning who you might know from ITV's Flog It was in Lady Kentmores filming yours truly and the shop for a brand new antique show.
 Anita loved the shop and was really great fun, so it all went really well but you will have to wait to see if she brought anything and what happened  with the art deco brooch she had her eye on....... 

So you have to watch this page for details of times and dates that the show will be broadcast.................



Anita Manning
Star of ITV's Flog It.

Lady Kentmores has been buzzing with activity over the last week or so as we have got Scottish Television filming our shop for a t.v programme. So it is an exciting time we will let you know more information as we get it....

We have had a lot of new items arrive in the shop over the last few weeks including a wide range of cigerette cards, a mint meccano queen mary model in its box and lots more retro and vintage items.

so we will keep you informed about what is going on over the next few weeks.

The sun is shining and summer must be here at last........   and to top it all the shop is bursting with new arrivals we have managed to get hold of some fantastic coins ranging from mint Queen Anne Shillings to Victorian "godless and Gothic" Florins.

we were also able to get hold of a collection of ceramic beer tankards including a Doultan Silver Rimmed tankard c1890's, it has been a lot of fun this last week in the shop with some great characters popping in one man was over from Canada and spent ages selecting coins from his youth in Glasgow to take back for his grandchildren.

We were very lucky to have a lady come into the shop who was able to put the puzzle ring back together as we have all tried and failed to do it over the last few week's but disaster struck again as amy-madison decided to undo it and try again and at 4 years old you can guess it is back in pieces again. So if any one out there knows how to do a 8 piece puzzle ring please pop in and have a go.

Lastly we have received a large selection of maps including old ordinance survey ww2, Victorian and lots mores so please feel free to have a browse.

thank you

George

Well before I start an apology for the lack of blogs in the last few weeks it has been a hectic and time has simply flown by.

As you might have noticed we have added a new page to the website under the heading retro and collectables this is to show you some of our new products including retro record players and telephones that we are now stocking after lots of enquiries from people wanting them. We feel that some people love the look of our vintage record players and telephones but want the reliability of a new product and so we feel this fills that space in the market.

We are also now stocking a huge range of antique coins paper money in frames, these are perfect for gifts for birthdays and special occasions or just simply to finish off that room or home office.

Our range of jewellery is growing by the day this week alone we have received a wide range of bangles, bracelets and chains.

Four surgeons were discussing which types of patients they preferred to operate on. The first doctor said, "I prefer librarians. All of their organs are alphabetized."

The second doctor replied, "I prefer mathematicians because all of their organs are numbered."

Doctor number three responded, "I prefer lawyers. They are gutless, heartless, brainless, spineless, and their heads and rear ends are interchangeable."

The last doctor said, "I prefer antique dealers. They don't mind if the spare parts are from last years model. Most of what they've got can be sent to a specialist for repair. If the original manufacture is out of business, there'll always be someone with just the piece you want lying around in the attic."

As you can see from the photo I escaped the shop for a day this week to go fishing with one of my best friends Bill.

We had a fantastic day fishing on Loch Venachar although I struck out but Bill caught a fine brown trout.

Even out in a middle of a loch the phone was still ringing with questions and other shop stuff so I think the work of an antique dealer is constant.

So apart from my day fishing we have had a lot of new items arrive in the shop over the last week, One lady brought us in a fine mixture of 3d pieces dating from the 1800's and we also have aquired a collection of WW2 cap badges and other Items and bringing us up to date we have a selection of Iraqi bank notes from the Sadam regime.

The shop is looking good after its repaint and spring clean I just wish we could all get made over to look better?

have a nice easter and don't eat too much chocolate.....................

Well we have finally reached spring and as such is the custom the shop has had a huge spring clean.

So along with the new improved shop we have lots of new items including a great range of sgian dubhs, dirks and other fine knifes,

We also have rearranged our coins and added a lot of new items including a range of old collectable paper money so why not come in and have a browse.

We sometimes never stop and think about how quick times move on and maybe that is one of life's big mistakes as life creeps up on each of us at a faster rate every day.

