This week Spotlight on: Vintage Medical Device suitable for revitalizing Frankenstein
Start Your Antiques Business
Weird USA. How Much for that Human Skull?
Shares in Art Works Offered in New Chinese Investment Market
Historic urns bound for return to Arlington Cemetery
Eskimo masks sold for a combined $4.6 million
Statues swiped from Fort Myers Beach antiques store
BAFRA reports ban of superior antique paint strippers
2011 February Antique Fairs UK (continue)
This week Spotlight on:
Vintage Medical Device suitable for revitalizing Frankenstein
Vintage medical device Rogers Type 4M Violet Ray High Frequency Vitalator
Made in England 1933-37
Complete Working original Type 4M set includes:
Mahogany carrying case, Healing and Recovery manual book (32 pages), Price list with maintenance instructions (tree fold sheet printed on both sides), 11 original electrodes (10 electrodes and the Ozone inhaler No 15 electrode)
The following electrodes included in original set:
No1 Surface Electrode, No5 Ear Electrode, No10d Double Eye Electrode, No11a Rake Electrode, No12 Glass Saturator Electrode, No13 Spinal Electrode, No14 Condensor Electrode (special Large surface), No15 Ozone Inhaler electrode (set in separate box), No19 Special Electrode for all curved parts of the body, No23 Spiral Heart Electrode, No40 Dental Nerve Brush Electrode
4M Roger’s Vitalizer used to be large and expensive device of 1930’s medical innovative technology. 1937 catalog price for “Model 4M” – £12 (British Pounds) for the price comparing the following prices from the same period:
Austin Car Eight 2-door saloon £128, Ford Car 8 saloon £115, Ford Car 8 de luxe saloon £125, Vauxhall Car 10 saloon £159, Weekly wages as low as £2.10s. The cost of a house was about £650 in the 1930s, if situated in the outer London area, would have at the very top end of the range being built by the speculative builder as the majority of houses would cost less than £500.
Disclaimer:
Device is an antique or collectable Medical Device curiosity, and device (under any circumstances) should not be used for healing or medical purposes today on any living being (Human or Animal). The name of the device “Vitalator” is misleading and device is suitable for revitalizing Frankenstein only. Remember, today’s medical safety requirements are different then in the 1930s and use of this device may result in personal injury or worse.
Under any circumstances do not plug this device to electricity without advice and inspection of your local electrician specialist. Remember the device is more then 70 years old and the age wear and electrical requirements of the 30’s may be not up to date.
27 January
Start Your Antiques Business
How about another great home business idea? One that is rewarding in more ways than just the profit (and there is lots of profit potential!). An antiques business is full of opportunity to learn, make friends and earn some serious coin. It is also one of those great businesses that can be as little or as large as you want or need it to be.
The skills required are some knowledge of antiques and the antiques trade, the eye for a bargain and maybe some handyman skills if you plan on doing some restoration. Because the market is so broad its often best to specialize in one area of the business. This can also be a smart idea if you are keeping this to very much a work at home business and so have limited space. You can then become expert in your particular field very quickly.
The market sectors range from the obvious to the obscure but no matter how obscure, someone is looking to buy the pieces and someone else is making a mint by serving the sector. This might seem obvious but you would be surprised how many enterprising souls start their antiques business in say furniture or porcelain where there is much less opportunity to break through successfully as sectors like those are very crowded and thus competitive. Best to find yourself a less crowded sector like antique toys and dolls or other specialty.
You can source your goods from house clearances, deceased estate sales, advertisements and notices in local newspapers and boards and of course by word of mouth. Your sales can be by private sale through classifieds, markets or of course auctions including online auctions like ebay. You don’t have to be a dealer of course, there are many interested folk doing very nicely out of restoration for example, so if you don’t fancy the dealing part of the business that might be an avenue for you.
