Antique Adventures London Day One, Destination One: Uncovering the Charms of Grays Antique Market
Nestled in the heart of Mayfair, just a stone’s throw from the bustling Oxford Street, lies Grays Antique Market, a treasure trove for antique aficionados and the first stop on day one of our Antique Adventures. This London gem is renowned for its vast and varied collection of fine antiques, vintage jewelry, and exquisite art, making it a must-visit destination for anyone with a penchant for the past.
When you first enter Grays, you will be transported to a bygone era—surrounded by nearly 100 expert dealers showcasing their wares across two floors. The air is thick with history. Each treasure tells its own story, from elegant and opulent Georgian and Victorian jewelry to rare books and maps that chart the course of human knowledge and exploration.
The sheer diversity of items on display can be both overwhelming and utterly captivating, so it’s worth doing a bit of research before visiting. Preparation will allow for a more targeted approach. You can identify the vendors carrying the collectibles you seek and ensure that you leave with a piece that truly resonates. And while the market may radiate an air of poshness, don’t hesitate to engage with the sellers. Many are open to negotiation, and a polite inquiry about the price may lead to a more favorable deal.
A visit to Grays Antique Market is more than just a shopping trip; it’s an adventure into the past, a chance to connect with history, and an opportunity to bring a piece of it home with you. Whether you leave with a small trinket or a grand heirloom, the experience of exploring Grays is a priceless addition to our London itinerary.
To learn more about Antique Adventures and the complete itinerary for the London Tour, click here.
Cast iron mermaid-form ship’s wheel bracket helm, late 19th/early 20th century, 36 1/2 in. h, 46 in. w, $69,300. Collectors had a whale of a time buying treasures from the sea offered at Eldred’s biannual marquee maritime art auction, “The Property of a Gentleman: Maritime and Decorative Art from the Estate of Peter Goldstein,” on […]
Rising from the Ashes
By Kris Manty
Growing up, a staple accessory on my family’s coffee table was a large piece of cut glass with a pattern of flowers and stars that seemed far too pretty for its purpose: holding my parents’ cigarette ashes and cigarette butts.
At the time, my parents were heavy smokers, and at least one ashtray was in several rooms in our home, as well as the garage and basement, including souvenir ones that my paternal grandparents brought back from yearly trips to Las Vegas.
After my parents quit smoking cold turkey for good, I don’t remember what happened to the other ashtrays, but that pretty cut glass one remained on the coffee table for years, repurposed as a candy dish.
Collectors have appreciated ashtrays and their distinctive place in design history for decades. But ashtrays have ignited in popularity over the past few years as more people are coveting them as cool and nostalgic collectibles.
They’ve Come a Long Way, Baby
Since the 16th century, cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products have experienced their share of popularity, controversy, bans, repeals, and frequent scorn, becoming unacceptable and unwelcome in homes and public establishments. But the ashtray remains an iconic object even after the smoke has cleared.
Rudimentary forms of ashtrays existed before their first big heyday in the 19th century, but it was during this time that their popularity skyrocketed, especially as more women began smoking. To accommodate female smokers, ashtrays became more fashionable and ornate art forms, depicting colorful landscapes, floral arrangements and pastoral scenes.
This set of four Hermès ashtrays, c. 1990s, sold for $1,400 at auction. Courtesy of Wright Auction
As ashtrays became more common, they began reflecting the style trends of the decades they were produced.
THE 1920s: Hollywood glamour and the emergence of luxury travel on ocean liners and trains produced Art Deco’s simple geometric shapes. The stylish, sleek lines of ashtrays from this period reflect a time when smoking culture was the cat’s meow.
Art Déco smoking table, 22 1/2 in. h by 14 in. d, 1930s, $1,896. Courtesy 1stDibs
THE 1930s: During the Great Depression, glass manufacturers, including Federal Glass, Hocking Glass, and MacBeth-Evans, mass-produced attractive and affordable Depression glass pieces that were popular because they provided some colorful glitz during otherwise hard times.
THE 1940s: Lucite, an acrylic also born during the Great Depression, was a popular material for decorating during this decade. Lucite ashtrays were often embedded with glitter, rhinestones, seashells, and coins.
A wonderfully ironic ashtray from Harvard Medical School, 1960s, $125.