One thing that brought this home was a report about there only being three British   world war one veterans still living if I think about all the objects that  I hold and look at on a daily basis and take a minute to think about it, it is a truly humberling experience to think that most of the original owners are no longer with us.

So it is left to us to look after these items in there memory One example is a little black and white photo that I came across in a pile of postcards.

Its a photo of four squadies who judging by there uniforms etc. had just joined up, They are all smiling and laughing but its the questions the photo does not answer that I am curious about? How many survived ? how many lived long happy lives? we will never be able to answer these questions but we should remember that day was just like today is like to us. The main thing to remember time flies by and the idea is just to enjoy every minute.

We have had another busy day today with loads of nice customers and some very interesting questions ranging from a lady with a lot of old pre 1947 silver coins which she wanted to get rid off. As well as a lovely old guy who was looking to sell his postcard collection.
We also managed to find a new home for a vintage nineteenth century knife sharpener we was purchased by a really nice couple who had seen one ages ago somewhere else and have kicked themselves every since for not buying it.
In these financial times of chaos we are seeing more and more people come in and buy gold as they trust it more than banks, as well as people sell there old gold to earn some cash, and with gold prices at a high its a good time to make some money. 

We have managed to find a new owner for a lectern, a lady was looking for a item to display a compete works of de vinci book and it was perfect for the job.

I have had one of those day today as I tried to ring a company and was kept on hold for over 20 minutes, whatever happened to the abbility to ring someone and get an answer or at least a human on the other end of the line. it seems that computers are taking over the phone systems of the world.

Rest assured that you will always get a human answering our telephones.

We have had a week for getting  musical instruments brought in this week with a few guitars and a mamola for sale in the shop.

Well I hope you all have had a romantic valentines and got spoiled rotten, It has been a busy weekend in the shop and that loverly spring feeling is starting to get in the air at last.

We have added a new service to the shop, We now offer a service where we buy old paper airmiles so now is the time to turn those old airmiles sitting in a draw into some cash for a special ocassion or just to treat yourself. Just ask us for details.

Well Valentines is upon us and we have managed to help a few people out today with presents for there sweethearts. It is always nice to be able to help people express there love with the ideal present.

We also have had a lot of visits on the web site from far flung places including Greece, Poland and even Japan over the last few days so Lady Kentmores seems to be reaching across the globe.

I have a person looking for some Scottish trucking memorabilia so if any one has an old collection etc. let us know and we will put you in touch.
We have just had a new collection of coins arrive in store if any one is interested some fine Victorian examples  and some local Scottish tokens.

Anyway I hope you all have a great valentines day.

George

Well over the last few day's I have added some new pages on the website including a couple on local interest items including; Rob Roy who is buried not more than   9 miles from our shop, also Helen Duncan the famous medium who was born in Callander and finally Dr finlay's casebook which was based on the town.

We have also added a local directory and some information on the community council of which I am a member.

If any reader thinks of any new items hey would like to see let us know and we will see what we can add

George

In these times of huge out of town shopping centers and supermarkets, It is warming to be in a small town where shops are still trading and offering a wide range of services. We might not have every type of shop for every one but we don't have the problem of a lot of place's For example I was in Glasgow the other day and there is loads of shops closed down and many more having closing down sales.

This is one of the reasons I am a member of a few local groups ( Callander Community Council and the development trust) It is good to be able to put something back into the town were I live and work, But I do get frustrated sometimes by locals complaining about there not being any were to buy underwear from for example and  the answer lies with their selves as the majority do not shop local and then complain when local shops close and reopen aimed at tourism.

One thing that drove that point home to me is the local farmers market, The Callander Development trust of which I am a board member was asked by locals to put on a farmers market. Which we did but locals didn't turn out to support it over the last year so we have had to make the decision to end it. But we will still get asked what has happened to it by people who didn't bother to use it.

So really my point is support your local amenities and shops or face losing them altogether .

