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Forgotten Collectibles of the 90s: A UK Expert Vintage Guide
Forgotten Collectibles of the 90s: A UK Expert Vintage Guide
The 1990s produced an extraordinary quantity of things designed to be collected. Some were sold as toys and became collectibles later; others were marketed as collectibles from the first day.... Read more...
Vintage Sinclair ZX Spectrum +2 home computer from The Voyage Bird archive
Retro Computing Collectibles: A UK Guide to Vintage Home Computers & Gaming
Britain's home-computer boom created one of the richest collecting fields in European technology. The machines were cheap enough to enter ordinary homes and schools, distinctive enough to inspire fierce brand... Read more...
Mixed vintage enamel pin badges from The Voyage Bird archive
Collectible Pins: A UK Collector's Guide to Vintage Badges, Enamel Pins & Insignia
British badge collecting crosses several fields at once: militaria, political and labour history, scouting, transport, motoring, coronation memorabilia, jewellery and commercial advertising. That breadth is part of the attraction, but... Read more...
Mixed vintage wristwatch collection from The Voyage Bird archive
Vintage Watches Identification: A UK Collector's Guide to Dating, Marks & Movements
A vintage watch is rarely identified by one number. The dial may carry a retailer rather than a manufacturer; the case and movement can have different serials; a British military... Read more...
Tobacciana: A UK Collector's Guide to Vintage Tobacco, Pipe & Smoking Memorabilia
Tobacciana: A UK Collector's Guide to Vintage Tobacco, Pipe & Smoking Memorabilia
Tobacciana is the collecting of objects connected with tobacco and historic smoking culture: cigarette cards, pipes, tobacco tins, cigar boxes and bands, lighters, cases, ashtrays, snuff boxes, matchboxes, advertising signs,... Read more...
Vintage British beer mat collection from The Voyage Bird archive
Breweriana in the UK: A Collector's Guide to Vintage Beer, Brewery & Pub Memorabilia
Breweriana is the material history of brewing and the pub trade: brewery advertising, bottles, pump clips, beer mats, labels, trays, mirrors, jugs, glasses, tokens, signs and the equipment once used... Read more...
Vintage British pressed glass bowl from The Voyage Bird archive
British Glass Makers: A UK Collector's Identification Guide
British glass is often identified backwards. A seller starts with a colour, a familiar shape or a confident attribution, then looks for evidence to support the name. Collectors get better... Read more...
UV Reactive Glass: Beyond Uranium — A UK Collector's Guide
Green fluorescence is so strongly associated with uranium glass that other UV-reactive glass is frequently misidentified. A clear pressed dish can glow green because it contains manganese. An amber or red piece may show yellow-orange fluorescence associated with cadmium compounds. Pink glass can react because of selenium or other ingredients. Some objects contain more than one glass formulation, so the rim, foot, applied handle and body can respond differently under the same torch. The useful rule is simple: UV fluorescence is evidence about a material, not a maker, date or... Read more...
Cold War Militaria: A UK Collector's Guide to Identification, Marks & Provenance
Cold War Militaria: A UK Collector's Guide to Identification, Marks & Provenance
Cold War militaria is unusually rewarding for British collectors because much of it is well marked. Labels, contract references, dates, NATO Stock Numbers, stores references and government-property marks can turn... Read more...
Identifying Vintage & Antique Costume Jewellery: A UK Collector's Guide
Identifying Vintage & Antique Costume Jewellery: A UK Collector's Guide
Vintage costume jewellery is easiest to misidentify when one clue is asked to do too much work. A C-clasp is not automatically Victorian. A stamp reading "925" is not a... Read more...
Pace International & Pace Minerva Band Posters: A Collector's Guide
Pace International & Pace Minerva Band Posters: A Collector's Guide
A detailed collector's guide to original Pace International and Pace Minerva band posters from Holmes McDougall of Edinburgh. Covers company history, catalogue numbers, printer marks, physical characteristics, artwork credits, how... Read more...