Grays October Issue

Dealer Highlight: Bakhtar Art

Abdul Hadi Noori has recently relocated from stand C12 in Grays Mews to the more prominent stand M20-21, to house his large collection of ancient jewellery and artefacts. Bakhtar Art has a beautiful range of silver, ceramics and textiles as well as specialising in ancient beads and jewellery sourced in places such as Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and India.

Antique of the Month: Antique Dolls & Teddy Bears

As well as being host to a vast amount of jewellery, vintage fashion, Islamic art, antiques and collectables, Grays Mews is also home to Europe’s largest antique doll centre. The collaboration between Britain’s leading doll dealers, all sharing an incredible diversity of knowledge, has created an enviable collection of dolls and teddies, ranging from the early 1850s up to the 1950s.

Grays is one destination in Europe where one can still buy a vast range of wax, wooden, porcelain and papier maché dolls, as well as teddies, doll accessories, and dolls’ house furniture. Each dealer has a speciality that creates the diversity and range in dolls available.

Glenda O’ Connor stocks the most popular bisque headed French and German dolls, characters and babies. Sarah Sellers has an array of French and German dolls as well as a fine collection of antique teddy bears and animals including many Steiff examples. Marlis Tabizel has been travelling the globe collecting dolls since the 1970s while Sandra Fellner prides herself on having an esoteric collection of fine dolls for the advanced collector.

Dolls can make good investments because they are becoming increasingly scarce to find in good condition. Collecting and dealing in dolls has constantly evolved with the times, trends and tastes. While investment is definitely a strong factor to bear in mind when buying dolls, it is also important to find something you like. Personal taste should not be compromised as dolls and teddies, perhaps more than any other collectable evoke connections to childhood, making doll collecting very personal and nostalgic.

Sarah Sellers says ‘This is especially apparent with teddy bears, you can really see that a bear has been loved and cuddled, as his fur may be worn in a patch or his nose might have changed shape, I like to think about the history of the teddies and dolls and also about their future and collectors that are preserving them.’

Whether a customer is looking for a doll to reminisce of childhood, a classic angelic French doll with paper weight eyes to begin a collection, or a specialist character doll by Gebruder Heubach, at Grays every effort is made to find something to suit individual taste. If the doll dealers do not have what you are looking for, with their extensive knowledge and contacts they may be able to source it for you, meaning any specialist need can be catered for.

Showcase Spotlight: Paul Coe

We would like to welcome Paul Coe as a new showcase dealer to Grays Mews. With a variety of pieces to suit every pocket Paul has a fine collection of silver, porcelain, ceramic and glass items with a focus on enamels. Every piece has a certain delicate quality with beautiful attention to detail making them perfect collectables for the home. Find Paul Coe in Showcase V8 downstairs in Grays Mews.

Date for your Diaries

Thursday 3rd December 2009
Grays Christmas Shopping Party

Don't miss our annual late night Christmas shopping party with champagne, entertainment and of course beautiful Christmas gifts! For a complimentary invitation please contact us.

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