It’s farewell to the flatpack and hello to the heirloom. Mark Hill from Antiques Roadshow tells Jane McGowan why yesterday’s objects are the scoop of the day...
Aside from Brexit and a bouncing royal baby, 2019 will be remembered as the year of the environment. Spurred on by Sir David Attenborough’s thought-provoking documentary series Blue Planet II – not to mention the heartfelt pleas of Swedish teenage climate champion Greta Thunberg – people across the land have grown acutely aware of just how much we throw away.
For one group, however, a reluctance to chuck has long been part of the act. New, these people insist, does not equate to better, nor antiquity to unfitness for purpose. As surprising as it may seem to more youthful climate change warriors, the besuited, slightly square antiques dealer has been championing preservation for decades.
“Antiques are green,” proclaims Mark Hill, the Horsley-born, distinctly unsquare Antiques Roadshow expert, author and collector. “They are the most glamorous form of recycling there is.”
There is no particular knack to sourcing pieces of value, he insists. If you find something pleasing, that is as good a starting point as any.
“It’s true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some objects have a resonance about them – you just want to keep looking at them. I have things in my home that make me happy when I come downstairs and see them in the morning. They please something in my brain.
“It’s a little like music: we don’t know why a particular piece sets off certain emotions, but a lovely object can do that too. You couldn’t say the same for a Billy bookcase, could you?”
Mark took to the trade as a child after his father, a retired Formula 1 engineer for the former Tyrrell team at Ockham, instilled in him a love of craftsmanship and the need to know just how things were made. His first purchase was a pocket watch that he spotted at an antiques fair.
“I then sold it at Crow’s Auction Gallery in Dorking,” he recalls. “I actually made a bit of money on it and I thought: ‘Wow! This is good.’”
With enough research and preparation, says Mark, anyone can develop an “eye”. Even so, purchases made on the assumption of rising value are asking for trouble.
“Only ever buy something you love,” warns Hill, who is deeply aware that there is more to antiques than making money. Forged in other times, these objects have much to say about the past – both the grand narrative and individual family tales.
“There is nothing worse than finding a really old teddy bear in mint condition, as that means it has never been loved or played with, which is terribly sad.
“On Antiques Roadshow we talk about what something is worth, but we also go into the story; the journey that the piece has made within a family. Once the item is sold, it starts a new journey – and the buyer becomes part of it.”
If sales figures are anything to go by, the antiques trade itself is currently making rapid strides. According to online art and antiques site saleroom.co.uk, more than £128m sales were made via its platform during 2017 – a 21% increase on the previous year.
And it’s the millennials (born circa 1981-96) who are spearheading this renaissance, says Hill, burrowing online for pre-loved, individual items and embracing the ‘30-year rule’. A variant on ‘Laver’s Law’, this essentially states that something considered the height of style will quickly fall out of fashion, only to top the charts again three decades later.
“Basically, you don’t want to wear what your mum wore,” laughs Mark. “But what granny had is good – that’s considered vintage now.”
Young people are rejecting “homogenised, IKEA-led catalogue shopping”, opting instead for items that help them cut their own dash.
“There is much more mix and match at the moment. One could have a 1790s sideboard with a 1970s piece of glass on top of it. You can do what you want – there are no rules anymore. Individualism is on the up again, with a real appreciation of craftsmanship.”
But surely something lovingly made, which has already survived for a century or two, would be outside the price range of many young furniture finders? Not so, it seems.
“Antiques have actually never been less expensive,” asserts Mark. “I can acquire things now that I wouldn’t have had a hope of owning when I started out 23 years ago.
“For example, you can buy incredibly good ‘brown’ furniture for a reasonable price – a solid wood Victorian chest of drawers would be well under £100 at auction. What could you get with that on the high street? And how long would it last?”
If affordability is one key feature of antiques, however, practicality is another: these objects are there to be used, insists Mark.
“If you’ve bought a bureau, or a dresser, make use of it. Enjoy it. That’s what it was made for – not to be looked at.”
And sourcing has never been easier.
“Yesterday, for example, I saw something I wanted, bid online, paid for the item, and then sorted and paid for the shipping, all without leaving my chair. There is no need now to drive miles in the hope of spotting something.”
Even so, says Mark, the best place to begin one’s quest for items is the local auction house, where knowledgeable staff are on hand to answer any questions you may have.
“Auction and dealer staff are very helpful. Antiques is an area they are really passionate about and, at the end of the day, they want to sell you something. So it’s in their interests to help.”
On the other hand, if you are buying from someone online, or through an internet auction site, the rule is very definitely ‘buyer beware’.
“The internet is one place to start, but anyone can get a picture of something and put it for sale. And even if they’re genuine, they may not have noticed that something is missing or slightly damaged. Things can get difficult.”
Anyone dipping a cautious toe into the water should look for dealers and houses belonging to BADA – British Antique Dealers’ Association – or SOFAA, the Society of Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, says Mark.
“I would advise anyone starting out to visit an auction and get to know the place and the staff. They are there to help and will want you to keep coming back.
“Most importantly though, don’t believe the kind of thing you see on daytime TV. If you walk into a shop and something has a £120 ticket on it, don’t offer them £20 like they do on the telly.
“Quite frankly, that sort of behaviour would justify your getting a slap in the face. It’s just rude. The dealer has overheads, rent to pay and something called a salary to earn. Simply ask: ‘What’s your best price?’ Then take it from there.”
You have been warned.
To find out more about the world of antiques visit: markhillpublishing.com