Most who get into antiques actually thrive on the thrill of negotiating a purchase or a sale and are always on the lookout for a bargain either way. You want to buy at as low a price as possible while selling as high as you can to maximize profit. This is where specialization can be particularly handy. A good knowledge of the subject to hand will allow you to spot the bargain. It is even possible to get bargains from long established traders if you know more than them about a particular item.
You can also make good money teaching others about antiques either at community college type classes or on a website, you are not likely to be short of an audience as the interest in antiques seems universal and millions of people are looking online for information on antiques.
Possibly the greatest thing about the business though is the ability to choose just how deeply you want to get into the antique business, a little or a lot, some extra cash or a whole living, its all completely up to you.
26 January
Weird USA. How Much for that Human Skull?
A Springfield (Oregon, USA) antiques dealer is selling something that you might find a bit odd: a human skull. The skeletal remains are decades old, and if you want it, that skull could be yours. I like the bizarre, the weird, you might say. Dealer has been collecting antiques for more than 50 years.
“Coins, and then I got into stamps and a few other little things,” dealer said. That includes skeletal remains of animals. Lately though, he’s stockpiling human skulls — he’s up to 13 now. He’s trying to sell one at Glory Days Antiques in Springfield for a whopping $475.
“It would have to be somebody who had a collection and wanted another one for their collection, just not someone coming in and going ‘Wow, Uncle Bill would really like that’,” dealer said.
The skull dates back to the 1920s, believed to be used at an east coast medical school before dealer purchased it. He already knows what he’ll buy with the $475 if and when the real-life antique is sold.
“If I could get a really good pegleg. I would like to have something like that in my collection,” dealer said. The skull has been on sale at the antique store for about six months now. There are still no takers, but the owner hopes that someone will see it and take it home with them.
26 January
Shares in Art Works Offered in New Chinese Investment Market
A pilot art market opened Wednesday in north China’s Tianjin city to allow small investors to buy shares in the ownership of art works previously traded only in auction houses by the super rich. The market, operated by the government-backed Tianjin Cultural Artwork Exchange, is considered a financial innovation by the Tianjin municipal government.
China had no precedent, investors — both individuals and institutes — can trade shares in art work just as in the stock markets. Pieces up for public trading include paintings, calligraphy, sculptures, and handcrafts. It is good news for ordinary Chinese who have money to invest. In general, China has limited financial investment channels compared with developed countries. Experts said the pilot program notably lowered the threshold of investment in China’s booming art and antiques market, which is dominated by big players. Beijing-based Poly International Auction Co., Ltd., a leading domestic auction house, saw turnover of fine art and antiques at 5.28 billion yuan (794.6 million U.S. dollars) at its 2010 autumn auction. Two items were sold at over 100 million yuan and 99 items over 10 million yuan. Shares in two traditional Chinese paintings were offered for sale on the Tianjin market Wednesday: one valued at 6 million yuan and the other at 5 million yuan. Ownership was divided into 6 million shares for the first and 5 million for the other. Investors are very enthusiastic and trading has been active since the market opened at 9 a.m. According to the market’s rules, an investor who buys up to 67 percent of an artwork can require the purchase of the remaining shares from other investors.
26 January
Historic urns bound for return to Arlington Cemetery
The owner of a pair of towering decorative urns that were originally part of Arlington National Cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater told Army officials Tuesday that he would return them, saying they belong at the nation’s most revered burial ground, not on the auction block. The nine-foot-tall marble urns, which were replaced during a renovation of the amphitheater in the mid-1990s, were to have been put up for public sale this weekend by the Potomack Company, an Alexandria auction house.
But after being informed by The Washington Post of the sale, the Department of the Army, which oversees the cemetery, asked the auction house to postpone, “pending additional research to determine rightful ownership and disposition.” Several preservation groups expressed outrage that the urns, which appear in many historic photographs of the cemetery, were to be sold to the highest bidder. On Tuesday afternoon, several Army officials visited the auction house, said they would gladly accept the urns and started making plans to reclaim ownership. Hew Wolfe, the Army’s historic preservation officer, said that it was not yet clear what the Army would do with the urns but that they would likely be put on display, perhaps at the cemetery or at a museum, such as the one being built at Fort Belvoir.
