Heirs v. Museums
In The Vanished Collection the struggle between heirs and museums to claim artwork looted by the Nazis was focused on. Here we look at the views for and against restitution.
Finders keepers?
Imagine standing in the grandeur of the National Gallery, looking at a multi-million-pound Monet on the wall that should be your inheritance. Having your bike nicked and spotting it a week later on eBay would probably be a real pain to prove ownership of (I always enjoy those vigilante stories…
Dating Levi’s
Here’s our guide of things to look out for when shopping for vintage Levi’s – whether to date a pair or spot a counterfeit pair. As with all of our fashion label guides, most dates will be +/- a year or two due to the number of factories involved, having…
Don’t click to buy
This page is a public information poster of sorts, on behalf of sellers who use the online marketplace Etsy.
Building your investment portfolio
Economists from HSE University found that secondary market prices of retired LEGO sets grow by 11% annually (8% in real terms), which is faster than gold, stocks, bonds and other ‘hobby investments’. They sampled 2,322 LEGO sets made between 1987 and 2015 and found that small or big sets do…
His mother’s possessions
Drawers full of chargers for old phones, broken pens, shop business cards. Old newspapers. A broken thermometer. A garlic press, a grater, and a – what’s it called? – we laughed at that word, it featured in so many recipes for a time: a quirl whisk. A quirl whisk. Things…
Through rose coloured glasses
In the last issue we looked at examples of when history is made less authentic to appear more realistic and how it can either distance us from or immerse us into the past. You can read it here. This time we’re going to throw some ideas around about that distancing…
At the end of the rainbow
Can’t think of anything more boring than crystalware? Then I beg a moment of your time to show that crystal is anything but dull, in both senses of the word. I’d never given crystal a second glance. To me, crystal was the stuff that my mum carefully shuffled me past…
What’s in a name?
What’s the appeal of an autograph? A connection to the world of celebrity? A brag? A record of a brief moment shared with an idol? Collector, now dealer, Adam Andrusier began autograph collecting with a signed photograph of Ronnie Barker who lived round the corner from him in Pinner. It…
Through dirt covered glasses
The coconut effect There’s plenty of instances in life when a lie is more attractive than the truth, if not even more believable than the truth. You’ll impress nobody saying, “play it” in your best Bogart voice because we all know the line was, “play it again Sam” – except…