Stakeout: The Posh Oppe Shoppe, Caulfield South

OK, now before anyone points this out to me, I’m well aware that I may have spelled the name of this shop incorrectly. Posh Opp Shoppe? Poshe Oppe Shop? I forget (unforgivable). In the end I went for the maximum allowable amount of Ye Olde Time spelling, a sensible decision in anyone’s book. It’s at the corner of Glenhuntly Road and Grange Road.

Now, where were we? Ah, yes. This is really the grand - daddy of op shops in its area. It leaves me flabbergasted every time. How is it that they are jam packed to the rafters with vintage gems, antiques and collectables, while other nearby ops haven’t got a hope? Where are they getting their stuff?

Go See ‘Black in Fashion’ at the NGV – You Can Thank Me Later

Every time I make the effort to go to the NGV, I think ‘this is great – why don’t I do this more often?’ (I go through the exact same process every time I make soup or visit an aquarium).

And at the moment, vintage lovers in Melbourne should be particularly keen to make an excursion to our state gallery in order to see an exhibition entitled ‘Black in Fashion: From Mourning to Night’.

How to Identify Jet and Its (Many) Imitators

You’ve probably seen jet jewellery before. It’s black, it’s shiny, it’s reminiscent of the Victorian era, when Queen Victoria wore it during her long period of mourning after the death of Prince Albert in 1861 and accidentally caused a fashion sensation.

This fashion during the high Victorian period meant that jet (especially from Whitby in Yorkshire, England) became immensely popular as a material for mourning jewellery. Which means it became more expensive. Which, in turn, means that many cheaper alternatives to jet were employed to make less expensive jewellery that captured the sombre elegance of jet.

Unfortunately, the differences between jet and its imitations are sometimes very hard to distinguish; it’s not like comparing a rhinestone to a diamond. Jet isn’t actually a mineral, as it’s made when decaying wood is under extreme pressure (sort of like coal). Its what’s known as a mineraloid. Thus some traditional measures of the intrinsic material can’t be used in this instance.

Anyway, down to business…here’s a few pointers if you want to work out whether something is jet:

Noritake Porcelain: It Won’t Be Affordable Forever

Have you noticed that the level of snobbery towards porcelain produced in Japan is starting to dramatically fall?

In fact, Japanese porcelain from the middle of the 20th Century (stuff that would be called ‘retro’, I suppose) is becoming fairly collectable. And the more kitschy it is, the more people love it. Figurines produced in Japan, especially during the 1960s – long, lean cats, roly-poly puppies and birds with big eyes, all of them in wild primary colours – are selling at Chapel Street Bazaar et al for quite the pretty penny.

All of this brings me to a Somewhat Risky Observation – it appears that more conservative/useful/early Japanese porcelain is starting to increase in value as well.

Tips for Navigating the Camberwell Market

This was originally going to be a ‘stakeout’ post, as I was at the Camberwell market last weekend, but I think – given the central place this market holds as a source of vintage/retro gear, and how regularly people go to it - it’s worth giving some more general pointers and observations.

For the uninitiated, here’s the skinny on Cambo – it’s a Sunday market held in a large carpark in Station Street, Camberwell (behind the Burke Street shops). It’s hosted by the Rotary Club of Balwyn, and admission costs a gold coin donation which you give to someone in a vaguely ridiculous bib (vollies are posted at every entrance).

Now, this next bit is Extremely Important:

Know Your Vintage Periods: A Crash Course in Eras

Do you hear people bandy-about terms like ‘Georgian’, ‘Regency’, ‘Victorian’, ‘Edwardian’ etc and think ‘Am I going to look like a Grade-A boofhead if I admit that I have no fecking clue what you’re on about?’

Then this is the guide for you!

Lessons From Antiques Roadshow and Bargain Hunt #2: Suspect the Expert

I came across a great stray piece of information the other day; an academic has written a paper on the power relations present in Antiques Roadshow, focusing on the way experts frame their questions to heighten their own authority and superiority in the exchange of information that occurs between expert and owner.

And now, when I watch such shows, I realise that this is true – often the wry expert will ask the hapless (often elderly, often rural) owner which country an item comes from, or when it dates from, when the item itself is providing false clues.

Example: earlier this week, a woman had two drinking vessels examined by one of the Roadshow’s experts. One had the typical white-and-blue glazed appearance of Eastern porcelain, as well as several traditional Chinese motifs (lotus flowers etc) painted on it.

The expert asked: ‘Do you know which country this comes from?’

Tools For Appraising Stuff in Op Shops and Antique Stores

Over the last few years, I’ve learned a fair bit about detecting quality, spotting fakes and generally examining items at op shops, fairs and antiques stores. But a trained eye and a bank of knowledge take time to build up, and having a few tools on one’s person when one is out and about can make assessing an item that much easier.

It’s also a good way to demonstrate to a vendor that you’re not one of those characters in a cartoon that turns into a lollipop/pigeon when a shyster walks by.

So here are the items I would always carry with me if I could…

Media Watch: Dita Von Teese, Thandie Newton and Forbes Talk Vintage

I am sick as a hound dog at the moment (slight exaggeration), so today’s won’t be a long post. However, I am once again astounded by the extent to which vintage is making the headlines…

1. Dita Von Teese has been interviewed in the New York Times and talks about her various vintage collections – this is really an insight into decadence.

Bad Language: Sorting the Vintage from the Second Hand

I was reading an article a few weeks ago (which, unfortunately, I now can’t locate), in which some haughty English fellow was lamenting the dissolution of the English language.

Applying his caustic wit to many commonplace terms, he focused in on the term ‘vintage’, saying that people who used it need to wake up to themselves, because ‘these things aren’t “vintage” – they’re second-hand’.

What this dude fails to realise, however, is that language is dynamic – ‘vintage’ may traditionally be a term used to indicate the date when something was produced and nothing more, but it has now evolved into a useful term for classifying goods of a certain era.

His objection got me thinking, though – vintage items are second hand. So why doesn’t it seem correct to just lump them all under that umbrella and head back to the croquet match (or whatever it is you were doing)?