Travelling antiques

William Gregory MRICS of Golding Young & Mawer brings you news from the sales room.
The vast amount of antiques and collectables that are offered by auction houses today illustrate the array of past styles and fashions across the globe.

The origins of these items were influenced by historic events, artistic and economic developments and local custom and traditions.

The movement of people and communities from the early explorers to wealthy Europeans of the 17th and 18th centuries on their Grand Tour show the difficulty and expense of travel.

Campaign and travel items were constructed to aid travel, either to be easily assembled or with robust cases to protect the valuable items inside, for instance clocks. Twentieth century developments have rendered many of these items obsolete, but for the collectors at auction.

With auctions now benefiting from internet catalogues and live worldwide bidding the result is that these items, once designed to aid over months of travel across the globe, can now be purchased from buyers halfway around the world and dispatched within days at a fraction of the cost.

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