Collect the past and invest for your future. Enjoy a great hobby that will last you a lifetime, give you joy and allow you to make many new acquaintances. There is no limit to the interesting items that are out there to collect. The limit comes only in finances, display and storage.
Wow! How things change in the blink of an eye. I hope your toilet paper needs have been met and you have dodged and continue to dodge any sickness. Remember it will all end and we all have to make our way through this crisis the best that we can. Common sense, patience and looking after our family and our community will see us through. The world is a small and lonely place viewed through selfish eyes.
What’s coming up? A bit of travelling involved, but always fun. I would suggest that you ring, before travelling, to see if these events are still viable:
12: Ipswich Gala Doll Fair at Ipswich Civic Centre, Ipswich (Qld) – Contact: 0408 722 407
18: Antique Bottle Auction with Graham Lancaster Auctions at Bendigo Showground (Vic) – Contact: 0418 730 90
18 and 19: Terrigal Antique Fair at Willoughby Road, Terrigal (NSW) – Contact: 0414 614 659
23 to 26: The Sydney Fair at Randwick Racecourse, Randwick (NSW) – Contact: 0407 321 865
25 and 26: Central Coast Regional Show Antique Fair at Gosford Showground, Gosford (NSW) – Contact: 0402 059 009
26: Shire Vintage & Collectables Fair at Sutherland Entertainment Centre, Sutherland (NSW) – Contact: 02 8250 1605
Some, or all, of these events may be cancelled. Please ring first to check.
Another interesting place to find and buy antiques is on the internet. Ebay has a specific category for antiques. Gumtree – you can source antiques both locally and further afield. On Facebook they have a Marketplace in Group where antiques and collectables can be found. If you join a group (in Facebook Marketplace) you can keep an eye on what is selling in our area.
Please remember those people who run small businesses in our community. They have to survive this downturn. We need to BUY from them and keep them viable. In the Antiques and Collectables area please frequent and help out our community shops:
Sue at Delinquent Funk – Isabella St in Wingham right next to the chemist – Sue always has new and interesting stock that turns over quickly.
Clancy’s near MRD Hospital. Phil is into more Office Furniture these days. Some treasures can still be found.
Kate and Don at Olympia Antique Solutions – opp. Taree Railway Station – they always have interesting items and always have something unique to talk about.
Barry at Isadora’s Antiques – at Taree’s Valley Fair in Victoria St. He always has a great variety of rare finds.
Col’s Second Hand Shop in Commerce St – up from Taree West newsagency.
Also make the effort to visit our Regional Museum in Wingham. Run by volunteers its doors can stay open due to the fact that they have a continuous supply of visitors. This pays for day to day running cost. Many changes and updates to displays have occurred over the last couple of years. It is a very worthwhile visit. Support our community!
Wauchope Primary School, at the end of 1950’s, “the boy’s” playground time was taken up with MARBLES! We were obsessed! Big ring, Little ring, Poison, Follows……. The list of games goes on and on with variations from town to town.
Antique glass marbles are highly collectible, from handmade examples by German glassmakers of the 1800s to vintage marbles made by machine in the early 20th century by U.S. companies like Christensen, Peltier Glass, Akro Agate and Vitro Agate. Many collectors obsess over old marbles because they remember playing with them as children.
The game, marbles, originated in the Netherlands during the 1500s and 1600s. To make playing pieces for the game, the Dutch began to grind down semiprecious stones such as marble (hence, the name) and limestone until the rocks formed perfect spheres. Then, the Germans began to shape marbles out of agate. During the 1800s, Europeans began to produce clay marbles, using different ceramics techniques. Cheap antique clay marbles—which were so common at the time that they were known as “commies”— were made from a low-fire process and were often not even painted or dyed. They were just ugly, round brown marbles for kids to play with and lose. Rare antique clay marbles were glazed or decorated, and only wealthy, aristocratic children got to play with such beauties.
I was told recently that opal mining originally started at Lightning Ridge because the early explorers discovered aboriginal kids playing with small ground down spheres made of opal.
Ultimately, old glass marbles are the most collectible. Antique glass marbles were first made in Thuringen region in Germany.
Playing marbles surged in the popularity in Australia between the 1920s and 1960s, so factories were busy keeping up with the demand. Hence, vintage machine-made marbles are not hard to find, but because children played rough with them, vintage marbles in mint condition are rare and collectible.
It is amazing how many old players still have their draw string bag full of their favourites.
If you have interesting antique items you are not sure of, I may be able to help with information, appraisals and/or sales. I love the history and stories of old, historic and rare items (from old shed items to household gems).
Phone Rex – 0427 880 546.