THE 1950s & ’60s: These decades were the golden age of smoking when nearly half of the population in the U.S. regularly lit up, spawning some of the most sought-after ashtray designs. After World War II, whimsical styles and colorful, abstract patterns reflected the country’s optimism in the ’50s, and bright, pop-culture imagery and Tiki style ruled, including the humorous head-shaped open-mouthed ashtrays in homes across the U.S. In the ’60s, pop culture reflected a new wave of unconstrained attitudes and open-mindedness, producing groovy, free-form designs and psychedelic colors.
An exquisite 1970s ceramic ashtray by Italian artist Dante Baldelli, $750.
Adding Panache to Spaces
Today’s growing collecting fanbase includes lovers of the Mid-Century Modern era’s many high-quality ceramic and glass ashtrays and vintage shoppers wanting to add affordable design history, nostalgia, and personality to their homes—and find a valuable prize. In 2022, legions were scouring second-hand shops after a college student bought a “Too Young to Die” ashtray by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara for $10 at Goodwill and flipped it on eBay for $2,860. These ashtrays from 2002 continue to sell between $500 to $2,500.
Yoshitomo Nara, “Too Young To Die” ceramic ashtray, 2002, 10 in. d, $1,400. Courtesy of Freeman/Hindman
Vintage ashtrays are decor pieces that bring something distinctive and unique to a room and contribute to its vibe. They also fit well with this year’s “eclectic grandpa” trend in design and fashion.
Many ashtrays can be found at thrift stores and yard sales for less than $10, while deluxe floor models and extravagant examples made by famous companies like Tiffany and Wiener Werkstätte are offered at 1stDibs, Charish, and other e-commerce sites for tens of thousands of dollars.
Art Deco Ashtray Stand, brass and Bakelite by Demeyere, Belgium, 1930s, 24 in. h, $658. Courtesy 1stDibs
Though fewer people smoke cigarettes these days, the legalization of marijuana use in more states still creates a practical need for ashtrays, but the majority are used as decorative pieces rather than for catching ashes. Collectors use them as candle holders, receptacles for candy, keys and loose change, put them on nightstands to corral jewelry or other trinkets, and on bathroom counters to hold soap or other toiletries. They can also serve cocktail onions and olives for martinis, as well as dips and spreads. Large agate and stone ashtrays from the 1950s and 1960s can be repurposed as soap dishes and wine coasters.
Popularly Collected and Valuable
Designers have left behind an overwhelming array of vintage ashtrays to choose from in different colors, shapes and sizes. There are Depression glass models in a rainbow of hues; hefty Bohemian cut-crystal ashtrays that add a dash of Hollywood Regency to a space; beautiful hand-painted Noritake ashtrays; dainty vanity ashtrays from the 1920s that women used when they smoked while getting ready for a night out; Homer Laughlin’s Amberstone and Fiesta ashtrays with the company’s trademark concentric rings; gorgeous art glass ashtrays in rich jewel tones; chic and elegant Hermès ashtrays adorned with images of horses, hunting dogs, and sailboats; folksy models made in animal shapes by Red Wing and Rookwood; high-end gold and silver examples; brass, bronze, and copper models; fanciful Brush-McCoy ceramic ashtrays, including pot-bellied examples flanked by a pair of open-mouthed frogs that held fresh cigarettes; candy-colored handblown glass pieces by Murano; all kinds of Mid-Century models, like aqua and pink ceramic atomic boomerangs, some of which are on little stands; stackable pastel melamine ashtrays; and souvenir ashtrays from casinos, hotels, and nightclubs, along with ones that advertise beer and liquor brands. There are also tall metal smoking stands, some of which include a table or magazine rack.
The Stork Club (1929-1965) was a prestigious nightclub in New York City where the beautiful people came to mingle. This porcelain Stork Club ashtray, c. 1950, sold for $1,008 at Wright Auction
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Whether you smoke or not, vintage ashtrays are appealing collectibles. Their small size makes them easy to acquire and display in large numbers without taking up too much space. As snapshots of the (then) current culture, ashtrays were made during some of the most creative eras in history, so if you’re a fan of the Victorian, Arts and Crafts, or counterculture era, you’re sure to find one that fits your taste and aesthetic.
No longer seen as mere utilitarian pieces with the sole purpose of holding odious cigarette butts, ashtrays have become rightly appreciated as decorative art.
Be the first to guess the pictured item by leaving a comment below. If you have your own whatsit, our editors may include it in a future post. Please send an email to editor@kovels.com and attach a clear picture, the size, and any markings. Hopefully, we will be able to identify it for our readers!
It measures approximately 11 in h x 8 in w.