The return of the urns may please preservationists who had criticized the Army for not better protecting the artifacts, but it does not end the mystery of how they ended up in private hands in the first place.
For 14 years, Darryl Savage has had them on display at DHS Designs, his antiques shop in Queenstown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He said he purchased the urns from another dealer, whom he would not identify. According to Savage, that dealer acquired them from one of the companies involved in the amphitheater renovation. Army officials said the original request for renovation proposals instructed the contractor to “dispose” of the urns.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation welcomed the return of the urns to the cemetery, where they will be conserved, properly interpreted and accessible to the public. The urns, carved with eagles, serpents and rams’ heads, were a key part of the amphitheater, which is adjacent to the Tomb of the Unknowns. The amphitheater, made of Danby marble quarried from Vermont, was designed by Carrere and Hastings, one of the most prominent architecture firms of the early 20th century. The urns flanked the amphitheater stage where dignitaries, often including the president, gather for Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. It’s where President Warren G. Harding, standing between the urns, presided over the interment of remains at the Tomb of the Unknowns in 1921. And it’s where Vice President Biden stood last Veterans Day.
At his antiques store, Savage had priced the pair of urns at $125,000. The auction house estimated that they would sell for between $20,000 and $40,000. In a statement, Savage said he purchased the urns “for a substantial price” and did so “with full confidence about their ownership.”
26 January
Eskimo masks sold for a combined $4.6 million
The design for the ceremonial Eskimo mask comes from a shaman’s dream. Fantastical, with a wide grin of pointed teeth and a halo of feathers, it is a highly expressive piece of Native American art — and had been tucked away in a private collection, unseen by the public for a half-century. Until now.
The mask, and another like it, once belonged to Surrealist painter Enrico Donati, and were sold for a combined $4.6 million at the Winter Antiques Show this month. Donald Ellis, owner of the gallery that offered them for sale, said it was a record price for Native American art. The two masks, more than a century old, were among the most important items on display at the show, one of the country’s premiere antiques events. Seventy-five dealers are at the annual bazaar, which runs through Jan. 30. Wealthy New Yorkers tend to be the main clientele, and museum curators peruse works both well-known and obscure.
The Donati masks were created by Yup’ik Eskimos in Alaska for use in winter ceremonies, based on ideas envisioned in dreams by their holy men.
25 January
Statues swiped from Fort Myers Beach antiques store
On Monday, Investigators met with Benjamin Whitley, owner of The Swap Shop on Pine Ridge Road, and learned someone had stolen a red and green tiki and a wooden eagle from the store’s entry way during the night, according to a sheriff’s office report. The tiki is valued at $125 and the eagle is valued at $600.
Whitley told investigators surveillance video captured the incident and showed a male suspect walk up to the store around 10:40 p.m. and struggle to remove the eagle statue, which weighed about 300 pounds. The suspect is described as between 20 and 30 years old, 5-foot-10, 160 pounds and wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and jeans.
24 January
BAFRA reports ban of superior antique paint strippers
Often, valuable antique desks and Victorian dining chairs in Cumbria are hidden beneath layers of paint and varnish. Dealers see these as a welcome challenge, and will spend many hours restoring them to their former glory. However, from December 2011, antique restorers will no longer be able to use a staple ingredient of their trade: dichloromethane (DCM) paint strippers.