Callander is a beautiful town with lots to offer and we should be very proud of the place where we live as people travel from every corner of the earth to visit us.

One of the nice things about our shop is helping people start a hobby or collection.

We have managed to do that twice today first we helped a lady choose some thimbles for her 12 year old granddaughter who has started collecting thimbles. There seems to be more people collecting small items like thimbles or coins all the time. It is a good area to start with collecting as prices are low to start a collection off and they also do not take up a large amount of room.

It is always nice to see young people come into the world of collectables as they are the future custodiands of all the wonderful items, we see and have the pleasure of handerling.

Then we sold an accordion to a lady who fancies learning to play, so if there are any readers in the Glasgow area who can help out with lessonslet us know and we can put her in touch with you.

Happy collecting

George

Well I am writing todays blog on a cold wet day in Callander, Sox the shop collie has had a bad week as she hates the noise that fireworks make but hopefully it should be near the end now.

The shop is now looking very festive with tinsle and twinkly lights.

We have had some loverly pieces of jewellery added to our large collection so if you are thinking of buying something nice for that special someone this christmas give us a look in.

I will leave you with a joke I found funny;

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her
nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack.

'Miss Whack, I'd like to get a £30,000 loan to buy an antique Long Case Clock.'

Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name. The frog says his
name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he
knows the bank manager.

Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.

The frog says, 'Sure. I have this,' and produces a tiny porcelain
elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.

Very confused, Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the bank
manager and disappears into a back office.

She finds the manager and says, 'There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out
there who claims to know you and wants to borrow £30,000, and he wants to
use this as collateral.'

She holds up the tiny pink elephant. 'I mean, what in the world is this?'

The bank manager looks back at her and says...

'It's a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a
Rolling Stone.'

I am writing todays blog with the the thoughts of christmas beginning to form in peoples minds I have even sold a few items for christmas presents today already.

The day started with a lady buying a victorian dolls head for a still life painting, and then we sold a couple of rings to different people one was a lady who got treated for her birthday and left the shop smiling from ear to ear and a fantastic 3 stone ring on her finger.

We also have got hold of some vintage gas masks and other military items from ww1 to ww2 as well as some really nice Scottish   sgian dubh's so if you are looking to finish that kilt outfit off just ask.

We are slowly decorating the shop for christmas and it already smelling of cinnamon and other christmas smells which is nice and warming this time of year.

Well we are all back to work again after our family wedding in Rhodes, well all of us apart from Sox the shop collie who doesn't get out of kennels till tomorrow.
Today was a fun day in the shop with loads of people asking and bringing us in interesting things to see.
we found a new home for a vintage typewriter and a art deco coffee set as well as a diamond ring which we sold to a young couple for there engagement which was lovely, maybe we will get invited to the wedding.
someone was asking about a ring they had which was white gold but had turned slightly yellow in colour so for any one who does not know i will explain about white gold; there is no true white gold it is yellow gold mixed with other metals and plated in normally rhodium which gives it its white colour. but in time this can wear off leaving a yellow hue. when this happens it needs replating. The only white precious metal is platinum which varys from nearly white to grey in colour.
Hope this helps out.
 

We had a wonderful collection of transport history arrive in the shop today. Vintage bus stop signs and a original Glasgow Central sign. Also original train lamps we will try and post some pictures soon.

We are all feeling a lot better after our little bugs and looking forward to a exciting week in the world of antiques and collectables.

Sorry about the lack of blogs this week, but we all have been struck down this week with the bug that is going around the only person to miss it was Sox.

It looks like we are all on the road to recovery now so its back to buisness. We have had a lot of new items arrive this week from vintage gold jewellery to a Charles and Diana bells whisky bottle unopend and in mint condition.

The main news is the financial situation here in the U.K and the united states but how does that affect our trade well one way in which it has is that investors in these unsure times turn to the historically secure gold market which has had the following afect on the gold coin market.

Well what a interesting range of brewery items and other pub collectables we have got our hands on.
We have wade ashtrays advertising beer, whisky and babycham. Charles and Diana unopened and boxed bells whisky bottle by wade.