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A Look Inside of the May Issue of Kovels Antique Trader
There is no doubt that Kovels Antique Trader has a thing for smoking hot collectibles. In the May issue, we mean that literally.
The once ubiquitous ashtray, as common in homes as landline phones and console television sets, disappeared as smoking went out of style. But now ashtrays have risen from the ashes, so to speak, as more people covet them as cool and nostalgic collectibles. Our cover story from Kris Manty, who grew up surrounded by ashtrays and smoking parents, writes that vintage ashtrays today are considered décor pieces that fit nicely with the “eclectic grandpa” trend so popular in design and fashion. In a word, ashtrays are hot, and we’re not blowing smoke.
For anyone who clamors for the “good old days,” writer David McCormick shares a story on collecting cast iron tractor seats. While the rugged charm of vintage cast iron tractor seats is undeniable, it’s also true that farmers who spent countless hours bouncing through fields in these unforgiving seats were happy to forego the rigid character of cast iron seats for something softer. For a smooth ride down memory lane, check out McCormick’s story in the May issue.
Speaking of nice rides, we offer a story on five of our favorite flea markets across the country. You’ll tour events as varied as Brimfield and the Rose Bowl field markets, as well as sites in between. On the other end of the spectrum, we take a look at a recent Bonhams auction of Far East treasures offered from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Asian Art played a pivotal role in the collecting mania that swept over America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Costume jewelry expert Pamela Wiggins Siegel provides a fitting tribute to the father and son team of Gene and Ron Verri of Gem-Craft costume jewelry fame. Ron Verri died this past February at age 78 after following in the impressive footsteps of his late father, Gene, in the family costume jewelry business. If you like costume jewelry as much as we do, you’ll want to make sure to catch this story in the May issue.
This month’s Sales Reports focus on three diverse and interesting collecting categories at auction: Barbershop Memorabilia, Maritime Art, and Vintage Bookends. And if you’re still hungry for more, you’ll want to make sure to read Editor Paul Kennedy’s tongue-in-cheek column about the investment opportunities in antique fruit. After a 300-year-old lemon sold for $1,800 at auction earlier this year, Kennedy notes that antique fruit futures are “a-peeling.” You can be the judge of that as you peruse this story and much more in the May issue of Kovels Antique Trader.
A London Antiquing Adventure Awaits You
Make this summer one to remember. Join Kovels Antique Trader in London on a trip of a lifetime.
Working with professional tour operators in Europe, Kovels Antique Trader has launched Antique Adventures to create unique travel experiences centered around our hobby. The first stop: London.
From August 29 through September 5, editorial director Paul Kennedy and fellow editor Kele Johnson will play host to an unforgettable antiquing experience across the pond. The tour includes stays in four-star hotels, incredible antiques and collectibles shopping, visits to amazing museums, stops at breathtaking and historic palaces, and a lot of what makes London a true city of the world.
The London tour promises a grand yet intimate experience, with space limited.
Grays Antique Market Exterior: WikiCommons
The tour includes antique fairs, flea markets, and well-known London favorites such as Grays Antique Market, home to one of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of fine antiques and spectacular jewelry, and Leadenhall Market, one of the oldest markets in London, dating back as far back as the 14th century. Located in the historic center of London’s financial district, Leadenhall Market played a starring role in the Harry Potter films, making it a rather magical place for a bit of shopping.
London’s Leadenhall Market: WikiCommons
While hunting for bargains in merry old England is great fun, you can’t go to London without taking in the city’s fantastic landmarks.
Westminster Abbey
You’ll visit Westminster Abbey, an architectural masterpiece and one of the most important churches in the world. Westminster Abbey has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other royal occasions, such as 16 royal weddings – including the 2011 marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton, as well as the wedding of William’s parents, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.
You’ll walk in the footsteps of kings and queens at Kensington Palace, famously the birthplace of Queen Victoria in 1819 and a royal residence for more than 300 years. Speaking of royals, we’ll also take in Buckingham Palace, one of the few working royal palaces on earth. As a matter of fact, Buckingham Palace became the official London residence of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.
Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace
While the 830,000-square-foot Palace is filled with history, perhaps the most well-known bit of pomp and circumstance takes place outside: the famed Changing of Guard. The formal ceremony at the Palace’s forecourt has been around for centuries and is not to be missed.
The Tower of London from the Thames: WikiCommons
The week will also include tours of the Tower of London, an incomparable medieval fortress and home of the Crown Jewels, and the British Museum, an architectural wonder and home to some of the world’s most noted antiquities, including the Rosetta Stone.
