Manuel Cipriano Gomes Mafra (1829-1905) was one of the foremost Portuguese ceramists of the 19th century who developed a vast array of work influenced by the natural world. Manuel Mafra’s pottery work, marked by naturalism, was strongly influenced by the French 16th century engineer, craftsman and potter Bernard Palissy . […]
Collecting Articles and Features
Welcome to the WCN Collecting Articles and Features Channel dedicated to all things related to collecting, antiques, pottery, vintage toys, dolls, teddy bears, memorabilia, books, comics, figurines and everything else collectable. Our aim is to provide collectors with information on all aspects of antiques and collecting, from identifying and valuing antiques, to tips on starting and growing a collection, and to featured collectible histories.
We feature hundreds of articles and features on all aspects of collecting, written by experts in the field. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just getting started, we hope you’ll find something of interest here. Thanks for reading! You can also search for articles using the magnifying glass to the top right of the web site.
Wade and Disney – The Wade Hat Box Series
Disney and the Wade Hat Box Series Wade and Disney are two of the hottest collectable names around – so a combination of both makes for something really special. In 1955, Walt Disney’s Film Lady and the Tramp was released and was a tremendous success, combining an appealing story, enchanting animation, […]
Lace Bobbins – The Decorative Charm of Lace Bobbins
A growing interest in lace collecting has also created a renewed interest in old pillow lace bobbins. Lace bobbins have always been a decorative adjunct to lace making and although functional and fairly standard in form the bobbin flourished in its decorative charm with carving, colour, material and decoration making […]
Collecting Affordable Designer
I don’t really class myself as a Designer Diva, however, I do always seem to pick the most expensive item in the shop or fall in love with the out of reach prices for items in magazines. So the easiest way for me to work around this little problem is […]
Collecting Victorian Copper Jelly Moulds and Price Guide
Copper jelly moulds are among the most attractive and popular of all kitchenalia. The humble copper jelly mould came in a variety of shapes and sizes and became more and more elaborate over time. The moulds that were part of the batterie de cuisine of the larger houses sometimes bore the name of […]
Christmas Collectables and Gifts for Christmas 2018
We take a look at some of the Christmas Collectables, Christmas Collectibles and Christmas gifts available for Xmas 2018. Royal Doulton Royal Doulton has several festive offerings including their annual Christmas Figure entitled Christmas Surprise, their 2018 Father Christmas entitled Santa Christmas List and the annual petite figure Glad Tidings. […]
Collecting Antique and Vintage Glass Rolling Pins
Antique and vintage glass rolling pins vary from simple clear examples, to the famous Bristol Blue colours, to elaborate multi-coloured Nailsea examples and to examples with motifs and words. Glass rolling pins although functional developed into quite an art form and also became known as love tokens as they were […]
Troika Pottery – History, Designers and Troika Price Guide
Troika Pottery has become one of the most collected forms of modern British pottery with it’s distinctive colours, incised and geometric designs it has attracted many collectors. Early works from two of the company’s founders Leslie Illsley, and Benny Sirota are especially collectable with prices for rarer items reaching well […]
Tobacco Stoppers and Tobacco Tampers for the Collector
The tobacco stopper, also known as a pipe stopper or a tobacco tamper, is used to enable a pipe to be filled by evenly distributing the tobacco within the length of the bowl, and to press the tobacco down. What started as a utilitarian device developed into a vast array […]
Decorative Cigar Cases
As with much of tobacciana the growth of decorative cigar cases relates to rise of smoking. The first use in this country of the word ” cigar” (or ” segar ” as it was often written and pronounced) is ascribed by the Oxford Dictionary to the year 1735. The date is curious […]















