my Ceredigion and my Cardigan Bay » buying

Photos: Arts and Crafts Oak Candlesticks from Carmarthen Showground

Paul Williams — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:54:09 +0000

I spent the best part of this damp morning at Carmarthen Showground Antiques and Flea market distributing the 2010 Wales Antiques Guide. A side benefit of this is getting in early before the civilians, and having a good look around the stalls and meeting the mostly laconic and downbeat stall holders.

The goods on offer were piled high and of a pretty good standard; with more cash I would have come home with a lot more that I did.

So here’s the star lot; one pair of arts and crafts candlesticks, oak, carved, 16 inches high and probably late 19th or early 20th century. I’m unable to identify the maker but I suspect a Welsh connection. I guess they could possibly be made for ecclesiastical use though I’d have expected something a little more ‘gothic revival’.

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Disposable Sharps for Vinyl Junkies; Gramophone Needles and the Damage Done

Paul Williams — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:47:07 +0000

Every day, I confess, I visit a certain charity shop. It is a rather unreconstructed affair; no pricing policies, no Fair Trade, no over-priced secondhand books and no visiting window dresser. You’ll gather that this is my kind of charity shop. It’s old school and I like it because there’s most likely something worth buying. As often as not it’s a ‘nothing’, a ‘yes-thing’ that’s cool to have around, but not a thing that will make worry about getting too rich, too quick.

Here are today’s treasures.

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£1 never better spent; until tomorrow.

Grammophon-Nadeldosen / Gramophone Needle Tins: Geschichte und Katalog mit aktuellen Bewertungen / History and Catalogue with current Valuations

Wales Antiques Guide 2010; and it’s smokin’….

Paul Williams — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:03:26 +0000

It’s that time of year again; as it is with the crocus and the primrose, the West Wales Antiques Guide reminds us it is spring…

And this year I InDesign-ed it myself; well done me!

Wales Antiques Guide 2010

The WALES ANTIQUES GUIDE is published annually each spring and distributed across Mid and West Wales and beyond. We have been publishing the Guide since 1987 – twenty-three sucessful years! If you are interested in finding out more about the Wales Antiques Guide contact Paul Williams on 01239 615866 or 07790438157 or by email at paul_williams@btinternet.com. Prepared and designed by Paul Williams with the help of Norman Williams and John Higginbottom.

An Afghan Baluchi Rug?

Paul Williams — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:50:02 +0000

Today I bought an Afghan Rug; my expertise in this field is close to zero but I can tell a man made from machine made. It was hanging lazily and modestly in a dealers stall in Cardigan Market and was reasonably priced. Light and portable it was tucked under my arm and transported to its new home.

Quite excited about this rug I’ve spent a few hours researching as best I can. I’m excited not because it is rare or desperately valuable but because it’s an opportunity to pore over something skillfully and uniquely made.

I’m always drawn to rugs of this type and there are many about and I’d guess even (or especially) they’re arriving from Afghanistan by the truckload. However, usually, the antique examples I see are very worn and threadbare, damaged, restored or out of my price range.

This was definately in my price range (a computer game, or something like, would have to wait) and it was in excellent condition. Apart from its ‘one of a kind’ -ness this piece turned out to be wider at one end than the other by about a couple of inches. No matter, idiosyncratic is good.

This has a peculiarly deep indigo ground, some subtle colours in the border motifs and (once one’s eye becomes accustomed to the dizzying colour and design) it reveals itself as depicting two large vases. Four smaller vases float in attendance. The weaver has further elaborated this theme with a repeating floral and leaf border. Damn me if they don’t look like poppies though I expect to be disabused of this notion by someone less naive.

The colours in borders, reds, golds, greens, oranges and a kind of mustardy yellow, are stunning.

Compare with this image of a Baluchi Vase of Flowers pattern from the War Rugs Blog.

A last tribute to the War Rug Site: Do Not Touch!

Junk Shop Vinyl: Nancy and Lee

Paul Williams — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:51:57 +0000

Taking a cue from super-readable blog, Diggin’ It, I thought I’d post a bit of junk shop vinyl.

This is the 1968 Reprise album by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood.

It’s a weird, though surprisingly successful, pairing and reading the track listing you know this is going to be a patchy album; even the good is going to be over-shadowed by the spooky psyche-pop masterpiece Some Velvet Morning.

Here is that track listing.

You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
Elusive Dreams
Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman
Summer Wine
Storybook Children
Sundown, Sundown
Jackson
Some Velvet Morning
Sand
Lady Bird
I’ve Been Down So Long (It Looks Like Up to Me)

See what I mean?

Some Velvet Morning has been much covered and recently most notably by Kate and Bobby…

All that for 49p at Barnardo’s in Cardigan.