In need of some spring colour in your life? Bold and beautiful pottery is brightening up our saleroom right now.
Everything from Moorcroft ornaments, Beswick animals and colourful Royal Doulton figures to unmistakable Wedgwood vases in that familiar shade of blue are filling our display cabinets – not to mention a glorious array of Royal Crown Derby.
But I’d love to see more. I take every opportunity to celebrate what’s best about my home city and county and Royal Crown Derby plays a key role in our heritage.
It’s one of England’s oldest remaining porcelain manufacturers. Known for its high-quality bone china, it’s produced tableware and ornamental items since 1750 – a remarkable fact in itself.
Their wares always shine bright in our monthly sales. If you like them, do join us this Friday (Feb 15) for our Pottery Auction – one of my favourite sections of the antiques world.
We see a huge variety of pottery at Hansons, both antique and vintage and including everything from major collections gathered over a lifetime to individual pieces. We appreciate them all.
Inevitably, many people wonder what their objects may be worth. As always, rarity or being a limited-edition piece is key. But you only have to get two keen bidders battling over one item to see the gavel fall at many hundreds of pounds.
Every Wednesday ceramics expert Gillian Finney is on hand at our Etwall Auction Centre to offer free valuations from 10am-4pm – and she has a royal seal of approval.
The company she runs with husband Alan, Ceramic Restoration Studios Ltd, restores high quality pottery and porcelain. The couple count members of royalty, major collectors and museums among their clients and, last year, were granted a royal warrant as ‘Ceramics Restorer’ from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.
I’m hugely proud to have Gillian on board at Hansons. An absolute expert in her field, her speciality is 18th and 19th century English pottery and porcelain, such as Chelsea Derby, Bow, Longton Hall or Lowestoft. But, naturally, she knows all about 20th century pottery too.
Due to Derby’s ceramics heritage and close proximity to the Stoke Potteries, we’re delighted to see a broad mixture of Royal Crown Derby, Moorcroft, Beswick and Royal Doulton – Gillian can assess them all. And I mustn’t forget Denby pottery, a firm which has been combining heritage and quality since 1809.
There can be few families in the Derby area that don’t have at least one piece of pottery from a famous firm on their doorstep. For an expert assessment, do pop along to see Gillian.
Finally, if you’re fascinated by ancient antiquities, do join me at our saleroom in Heage Lane, Etwall, on Monday, February 18, from 5.30pm-7pm. I will be hosting a free exhibition and talk about a 250-strong collection of items excavated from a pagan, Anglo-Saxon Cemetery in Lincolnshire. You can see everything from beads and brooches to spearheads and even a skull. To attend, please email Rachael Morley: [email protected].
For general antiques advice, Hansons offers free on Wednesdays, 5-7pm, Fridays, 9am-5pm, and Saturdays, 9am-noon.
