Sunday 27 April 2008

A Fruity Retro Classic

Disaster - my favourite antiques and collectables centre is closing! Perfect for a good rummage, and with a great turnover of stock, the delightful Mimbridge Antiques Centre in Surrey was also not affected by the ever-encroaching trend for including repro and inspired-by "antiques". Hidden amongst everything else, they just confuse newbie buyers and annoy you and I, which isn't good for anyone. On the upside, the half-price closing down sale did mean that I could invest in a few pieces that I had had my beady eye on for a while.
I've always wanted one of these, but have always found something more 'worthy' to hand over my hard-earned dosh for. Now it's installed in my kitsch-en, I don't know why it took me so long - it's fab! Icons of retro design, these were made from the 1960s-70s by British company Evers. They were also produced for drinks company Britvic, but I've never liked the oval name plates on the side. The tip here is to look for glass bowl liners, like mine has. Easily broken, they are hard to find today and are also indicative of an earlier example - later liners were made of plastic. What did I pay? A princely £7. The value? Collectors, and those wishing to add an instant touch of retro cool to their homes, will usually have to pay anything from £30-50 from a specialist dealer.

No comments: