In this third instalment of my Blog I thought it might be nice to share with you my favourite antique, vintage, retro, collectible, curio, jewellery finds, to date. These are in no particular order and have made my list based on attraction, value and quirkiness!
So, here we go.
First up is this Vintage 1980's Iron Maiden, 'Maiden Japan', Poster. I'll admit, I wasn't an expert on band posters and didn't really appreciate the price that some of them demanded. In any case, I attended York Car Boot Sale one Saturday morning and having been there for a few hours, I went to leave. On the way out I saw a cardboard tube with "Iron Maiden Tour Poster" written along the side of it. I don't know why, dealer instinct perhaps, I stopped, popped the plastic lid off the top and asked the seller how much it was. He replied "oh, i don't know, £1...?" So I paid the man and trundled off home. Now, on getting home, I removed the poster from the tube to have a proper look. It was in its original film and was like new! I carefully removed the film and unravelled this 'Maiden Japan' poster. It was cool, I thought. People love Iron Maiden, so I photographed it, carefully rolled it back up and put it back inside the film and tube, and listed it on eBay.
Well, this is when I thought i'd broken the internet! It was getting watchers, bids and offers left, right and centre! It eventually sold for £150! I even received messages from collectors after, offering me more to sell it to them. So, not a bad little profit there, eh!?
Next up is the item you saw and read about in my last Blog post ( https://source-vintage.co.uk/blogs/news/ww2-militaria-trench-art-model-spitfire-my-favourite-find-tv-appearance ), the World War 2 Model Spitfire which was made from the windshield of an aircraft of that time. I got this one from an antiques centre and it made my list because it is genuinely one of the finds that I have found so very interesting. It's the possible story behind it. Who made it? Why did they make it? What aircraft was it from? What did that aircraft see?
Items like these really do bring history to life. Not only that, but my late Grandfather was obsessed with the RAF and planes. We used to spend a lot of time together going to airfields and watching different aircraft. I've never seen anyone move as fast as my Grandfather did when he heard an aircraft passing overhead! So, that's why I loved this item so much... and that is why I sold it on BBC 1 TV show 'The Bidding Room'... What an idiot!
Up next is this Antique Victorian Novelty Travelling Writing Set in the form of a pistol. I got this one from an online auction. It consists of a propelling pencil, a dip pen, an inkwell and pencil lead, and when the trigger is pulled, it fires out the propelling pencil. This item sold just recently, actually. I had seen a couple before, but they didn't have working trigger mechanisms, but this one did. My love for this was purely for the novelty factor! I'm glad the buyer was in the UK, though! I was getting a bit twitchy about having to send this internationally!
Now it's time for these 1920's Football Boots, which I purchased from an antiques centre in York. In fact, they are purportedly from York City Football Club. Nevertheless, they sold and are now on show in a bar in Chile! There we go!
There was one pair and one lone one, unfortunately. They were in lovely condition and I particularly liked the ox blood red leather. I was attracted to these because I absolutely adore football. Well, I used to, but I'm a Tottenham fan and we're going through a difficult patch just now and it ruins my weekends!
Next we have this recent purchase which I got from a seller on another online platform. It's a large antique victorian aesthetic sterling silver locket. This made my list purely for how beautiful it is! It's one of those items where you think, oh, this is beautiful, I might keep this for a while, so you put a great big price on it. But, I listed it online and it sold within a minute! This one flew the nest and when to the United States. It was a real beauty!
And finally, we have this little treat. A Rare Sterling Silver "Here I Stopped" Bookmark, hallmarked Birmingham 1922. I got this one only a few days ago from another antiques centre, and I just don't know what it is, but I have fallen in love with it! I think it's the detail, the wording and the way you can tell it's been well used, but looked after. There's just something quite romantic about it. This one is currently listed on our website here - https://source-vintage.co.uk/products/rare-antique-sterling-silver-here-i-stopped-bookmark-birmingham-1922
And there you have it! A few of my favourite finds. Let me know what you think and of course, I've shown you mine, so please feel free to show me yours ; ) I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I've enjoyed reliving some of these finds.
Until next time, cheerio!
Stephen
Owner Source Vintage
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