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frank craig antiques
View this seller's itemstorquay , devon, united kingdom
Frank Craig Antiques, with 50 years of experience was established in 1972. Specialising in antiques, antique art, collectors and antique decorative items. We offer our customers a personal and reliable service with the assurance that all our stock is thoroughly vetted and sold at the best possible price.
In 1972 I started trading in antiques from an old potato store in Market Street Torquay, rent £5 per week.
The growth of the business was lightning fast, there was a huge demand for antiques, a conveyor belt of shipping containers going to the USA and Australia.
Within four years I had moved to a proper shop in Kingskerswell it was a massive upgrade of our stock, and activities later we took two units in Grays market Mayfair.
These were exciting times, it was at this point we decided to move in another direction. “Poachers and gamekeepers come to mind”
In 1983 I and my wife Caroline bought the freehold of a defunct auction house and brought it back to life. She was the driving force behind the administrative team and a very accomplished auctioneer, one of the few ladies at that time.
After trading as West of England Auctions for a very happy 17 years before retiring when we sold the building in 2000, And the firm that moved to another owner.
After 18 years giving time to our other business interests, we returned to the antique world trading on the Internet, which is the present and the future.
Who would’ve thought 50 years ago standing in the old potato shed that we would be shipping to China and beyond, Tasmania being our furthest destination to date.
The only advice that I would offer to potential buyers, is buy the best that you can afford, don’t be influenced by the cheapest, more importantly avoid chips cracks or imperfections, it would be something that they would regret long-term.