Thankfully our friction burns were not in vain as we discovered a little antiques shop on the way home. At first, like you, we assumed this would be the usual knackered desks and Victoriana. But to our surprise (and yours) it was full of strange and wonderful things. Here are a few of our finds.
The first gem we unearthed was this rather stylish and most charming pink PVC recliner with black plastic trim and just enough seat space for a modestly proportioned rear.
As you can see, sitting in the chair induces feelings of jollity, childlike wonder and mild confusion, which you must admit, are qualities not found in most pink PVC chairs. Louis described the sitting experience as "ok" which i am taking to mean "alright", which I think is passable given its vintage nature.
After another mooch around Louis found these peculiar items sitting together. Initially I assumed they were mock-Victorian items, fashioned to resemble the humble rolling pin and iron. But Louis knew better."They're gang signs," he informed me, holding them in the traditionally menacing fashion of a violent youth to demonstrate. "The rolling pin symbolises control and the iron is a classical representation of hip-hop legend and household guru TuPax," he explained. Well, you learn something every day, don't you.
Now armed with our street weapons we continued, eager to discover more rare and valuable items. And boy were we in luck! For across the room sat a most extradorinary example of mid-1980s techno-art.
This item requires some detailed explanation. The piece comprises a white wooden box with a 'viewing window' for access to the core of the work.
Within lies a purple enclave with a lightning design, of course made popular by Dr Munroe Freshtackle. Set into the back wall is a clear moulded plastic face, possibly a representation of a bald Madonna. Below the face is a microphone in Microsoft beige.
Now here's the clever bit. If you speak into the mic, your voice activates a 'lightning ball' effect within the plastic skull. A feat that would have put you on a par with Uri Geller or Paul Daniels in the mists of the '80s. Why this item had yet to sell for the bargain price of £89 we could not fathom.
After adjusting our eyes back to the neon glare of the Noughties, we found a true collectors item.Yes, it's a real one. An original pressing of Billie Piper's first album 'Billie' on stereo cassette. Louis could barely contain his excitement, while I, still suffering from the hallucinogenic effects of the '80s lightning face, thought it was all a preposterous dream. But no, it was true.
Sadly our coffers did not extend to such an extravagant purchase and we moved on, looking back longingly at the musical time-capsule we had to leave behind.
This here was another intriguing find. As it is a well-established fact that music lovers are also rather partial to the penguin, I shall not bore you with a history of arctic birds and their relation to popular culture.
But I will point out that this piece is of special note, as it caters for those 'high-end' collectors with 11 compact discs! Here is a suggested set-up:
- Best of the Beatles
- Best of Rolling Stones
- Barbara Streisand Sings Christmas
- Best of Bowie
- Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard
- Enter the Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Clan
- Moon Patrol - Air
- Aqualung - Jethro Tull
- Coast to Coast - Westlife
- Infest - Papa Roach
- Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard (in case one breaks)
So remember, don't just walk past the next antiques shop you see, cursing its name. Go in, have a look around and find that special something for a loved one.
No comments:
Post a Comment