Antique scientific instruments

Antiques & Collectables
by  on March 13, 2017

Unless you are a physicist, geographer, astronomer or something similar, an old scientific instrument may mean nothing to you. That is, until you see an archaic contraption covered with green patina that your best friend has proudly displayed in the …

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Chandeliers, beautiful and opulent

Antiques & Collectables
by  on January 6, 2017

The term chandelier comes from chandelle, the French word meaning candle holder, which is derived from the Latin candelabrum. Sometime in the 14th century, someone had the brilliant idea to hang those candle holders from a ceiling... and the chandelier as …

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Antique teaware: Japan

Antiques & Collectables
by  on November 17, 2016

The Japanese inherited tea from the empire of China: A country where the art of tea was already ages old - a gentle pleasure that ran back to antiquity. It is perhaps fitting that tea arrived in Japan in 805, the same century that saw the writing of the …

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Antique teaware: China

Antiques & Collectables
by  on October 13, 2016

"A cup of tea is a cup of peace." Soshitsu Sen XV Tea is for some a repast and for others a religion. It entered history as a medicinal brew during the Han dynasty of China (206 BC–220 AD), although folk tales mention tea being drunk during the …

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Definitive and commemorative stamps

Stamps
by  on September 26, 2016

Stamps used to come to us stuck on letters and that is how many of us started collecting them.   Now that the snail mail is becoming extinct, stamp collecting is waning too, a victim of the rise of digital technology.   Although …

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Picture postcards

Antiques & Collectables
by  on July 27, 2016

Deltiology, the study and collecting of picture postcards, is thought to be third largest collecting hobby in the world.   Once upon a time, weary travellers knew that their first duty upon arriving at a destination was to buy a bunch of picture …

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The R5 Griqua Town coin

Coins
by  on April 21, 2016

If you are a regular visitor to the bidorbuy Coins and Notes category, you may have noticed there is a relative new-comer: the R5 Griqua Town coin.   This commemorative coin was issued in 2015 by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to mark the …

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Grading notes in South Africa

Coins
by  on April 11, 2016

It's finally here!   We are all aware of the note grading companies overseas. The problem with overseas grading is the cost due to the rand/dollar rate, the time it takes to send out and receive and of course, the shipping costs. All in all it …

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Jellyfish on South African stamps

Stamps
by  on March 4, 2016

Jellyfish are not everyone’s cup of tea. Some find these creatures vaguely repulsive, probably due their mushy and squashy physique. Some find them positively terrifying, a state of mind that seems to be in close correlation to having been stung by a …

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Royal Albert porcelain

Antiques & Collectables
by  on February 9, 2016

The name Royal Albert brings to mind delicate tea cups that Victorians might have used. For a good reason: Victorians did use them.   If Thomas Wild and Co. wanted to win the favour of the upper British classes by naming their table and tea …

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