On many a homeowner’s Christmas gift wish-list this year, you’ll find a request for one of Judith Mitchell’s books.
Well-thumbed copies of her publications can be found in homes across the country, and for some home owners they are something of a bible.
Her latest one, Judith Miller’s Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2014-2015, looks set to follow suit. If you want to know the value of your antiques, or find out how the antiques market is fairing, this is the place to look.
What’s interesting is that is was a lack of such books that drove Judith, a regular on the Antiques Road Show, to put pen to paper in the first place.
Judith, from Galashields, said: “I didn’t grow up with antiques – my parents were part of the Formica generation who got rid of everything that was old and replaced it with new.
“I was interested in history and started collecting things as a hobby.
“As a student, I literally spent pennies buying things like old plates and saucers, and wanted to know more about what I was buying, but there were no books that matched what I was looking for so I’d go to the library, take out a book on ceramics then find it only featured highly expensive items and porcelain I couldn’t afford.
“In a way, the antiques world of the 1960s and 70s was a closed shop.
“You had to ring the doorbell before you were admitted to a proper antiques shop and there were no prices on anything, just codes.
“It was all highly embarrassing if you didn’t know anything.”
Today, thanks to a raft of television shows and the internet, the world of antiques and collecting is open to all.
“That’s great news because people really love talking about what they have.
“Programmes tend to focus on high-value items, but the bulk of the time is spent talking to people who have brought along items which have been passed down through the family that maybe aren’t worth that much money, but have a family significance and often very interesting stories.”
As a collector, she’s drawn to Scottish-made items and anything relating to Scottish history.
“I started collecting Monarch Glass which was made in Perth in the 1920s and 30s simply because I liked it and it was quite cheap.
“It was considered ‘kitsch’ because it had lots of sparkly bits, but I liked it.
“I come down in the morning and see the glass sparkling and that makes me happy.
“I think that if you love it and it is beautiful then you should have it, no matter what other people think of it.”
Items relating to the romance of the Jacobite era set her pulse racing.
“Allegiance to the Jacobites had to be hidden so it’s exciting to find things like a little Jacobite rose engraved on a glass or pill box with a secret portrait of Prince Charlie hidden within it,” said Judith.
“If you can prove provenance then that adds a great deal to the value of things.
“Once you become a collector, you’re an addict – it is an illness,” she said laughing.
So the burning question is, what should today’s homeowners look out for?
FURNITURE
“There are lots of things to choose from such as Victoriana and brown furniture,” said Judith.
“Brown is a rather derogatory term but it refers to plane, non-decorated middle-range furniture usually made of mahogany or oak made in the late 18th and 19th centuries for the middle class.
“It’s very quality as it is craftsman made and solid wood.
“You can pick up a chest of drawers for around £200 and that will last you forever and be around long after your cheap, modern pieces have gone in the skip.
“Some people buy brown furniture and paint it. That’s fine as that Swedish look is very in at the moment.
“I wouldn’t throw my hands up in horror if they pained a brown chest, but I would if they pained a Chippendale chair.
“G Plan and Ercol, modern design furniture produce in small quantities, are also quite collectable now.”
ORIENTAL
“Antiques from the Orient are highly collectable,” said Judith.
“In this country, we didn’t produce porcelain until the 1740s but they were producing in China in 1200.
“The Emperors were highly cultured men and demanded fantastic pieces.
“Collectors in China are desperate to buy these back as they are part of their heritage, and are prepared to travel and spend phenomenal amounts of money, such as £20million-£40million for a Ming vase.”
BOOKS
“First editions are always collectable,” said Judith.
“An interesting example was for the first Harry Potter book.
“Bloomsbury had no idea it would take off as the editor thought is was reasonably badly written, so they only printed 600 copies in hardback.
“Most of these were sent to libraries and got into a terrible condition.
“JK Rowling, who had a difficult relationship with her dad, signed a first edition copy for him with a special inscription which he sold, for a huge amount.
“The book took off, slowly at first, so by the time you get to the third or fourth book there’s not the same value as these are printed in vast quantities.”
But it’s still worth keeping a lookout for early editions.
In May this year, a unique first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone which featured handwriting by Rowling, sparked a bidding war and sold for a record, £150,000.
PRINCE GEORGE
“If you are looking for an investment you have to think high quality and low numbers,” said Judith.
“There’s no point in buying anything mass produced.
“Get something that’s craftsman made or genuine limited edition.”
TOYS
“It’s said there are more Buzz Lightyear toys still in their boxes than those being played with because people have read about collecting toys and hung on to them,” said Judith.
“Find an early Mickey Mouse from the 1930s in its box in good condition and you’re talking thousands.
“Any of the big pieces from say Star Wars need to be from when the film first came out and before it was a big success.
“It’s toys connected to shows or films that don’t do so well at first, then later become cult, that are collectible.
“So some of these boxed toys packed away in lofts will be virtually worth nothing, while others will be in demand from specialist collectors who are very specific about what they want.”
Original Dinky and Corgi toys are also hot items.
“The people buying these are those who didn’t have the money to buy them when they were young,” said Judith.
For those keen to have special items on display in their home, Judith has this advice:
“Get out there and go to auction houses and car boot sales and have fun,” said Judith.
“I get really excited at auctions. My heart starts beating, my palms sweat and I start glaring at anyone who starts bidding against me.
“There’s no doubt it’s an addiction.”
The new edition of the 2014-2015 Miller’s Antiques Handbook and Price Guide is on sale now.