Vintage trays and other bar items from the 50's to the late 70's.

The military cap badges have led to a number of former soldiers recounting there tales of the period to us and we have been able to reunite some of them with cap badges from their former regiments.

Well We have had some wonderful new items arrive in the shop today. First a gentleman has sold us his collection of cap badges that he collected while he served in the second world war and there are some crackers. We also purchased a large collection of classical records and the best bit is they are all in mint or near mint condition so if you are thinking of adding to your collection now is the time! with most available for £1 or 6 for £5.

We also have got hold of a great collection  of letters from the 1880's a very intresting read.

If you would like any information on the above items or anything else just ask.

So First the best news we have a brand new chair behind the desk and it is so comfortable!

Second is Sox she has been looking for cuddles all day even to the point where she had an American girl sitting on the floor petting her, What a life that dog has!

We have some vintage golf putters in stock now one is a St.Andrews putter which is very nice. Also we have managed to source some very fine classical records.

Today was one of those days when you can't help but be glad you made someones day. A lady came into the shop with a ring that she had been left by a friend, She asked us if we could have a look at it for her.

She thought it was just a nice costume ring until we had the joy of breaking it to her that it was a Diamond and a very nice one at that! She left the shop smiling from cheek to cheek, and her new favorite piece of jewellery on her finger.

So apart from that we have had a good day in the shop with customers from far as field a Costa Rico, America and Australia.

We have also just taken delivery of a new collection of paintings, so come and have a browse to see if there is anything to tempt you.

Saturdays are always unpredictable and today was no exception. At about 2pm a   panic faced man entered the shop on a quest for a wash board, it turned out he was part of a skiffle band who had traveled up from Manchester for a gig up North. But in there rush to leave he had left his washboard!

Well he came to the right place as we managed to fix him up with a replacement plus a few thimbles to play it with. Apart from that it has been a busy day with loads of people through the shop and intern we have been asked hundreds   of   questions about items that people have at home. It is part of the fun for us to hear people talking about there past.

Sox has been lapping up the attention all day and we could have sold her a million times over which reminds me of a joke;

Is it not funny how we always go back to the old ways,
I was in Edinburgh last week and the place is in total chaos as the new tram lines are being put in! and won't be running till 2011.
Edinburgh Had a very good tram network until they ripped it up to make way for cars and buses. Edinburgh's last tram operated on 16 November 1956 but here we are in 2008 and it is costing £512 million to reopen a tram network again.
What's this got today with antiques I hear you say well it just so happens we have got hold of a couple of  Edinburgh Corporation's original 1950's clippies ticket machines. Look at our online shop to see more.

Well it has never stopped raining all day, Even Sox the shop collie did not want to venture far from the shop today.

Maggie May was in today so we all got stuck in for a big clear out in the stock room and sales floor.
As usual when you do this things items turn up that we had forgot about, we came across a box of old photographic items we got on a house clearance months ago.
It was full of lenses and developing items as well as unused film from the 40's.

We don't give a minutes thought these days with our digital cameras but years ago taking a picture was a planned thing as it was expensive, but now we think nothing of clicking away, knowing we can press delete on any we don't want on the PC. Talking about pictures the Team antiques page is halfway there click on it to find out about us and see a picture of our grinning faces.More members will be added over the next few week or so.

The shop has now got a Swiss clock that chimes on the hour so lets see if it sends us mad.

About twice a week someone inquires about the collection of crowns they have for sale. This normally consists of some churchills 1969   a Diana from 1999 and others including a 1972 silver wedding.

As a child my granparents used to always bring me a crown back when they went up to the West end of London and   would give them   when I was young to my parents and then later to myself. Alway's   telling us   to put them away for the future!

Well as investments go Crowns have not been the best with Churchill Crowns only being worth around 25p in extra fine condition this being the face value and £1 in mint uncirculated condition. As to why the such low values well a lot of people decided to put them away for their future too. There was 19,640,000 Churchill Crowns minted which intern makes it a very common coin.

