My Antiques Rail Trip - Buying, Selling And A One Star Review!

Ahoy there shipmates!  It's that time of the week again!

Well, I've been a busy boy this week.  I had a special item of mine valued, so I'll be telling you a little bit about that, and I also ventured out for a little bit of an antiques rail trip.  I visited some lovely shops and centres, and a blimmin' awful one, which I'll be venting about too!

So, as always, get that kettle one, hold on to your hats and let me tell you about my antique rail trip... *cue the jingle*

Image:  The Bar Convent, York

So, it all started with a valuation at the beautiful Bar Convent in York.  I'd not been there before and what an absolute treat it was!  It's a stunning building with a rather lovely cafe / restaurant too.

Image:  The Bar Convent, York

But I had an appointment with Steve, so I didn't have the time to enjoy the facilities too much.  Nevertheless, the reason I was there was to get my rather splendid and mysterious Victorian glass tumbler valued.  You remember, the one engraved by William Pennington Cocks, with all the skeletons on...?  You should do, I've been piping on about it for the past 6 months!

Image:  My Victorian tumbler 

Steve was impressed with the my glass and even more so after I filled him in on what I'd found out about it.  I told him that William Pennington Cocks used glass tumblers to take specimens from waterways around Cornwall and then sketch what was in them.  With that, Steve looked at the bottom of the glass where there was some interesting wear, which I had assumed was from the making process.  But Steve was quite excited and said that the wear is consistent with it having sat on rocks.  He seemed confident that this was in fact one of William Pennington Cocks' specimen glasses.  The hairs went up on the back of my neck! 

Image:  My Victorian tumbler 

Steve gave me his valuation, of which I was pleasantly surprised, but he seemed confident that if it were to go to auction, it may in fact exceed all expectations if the right people bid on it.  I skipped out of the room but, before I left the building, I just had to go for a cheeky look at the chapel!

Image:  The Chapel at The Bar Convent, York 

Image:  The Chapel at The Bar Convent, York 

The following day, I decided to head to Harrogate for a look around the antique shops there.  I headed to 'Montpellier Mews Antique Market' and, well, this is where I was left extremely disappointed.  I walked in and instantly felt unwelcome.  No hello, no acknowledgement of my existence, in fact, faces dropped to the floor after a very brief look in my direction.  While other, more mature customers, received a completely different welcome.  I felt like I was being monitored.  All in all, I felt it was very pretentious and it took me back to when I was younger and how I felt intimidated by antiques shops, fairs and auctions because I thought they were for the upper echelons of society, and not for the likes of me.  Well, this is clearly the environment that Montpellier are trying to create, so I certainly won't be going back and that's their loss.  I'm a dealer and I was ready to buy. 

Image:  Montpellier Mews Antique Market

With that, I decided to pop into 'Space Vintage & Retro', which, again, was just up the road.  This is always a welcoming place, particularly for the young, and it has an awesome craft beer and pizza bar above, so it's a win-win really!  A much better vibe than down the road!

Image: Space Vintage & Retro 

I then moved on from Harrogate and continued my antiques rail trip to the scenic town of Knaresborough.  One of my favourite places to visit, which just so happens to be home to one of my favourite antique centres, 'Donkey's Years'.  As I arrived into Knaresborough on the train, however, I noticed that a new little antiques shop had opened on the platform of the station, 'Northernline Antiques'.  So, I popped in for a visit.  What a charming little shop with an array of interesting pieces.  Well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Image:  Nothernline Antiques, Knaresborough 

Image:  Nothernline Antiques, Knaresborough 

Image:  Nothernline Antiques, Knaresborough 

And, I made my way just around the corner from the train station, to 'Chris Holmes Antiques & Art'.  Unfortunately, it was closed on the day I visited, but I hope to get back soon for a visit.

Image:  Chris Holmes Antiques & Art

So, then I headed to my favourite, 'Donkey's Years', for a good look.  In fact, in total, I spent about 3 hours in there!  Always lovely customer service, lots of interesting pieces and at really good prices too.  I really need to start having more regular trips out to Donkey's Years.

Image:  Donkey's Years, Knaresborough

With friends visiting towards the end of the week, I had enough just enough time to pop into my local, 'The Red House Antiques Centre', for a little bit more buying, before finishing the week off with a visit to 'York Racecourse Car Boot Sale'.  Despite it being a quiet car boot this week, I still managed to find a few goodies!

Image:  The Red House Antiques Centre, York

Image:  York Racecourse Car Boot Sale, York

Well, that's it for this week folks!  I hope you enjoyed this little antiques rail trip.  As always, let me know what you think in the comments section below, particularly if you've visited a good antiques shop recently!

Remember, if you enjoy my posts, please show your support by subscribing to my 'Source Social' membership, which you can do via the 'Home' page.  It's free and gives you a weekly blog post and a fortnightly YouTube video delivered directly to your inbox, as well as exclusive discounts and first dibs on new items before they are added to our website.

And, speaking of my YouTube channel, if you're into antiques and haven't seen any of my videos yet, you can find them HERE.  Head on over and subscribe to that too for your dose of finds, fairs, stories and reviews.

So, until next week, stay safe, keep buying those antiques and keep spreading that Source Vintage love!

Cheerio!

Stephen

Owner Source Vintage

Shop from Source Vintage here