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“Where the past makes a great present”
Posted by Iain Brunt on 11/11/2020
Gift Ideas: Say Goodbye to 2020 with a Gift from the Past.
As the holiday season approaches and we start to think about gifts for our loved ones, many of us will scarcely give 2020 a quick glance on its way out the door. Perhaps a few shouts of “Good riddance!” and “Buzz off!” or even more colourful phrases might be heard as the champagne bottles pop open on 1 January 2021 and we cheer farewell to a year that has been beset by unprecedented challenges.
For many, 2020 is a year they want to forget. The accursed year has tested the nerve of even the most resilient and optimistic among us.
Alas, the past is something that can never be truly forgotten. Mementoes exist, nostalgia lingers, and the aura of “the good old days” gets passed down from generation to generation in the stories told to us by parents, grandparents, elders — and by the objects themselves.
Every antique tells a story. Often, one can sensethat story in the texture of the object, the graceful lines of its handmade shape, or in that inveterate scent of aged wood which takes us backto days when things were, perhaps, better. Such stories remind us of a time when the world was calmer and suggests to us that it can be so again.
Thisis the magic you give to someone when you give them an antique as a gift.
Where the past makes a great present read more
Every antique has a story, whether known or not.
What story does this antique French tortoiseshell handbag mirror tell?
If someone were to hold this delicate piece in their hands and gaze upon the Eiffel Tower motif as well as the silver plating, what emotion would be conveyed?
Likely, the piece would transport them back to Paris, 1900, right into the centre of the belle époque, between 1871 and 1914, when the world was at peace, filled with optimism, and the arts were thriving.
Stories of good times.
What story would this magnificent and extremely rare, coopered oak and brass barrel
tell as it hangs calmly suspended in someone’s living room? The barrel, which is of Dutch origin and has been dated to circa 1800, conjures up images of a cooper hammering away in his cooperage, which is redolent of oak and balmy with the heat of burning furnaces.
Those were both simpler and more difficult times. More lives were lost to disease back then than they are now, all current events notwithstanding. And, yet, in those days, time at the hearth was valued more than it is today. A cold beverage after a day’s toil could, somehow, make all the misery go away.
This art deco Kienzle walnut and chrome mantel clock
tells an entirely different story. It has been dated to Germany circa 1920 - 1940. Was it made in the aftermath of the November Revolution of 1919, witness to the formation of the Weimar republic? Or did it sit on a mantlepiece somewhere watch powerlessly as events played out before it, which it could do nothing about — much as we are doing today?
One cannot divorce the past from the present. Whether statues are taken down are not, we are what we are and whowe are because of what occurred in the past. The past brings meaning to the present.
Giving someone a gift from the past can help them shed light on the present, and perhaps give them a different perspective of the future.
Tasteful antique gifts for every budget
Many budgets are tight this year. And gifting will likely favour small items. It’s the thought that counts — but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible to deliver that thought with a dash of class, while still keeping the bank account intact!
We offer a door-to-door delivery service, making gifting easy in these days of lockdown. And our wide range of antique collectableshas something for every budget.
From vintage silver baltic amber bangle to an intriguing 18ct medical practitioner’s signet ring with the Wand of Aesculapius engraved into it, our extensive collection of items is bound to contain something that will touch the heart of anyone you give it to.
Rare antiques are a symbol of determination and resilience. They have outlived the best and the worst, maintained their splendour, and added to that splendour with the kind of beauty that only comes with age. In a sense, they are gifts which last forever. Their meaning transcends the thoughtlessness of mere trinkets. The perfectly chosen antique can convey a sense of understanding and friendship, which embodies the true spirit of this time of year.
Order early in these unpredictable times
In these times of unpredictability, one lesson we have all learned is that we must be prepared, and that we must take action early.
The holiday season will be difficult enough as it is without the possibility of the government choosing, on a whim, to suddenly cancel Christmas.
Without knowing whether or not the UK will be in total lockdown in December (right now, it appears that everything is possible, unfortunately), it is essential to order your antique gifts early.
Or local antique shippers take the utmost care in ensuring that your antique will arrive securely and in excellent shape. You can request local shipping of your antiques here
and international shipping here.
It’s time to wave goodbye to 2020. People might step into 2021 slightly battered, a little bruised, but not beaten. Give them something meaningful as a gift this year. Give them something that renders the negative memories of 2020 powerless and replaces them with a memory of joy — a memory of when an object from the past brought comfort to them in the present.
Give them an antique that touches their heart and will last forever.