So in retrospect Crowns were not the best investment.

Anyway we are all having our pictures taking over the next few days, so they can be added to the site and you get to see what we all look like.

Sox the shop collie is off today and having the day at home but she should be back in work tomorrow.

I will Leave you today with a joke;

Cohen & Levy are both in the antique business across the street from each other, and have been for years. Cohen hates Levy - he thinks he's a   fraud & a liar & an ignorant bastard, and says so publicly. Levy thinks the same about Cohen.

One day Levy leaves the door open to his shop and goes out for a few minutes. Cohen takes the opportunity to walk across the street and steal a magic lantern Levy has in the window. He gets it back to his shop and can't resist rubbing it. Naturally a genie pops out of the lantern.

"Cohen", says the genie, "because you have released me from a thousand years of confinement in the lantern, I will grant you one wish - anything you want - money, power, fame, anything. But because the lamp belongs to Levy, whatever it is you get, Levy will get twice as much."

"You mean," says Cohen, "if I ask for a million dollars, Levy gets two million?"

"That's right," says the genie, "and if you ask for a beautiful woman, Levy gets two beautiful women."

"All right, genie," says Cohen. "I know what I want."

"What's that?"

"I wish I were half dead."

Well Sox the shop collie seems fine after the paw incident yesterday. So we are breathing a sigh of relief as a trip to the vets is not fun with a dog who can smell the vet from miles away.

The day got of to an interesting start a lady Came in with   a box of wallets that were issued on the release of the decimal coinage in 1968. But not a couple as you would think but 70 of the things in the original outer that they were   posted in from the Midland bank.

The story goes that a neighbor had just passed away and they found them in the garage and the family didn't want them. As to why she would have had so many we will never know.

But it also points out how easy it is to get an investment wrong at the end of decimalisation the mint   issued two sets of coins this set and a set we also sell of the pre-decimalised coins the set the lady brought in are worth less than a 10th of the pre-decimalised set.

well thats it today but before I go, I would like to thank Bill for his help with web site.

So we are at the end of another week in the amazing world of antiques and collectables,   first we will start with the bad news of the day! Disaster has struck Sox the shop collie has been for a walk and managed to cut her paw. She is so sad looking and will not let us look at it the only person who gets to see it is Dawn my wife as she is the only one Sox will let do stuff like that but she is out for the day so we will have to wait for a diagnosis until later, but Sox is playing it for all she is worth all the custmers are getting sad looks in return for strokes and cuddles.

We have had some really nice people in the shop today, One couple from Ireland brought our Orange Whitefriars Vase and bowl and they seemed really pleased with it. We had a older lady fall in love with a dinner service and she even came back and thanked us for the great service!

We have recieved some great vintage telephones they are that good we have had one ourselves for the desk its a really nice black bakerlite 746F and it looks great on the desk it sounds so good when it rings the old bell is such a warm sound compaired to the moderen sounds you get on mobile (cell) phones.

I have added a poll to the front page just to see what people think is the best investment Gold or Diamonds vote and let me know.

Anyway thats enough for today I am about to bring in the signs and go home, Before the heavens open as the sky has just turned black.

So here goes our first blog entry, Today was a wet and damp day in Callander but it was still a good day to be in the heart of Scotland.

The Funniest part of the day was when Sox the shop collie decided to take a walk by herself and went went next door to the health food and pet shop to help her self to a treat, it was not until a friend popped her head in to inform us we relised she had took it upon herself to go shopping.


We had a lady inquire whether our rings were second hand or antique a question we could not quite grasp but after explaining the meaning of the word antique "check out our page of antique terms to find out more".She was more than happy to inquire after a victorian ruby ring.

Todays bargain went to an old gentleman in his eighties who fell in love with a ship in a bottle, he told us the story about his day's in the royal navy and how he lost his hearing on the ships. We took a liking to the old sea dog and he got the ship reduced from £40 to £30 as it had found the right owner. He left the shop with a spring in his step and remined us all why we do this every day.