When they admire the beautiful glowing colours and dark patina of a set of restored Victorian dining chairs, Preston buyers do not realize they may well have been restored using the same DIY chemicals used to strip paint in modern homes. Chemicals and antiques don’t usually mix – but neither do gloss paints and polyurethane varnishes. The established way to remove such products is by sympathetic use of a DCM-based stripper such as Nitromors. As a cleaner and solvent these have established superiority in the trade over other methods, such as gas torches and heat guns, which can cause untold damage and are far slower to use. However, following an EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) directive, from December 2010 all such products were banned from manufacture. From December 2011 they will be banned from sale completely, and banned from use by June 2012.
The news incensed BAFRA (the British Antique Furniture Restorers’ Association). However, thanks to a well prepared argument suggesting the continued use of DCM strippers under tightly controlled conditions, and by trained professionals only, the Health & Safety and EU REACH Executives are now in talks with manufacturers over this option.
2011 February Antique Fairs UK (continue)
February 16
- THE BIG BRUM – MORNING ANTIQUES FAIR, St Martins Market, The Rag, Edgbaston Street, Birmingham B5 4RB (Tel: 01782 393 660)
February 17 – 21
- INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR, Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2EU (Tel: 020 8742 1611)
February 18 – 19
- CAMBRIDGE PBFA BOOK FAIR, Guildhall Building, Market Square, Cambridge (Tel: 01763 248 400)
February 18 – 20
- STONYHURST COLLEGE ANTIQUES FAIR, Stonyhurst College, Nr Clitheroe, Lancs (Tel: 01423 522 122)
February 19
- LYMINGTON ANTIQUES FAIR, Masonic Hall, Lymington, Hampshire, SO31 9AA (Tel: 01590 677 687)
- DORCHESTER ANTIQUES FAIR, Corn Exchange, High Street East, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 7EP(Tel: 07790 126 967)
- ANTIQUES & FLEA MARKET, University of West of England, North Entrance, Filton Road, Bristol, BS34 8QZ (Tel: 01363 776 600)
February 19 – 20
- THE GREAT WETHERBY RACECOURSE ANTIQUES FAIR, Wetherby Racecourse, Wetherby, Yorks, LS22 5EJ (Tel: 01332 830 444)
February 19 – 21
- LUTON ANTIQUES & FINE ART FAIR, Putteridge Bury House, Luton, Beds
February 20
- WARWICKSHIRE ANTIQUES, 20TH CENTURY AND ART DECO FAIR, Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, Nr Leamington Spa (Tel: 01263 888 111)
- MALVERN FLEA & COLLECTORS FAIR, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worces, WR13 6NW (Tel: 07771 725 302)
- BIGGLESWADE ANTIQUE FAIR, The Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade, Beds SG18 8JH (Tel: 01480 382 432)
- GATESHEAD ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS FAIR, International Stadium, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, NE10 0EF (Tel: 0191 263 9632)
- WILMSLOW ANTIQUES FAIR, Wilmslow Leisure Centre, Rectorial Fields, Wilmslow, Cheshire, K9 1BU (Tel: 07757 758 190)
- GLASGOW ANTIQUE & COLLECTABLES FAIR, Kelvin Hall, 1445 Argyle Street, Glasgow G3 8AW (Tel: 01764 654 555)
- SANDOWN PARK ANTIQUE, COLLECTABLES, VINTAGE, TEXTILES & 20TH CENTURY FAIR, Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9AJ (Tel: 020 7249 4050)
- BENSON ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS FAIR, Benson Parish Hall, Benson, Nr Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 6LZ (Tel: 01235 815 633)
- V&A ANTIQUES & COLLECTORS FAIR, Holmes Chapel Leisure Centre, Selkirk Drive, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire CW4 7DZ (Tel: 01938 580 438)
