AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2010
TH 94
AUSTRALASIA’S LEADING ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES MAGAZINE
N IO IT ED
TRADER
FUN & FANTASY Paste jewellery for an age
GEN Y COLLECTABLES the
®
revolution
SPECIAL CERAMICS FEATURE Popular taste in the 1950s and 60s
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO COLLECT? Have you considered computers?
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Feature articles 6
KISS memorabilia rocks John Harrison
18 A bicycle collection
Dr Paul Farren 22 Enamelling from ancient to modern uses
Amanda Stucklin 52 Computers become collectable at age 60
Rob Ditessa
76 68
Ceramics feature Three potters from Melbourne 38 Kitten pottery from Ellis Ceramics
Veronica Moriarty 56 Classic Art Ware of John B Knight
Dorothy Johnston 76 Pottery by Gundars Lusis
Ross A Waterman
Heritage 44 Pocket watches inscribed with history
Damian Madden 62 Ancient mosaics in Israel
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Melody Amsel-Arieli
Numismatics feature 34 British medals of the Victorian era
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Peter Lane
Fashion feature 12 Paste jewellery: timeless and affordable
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Travel feature 68 Bangkok for collectors and connoisseurs
Dr Margaret D McNiven
84
out & about 68
Regular features 47 Conundrum 49 Collectables fairs 50 How to subscribe 86 Bulletin board 88 Collectors’ bookshelf 94 Advertising rates 96 Advertisers’ Index
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WIN conundrum enter our prize draw See page 47
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3
Pop Mania
Kiss And Sell...
With the possible exception of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, no other musical act has been as heavily merchandised or collected as the hard rock supergroup KISS.
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Collectables Trader
John Harrison
T
he band known as KISS emerged from the concrete boroughs of New York in 1973, their mercurial rise and slavish following due to clever marketing, as well as the obligatory tunes that appealed to middle America. KISS combined heavy glam-tinged rock ’n roll with a strong visuals. The band hid their identities under kabuki clown makeup and strutted onstage in elaborate costumes and eight-inch platform heels. Their explosive, highly theatrical stage show quickly saw the band establish a huge live following across the United States. Although sluggish at first, the band went on to achieve record sales after the release of the groundbreaking double live album, KISS Alive! in 1975. By 1977, thanks to continuous touring with an increasingly extravagant live show and hit albums such as Destroyer, Rock & Roll Over and Love Gun a Gallup poll conducted that year named Kiss as the most popular musical group amongst American teenagers, many of whom loved the
Bijoux
Les
Paste Jewellery
1
The quality, excellent design, colour, range and charm of these pieces highlight their timelessness and in Australia they are still affordable and relatively accessible
P
aste jewellery is not a recent development, with origins dating back to antiquity when craftsmen discovered that glass could provide a fine substitute for the colour, brilliance and splendour of expensive gemstones. Roman writers, describing the passion of rich men and women for gold jewellery set with emeralds and pearls imported from the East, remarked that those who could not afford genuine gems sought the same effect.
PERCEPTIONS
2 1 Necklace, pyrites, country of manufacture unknown, 19th century. Arrow brooch, jet, French, 19th century. Clip earrings, jet and silver, French, 19th century, originally buttons. Courtesy James Alfredson, Melbourne
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Collectables Trader
2 Blue parure, blue paste, close set in gold, English, early 19th century, brooch w. 32 mm, necklace l: 460 mm. The pair of bracelets, necklace with Greek cross pendant, top and drop earrings and open brooch/buckle are in their original fitted case. Courtesy S.J. Phillips Ltd, London
OF
STATUS
Similarly in the Middle Ages, when wealth was also expressed by the possession of valuable gold and jewellery, there was a demand for substitutes met by the glass makers of Bohemia, Venice and Paris. Glass even appears in the collections of Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Anne (wife
A Personal Journey
Cycles of History Although concentrating on only three decades, the Farren bicycle collection covers a significant time in Australian history
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Collectables Trader
Paul Farren
A
s a collector of antique bicycles in Australia I am one of only a small group. My collection is concentrated on the time when the pace of change and innovation was at its height – the last three decades of the 19th century. The history of the bicycle in Australia is very much tied up with the wealth of the late 1800s. This wealth came from gold mining, with Ballarat being the major gold producer. The first bike races were held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1869. These races featured ‘boneshakers’ but were met by general disappointment from the crowd because they were used to horse racing and these boneshakers were so slow!
A boneshaker or velocipede has two wooden wheels of similar size and dates from around 1860.
Collecting in Victoria Victoria had one of the very first bicycle clubs in the world. This means that there is a good possibility of finding early bicycles in Victoria before resorting to the Internet, international auctions and overseas collectors. DRAWN
TO
COLLECTING
I come from a family of collectors, but none collected bicycles. My family lived in the UK and I was raised in South Wales. As a youth I enjoyed bicycling around the leafy lanes and at the age of 12 purchased a 1935 Sun tandem
e b o i T cr bs ow u S N
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