A hobby, a passion, a source of much enjoyment and a lifestyle.
When you are a collector, it is important to get out there and see what can be found. Your wandering may be physical travelling or these days many people do their wandering by searching on computers and make their finds that way. I love the getting out there and physically wandering. Covid has been the pits!!! Thank goodness our lockdown is over. For now!
A reminder to all! our shops have been doing it tough with rents to pay, no sales, employees to cater for and simply trying to make ends meet. We all, now, need to get out and support our local shops and help them recover from very hard times. Shop local, shop often and enjoy the experience of helping our community.
Here are some of my regular local haunts in the antiques arena, they might supply a treasure for you. In Taree, Clancy’s near Manning Base Hospital. They are into more Office Furniture these days, but my car always wants to call in as I drive passed and some treasures can still be found. Barry at Isadora’s Antiques – at the Valley Fair in Victoria St always has a great variety, Col in Commerce St – near the Pie shop, Sue at Delinquent Funk – Isabella St in Wingham right next to the chemist – Sue always has new and interesting stock that turns over quickly and Antiques and Old Wares in the old McCullough’s Produce store also on Isabella St, right next to the Newsagents, in Wingham.
Remember to support our Local Museums in Wingham, Tinonee and Cundletown. They are great resources for our community and with school holidays coming up take your visitors for a treat. The Museums are able to survive through the support of wonderful volunteers and rely on visitors and donations for their longevity. Help out, if you can, by volunteering yourself, by visiting and by encouraging as many visitors as you can.
An area of collecting that has made a resurgence in recent years is the humble wristwatch.
The first watch designed to strap onto your wrist was created by Patek Philippe in 1868. However, for a long time, pocket watches remained dominant. It took time for the wristwatch to catch up to the somewhat larger pocket watch in accuracy. Before World War I, wristwatches were considered a ladies’ fad and somewhat un-masculine to wear.
The Great War made the wristwatch acceptable in men’s fashion. Soldiers needed to tell the time on the battlefield and without having to stop to retrieve a watch from their pocket and then pry it open. The war made wristwatches “manly,” and a New York Times article in 1916 reinforced this change of opinion so that wrist watches continued to gain popularity over pocket watches from that year forward.
Advancements continued after the war, with the first self-winding wristwatch appearing in 1923, the Patek Philippe perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1925, and water resistant watches appearing in the 1920’s. By 1930, there were 50 times more wristwatches in the world than pocket watches.
Shock-proof, waterproof, electric quartz, and other complex, high-tech wrist watches, including smart watches, continued to appear. Today, the exquisite precision and style of the top watchmakers is unparalleled. Luxury watches in rose gold or black steel with leather straps, rubber shock guards, internal lights, anti-corrosion treatments and that work automatically at incredible accuracy are now the standard.
Our obsession with telling time, the greater need for punctuality in the modern business world, and the classic and classy style of luxury wristwatches as fashion accessories all point to the continued popularity of high-end wristwatches for the foreseeable future.
Names to conjure with in the world of collectable wristwatches – Patek Philippe, Rolex, Longines, Breitling, Omega, Seiko, Jaeger to name a few. Beware in your search, there are low quality reproductions out there for the unwary.
Dave and I have opened a shop (Antiques & Old Wares) in Isabella St, Wingham. Call in and say hello.
I hope that collecting brings you the enjoyment that I have experienced over forty odd years!
If you have items that you are not sure of, I may be able to help with information, appraisals &/or sales. I love the history and stories of old and interesting treasures.
Phone Rex – 0427 880 546.
Take care and stay safe!