- LYNDHURST PARK HOTEL, High Street, Lyndhurst, Hants, SO43 7NL (Tel: 01590 677 687)
- ART DECO & ART NOUVEAU FAIR, White Hart Hotel, Harrogate, North Yorks, HG2 0NA (Tel: 07812 510 298)
- PENSILVA ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS FAIR, Millennium House, Pensilva, Nr Liskeard, Cornwall, L14 5NF (Tel: 07887 753 956)
- DORKING HALLS ANTIQUES FAIR, Dorking Halls, Reigate Road, Dorking, Surrey (Tel: 020 8874 3622)
- HARPENDEN VINTAGE FASHION FAIR, Harpenden Public Hall, Southdown Road, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2HL (Tel: 01727 855 040)
- ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS FAIR, Holiday Inn Hotel, Festival Leisure Park, Basildon, Essex, SS14 3DG (Tel: 01702 613 260)
February 22
- SUNBURY ANTIQUES MARKET, Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road, East Sunbury, Middlesex, TW16 5AQ (Tel: 01934 230 946)
February 24
- V&A ANTIQUES & COLLECTORS FAIR, Nantwich Civic Hall, Beam Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5DG (Tel: 01938 580 438)
February 25 – 26
- EXETER RACECOURSE ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS FAIR, Exeter Racecourse & Conference Centre, Kennford, Exeter, EX8 7XS (Tel: 07887 753 956)
February 25 – 27
- LUXURY ANTIQUES WEEKEND TORTWORTH COURT, Totworth Court, Nr Wootton Under Edge, Gloucs, GL12 8HH (Tel: 01797 252 030)
- CITY OF NORWICH ANTIQUES FAIR, City of Norwich School, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 6PP (Tel: 01379 586 134)
February 26 – 27
- KENT INTERNATIONAL ANTIQUES & COLLECTORS FAIR, The Kent County Showground, Detling, Nr Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3JF (Tel: 07771 725 302)
- DERBY UNIVERSITY ANTIQUES FAIR, Derby University, Off A38, Derby DE22 1GB (Tel: 01332 830 444)
- ST IVES ANTIQUES FAIR, The Burgess Civic Hall, St Ivo Leisure Centre, Westwood Road, St Ives, Cambs (Tel: 01945 870 160)
- WORCESTER ANTIQUE CERAMIC & GLASS FAIR, Worcester Museum, Worcester, Worcs (Tel: 07774 244 559)
- STAFFORD ANTIQUES FAIR, Prestwood Centre, Weston Road, Stafford, ST18 0BD (Tel: 01785 660 236)
February 26
- HUNGERFORD ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS FAIR, Corn Excange, Town Hall, Hungerford, RG17 0NJ (Tel: 01235 815 633)
- STRATFORD ANTIQUES MARKET, Rother Street, Stratford Upon Avon CV37 6LP (Tel: 07896 186 847)
- AYR ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS FAIR, Citadel Leisure Centre, South Beach Road, Ayr, KA7 1JB (Tel: 01764 654 555)
- ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS FAIR, Lowther Pavilion, West Beach, Lytham St Annes, FY8 5QQ (Tel: 07802 297 768)
- ST GEORGE’S HALL ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS FAIR, St George’s Hall, Liverpool, (Opposite Lime Street Station), L1 1JJ (Tel: 07922 844 130)
February 27
- ANTIQUES FAIR, Chelsea Town Hall, Kings Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 5EE (Tel: 020 7254 4054)
- CAMBRIDGE GLASS FAIR, Chilford Hall, Linton, Cambs (Tel: 07887 762 872)
- WOKING ART DECO & ART NOUVEAU FAIR, Woking Leisure Centre, Kingield Road, Woking, Surrey, GU22 9BA (Tel: 020 8894 0218)
- DISCOVER VINTAGE WEDDING FAIR, St George’s Hotel, 1 Ripon Road, Harrogate (Tel: 07880 910361)
- KM ANTIQUES FAIR, The Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, London W1V 8BX (tel: 020 8674 8557)
- PENRITH ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS FAIR, Rheged Discovery Centre, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 3DQ (Tel: 0191 261 9632)
- PETWOOD HOTEL ANTIQUES FAIR, Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa, Lincs, LN10 6QF (Tel: 01780 410 286)
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