Established in 1550, the Mayflower Pub is the oldest pub on the Thames in London: WikiCommons
London is filled with so much history that you can drink it in while sipping a pint of Guinness, which is what you’ll do one evening at the Mayflower Pub on the River Thames. The Pub’s proprietors say that from their establishment, you can see the original 1620 mooring point of the Mayflower, the ship that carried the Pilgrims from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Greenwich Market
From antique shops to flea markets, palaces to museums, incredible food to new-found friends, the London tour promises an unforgettable chapter in your life’s story.
To learn more about Antique Adventures and the complete itinerary for the London Tour, click here.
The Fruit of Our Labor
From the Editor: by Paul Kennedy
The auction of a 300-year-old lemon offers a zesty roadmap for retirement planning.
Like many of you, I keep a close eye on my retirement savings. It is wise to stay vigilant.
But unlike many of you, I don’t need to go online to check my 401(k) balance, or waste time talking to my financial advisor about the status of my portfolio, or even bother with the old Ball canning jar I dump pocket change into at the end of the day to see how my finances are going.
Oh, by the way, that Ball canning jar with the metal screw-on lid? As of this morning, it’s holding a measly $37.59 in quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies—as well as two Sacagawea and one Susan B. Anthony dollar coin. I just counted it. The total is not inspiring, but who has pocket change anymore?
I digress …
My point is that I no longer worry about the state of the economy, inflation, or even world events when it comes to my future finances. Instead, my laser-like focus has shifted to fruit futures. More specifically, I am keeping a keen eye on how the bunch of bananas on the small kitchen counter next to our refrigerator is faring. And, by the brown patina and rich past-their-prime fragrance, I would say my retirement plan is promising. Or, as we like to say in the banana futures game, my growth potential is “a-peeling.”
A British auction shows the future of financial security could very well be antique fruit. (Getty Images)
Confusing? Sure, but so is cryptocurrency, and that hasn’t stopped folks from making a fortune with Bitcoin (see Bankman-Fried, Sam) or going to prison (see Bankman-Fried, Sam).
Let me explain.
Earlier this year, Brettells Auctioneers & Valuers, an auction house in Newport, England, discovered a nearly 300-year-old lemon in a piece of antique furniture. Typically, finding a nearly 300-year-old lemon in a piece of antique furniture would leave a sour taste in your mouth, not to mention a rather disgusting mess.
The lemon was deep brown and well past its “best-used-by” date, but it was intact and, overall, an amazingly well-preserved piece of fruit. The forward-thinking folks at Brettells decided to turn the lemon into lemonade, so to speak, selling the citrusy treasure for – pucker up! – $1,800 at auction in January.
“We thought we’d have a bit of fun and put [the lemon] in the auction with an estimate of 40-60 pounds [$50-$75],” auctioneer David Brettell said. “You’ll never see an object like this at auction again.”
Of course, you won’t see it again, at least not in the U.S., because the Food and Drug Administration has laws against selling 300-year-old food. Even so, focusing on legal technicalities and outdated regulations of some bureaucratic agency in Washington is missing the point.
At auction, the centuries-old lemon attracted 35 bidders from as far off as Maine to Moldova. Clearly, the potential for a financial windfall in the “antique fruit” market exists. If a single lemon can garner $1,800 at auction, just imagine what my bunch of bananas can do. Staggering, I know.
Yet, questions remain. For starters, how did the auction house know how old the lemon was? After all, forgeries and fakes run rampant in the antiques world.
Well, it turns out the lemon was carved with the words: “Given by Mr P Lu Franchini Nov 4 1739 to Miss E Baxter.” Such labeling suggested to Brettell that the lemon was a token of affection, perhaps presented by an Italian suitor to an English woman on a Grand Tour of Europe. Lemons, the fruit of lovers. Who knew?
Along with a date, the lemon had provenance, which is critical in authenticating any antique. That’s why I’m keeping the Chiquita label on all my bananas and have filed the grocery receipt dating the purchase.
My wife, although skeptical of my antique fruit investment plan, bought the bananas because she knows how much I enjoy them. In my notes, I play up that “love” angle to further the fruit’s provenance. As the lemon proved, a good love story can arouse bidders at auction.
Antique fruit is, of course, a relatively new investment opportunity, and as such, there are details still to be ironed out. Somehow, I need to quicken the aging process. It is, to say the least, unusual for food to survive three centuries. It is even less likely that I will survive three centuries.
So you can see my dilemma. Even if my now-quite-fragrant antique bananas somehow survive without being thrown out by less enthusiastic investors (see wife, doubtful), there’s a good chance I just might get tossed (see wife, seriously unamused).
Risk, of course, is inherent to all investments. The future favors the bold, as they say, and I refuse to drag my feet on this new and exciting venture.
Time, after all, flies like an arrow, and fruit flies like a banana.
Left to right: chest of drawers, marble top dressing table, and bedside commode. Q: I am the owner of an antique bedroom set that I would like to know more about. It looks like a Belter and may be original (see pictures). The three pieces are a vanity with a mirror, a dresser with a […]
#Whatsitwednesday
Be the first to guess the pictured item by leaving a comment below. If you have your own whatsit, our editors may include it in a future post. Please send an email to editor@kovels.com and attach a clear picture, the size, and any markings. Hopefully, we will be able to identify it for our readers!
It measures approximately 3.5 in h x 37 in l x 3.5 in d.
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How does a tiny scrap of paper with a simple shape scribbled on it sell for over $200,000?
When it belongs to the Italian Renaissance Master, Michelangelo, the sky is the limit.
Michelangelo’s sketch of a marble block reads “simile.” Photos courtesy of Christie’s.
A sketch by Michelangelo, one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance, perhaps of all time, recently sold for $201,600. It was offered by Christie’s New York in its A Park Avenue Collection auction on April 17 with a presale estimate of $6,000 – $8,000. In this case, the lot selling at over 30 times its estimate is remarkable, not because it sold for so much, but because its estimate was so low. On rare occasions when Michelangelo’s drawings come to auction, they sell for extremely high prices; the auction record for Michelangelo’s works is over $21 million for a sketch, believed to be his first nude, sold at Christie’s in Paris in 2022.
One look at the sketch that sold on April 17 shows why its estimate was relatively low: it’s not a study for one of Michelangelo’s great works, displaying his skill at depicting human forms. Instead, it is a diagram of a rectangular block of marbleetched ‘simile’ mounted on a bifolium inscribed by Cosimo Buonarroti and by John Bowring, which states, “The enclosed writing and outline of Michael Angelo was given on this day by his descendant Cosimo Buonarroti to John Bowring.” Michelangelo is known to have made sheets full of drawings like these. They are sketches of marble blocks he needed for his sculptures and architectural designs, providing instructions for quarrying and transportation. Because this one is marked “Simile” (“similar”), experts believe it was drawn on a sheet with a similar block with its dimensions labeled.
Michelangelo’s block sketch is attached to a handwritten note from Cosimo Buonarroti to John Bowring. Photos courtesy of Christie’s.
Cosimo was known to gift small fragments of paper with Michelangelo’s sketches. These were often authenticated by inscriptions of friendship or esteem. Like this sketch, many featured block designs. Ultimately, they were either auctioned off or found their way into various foreign collections.
Any drawing by Michelangelo is rare; he famously destroyed most of his sketches before his death. According to his contemporary and biographer Giorgio Vasari, an artist, he didn’t want anyone to see the processes behind his work, only his perfected finished products. He may also have been afraid others would try to steal his designs. Today, however, his drawings are valued for their rarity and for the historical information they provide. The sale of the simple sketch of a marble block on a two-inch square sheet for over $200,000 proves that even the most mundane inscription belonging to Michelangelo is a work of art.
Moroccan Hazel Atlas round amber glass cigar 
This set of four Hermès ashtrays, c. 1990s, sold for $1,400 
Art Déco smoking table, 22 1/2 in. h by 14 in. d, 1930s, $1,896. Courtesy 1stDibs
A wonderfully ironic ashtray from Harvard Medical School, 1960s, $125.
An exquisite 1970s ceramic ashtray by Italian artist Dante Baldelli, $750.
Yoshitomo Nara, “Too Young To Die” ceramic ashtray, 2002, 10 in. d, $1,400. Courtesy of Freeman/Hindman
Art Deco Ashtray Stand, brass and Bakelite 
Grays Antique Market Exterior: WikiCommons
London’s Leadenhall Market: WikiCommons
Westminster Abbey
Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace
The Tower of London from the Thames: WikiCommons
Established in 1550, the Mayflower Pub is the oldest pub on the Thames in London: WikiCommons
Greenwich Market
A British auction shows the future of financial security could very well be antique fruit. (Getty Images)
Michelangelo’s sketch of a marble block reads “simile.”
Michelangelo’s block sketch is attached to a handwritten note