Mrs Korau
Several months ago, I had finished my acupuncture session early, so having about ten minutes to fill in, while waiting for Korau to collect me, I wandered down the street to the Te Omanga Hospice Shop, as they often have some interesting things on display in their windows.
Much to my delight, I spotted a cup, saucer and plate set that interested me considerably. It wasn’t just any old set, but a Royal Doulton one, featuring a “Coaching Days” design. Naturally, I had to pursue this a little further, as I have been a collector of antique china for quite some years now. The price was a modest $15 so I was an eager buyer, carrying both the set and my Eftpos card to the counter immediately, for the completion of my purchase.
The “Coaching Days” series was first manufactured in 1905 and production continued until 1955. There were about twenty different patterns in all, and it wasn’t uncommon for each piece of a cup, saucer and plate set, say, to have a different design, as is the case with my recent addition.
I had been able to buy another piece of that particular series from the shop, about eighteen months ago, as they had a cake plate for sale. I pointed out to the young woman on duty, that at $5 it was grossly underpriced. She shrugged her shoulders and said nothing, so I felt that I had tried to be honest at least, and came away with a real bargain.
I suppose that our interest in collecting china came about in the early 1980s when we were transferred to Dunedin. There were a large number of antique shops around the city in those days and we were forever on the lookout for pieces that would interest Korau’s parents, who were avid collectors of a number of different items. Later I had the good fortune to work in the Methodist Goodwill Store as a volunteer, and came in contact with some very interesting articles, including Maling China, which became another of our interests. Local antique dealers were often seen on the premises, trying to buy things at a low price, in order to on-sell them for a higher one!
My first pieces of Royal Doulton had belonged to my maternal grandmother, and my mother was only too pleased to pass them on when she knew that I had an interest. One of the items, a jam dish, had a slight chip on one side, but we found out that the Otago Museum had a restoration department which handled such repairs, and for the modest sum of $10, I was able to get that fixed. (Reminiscent of what we see on the TV programme, “The Repair Shop”, today.)
Collecting all but stopped a number of years ago, as the prices rose to an unaffordable level, and we were running out of space in which to display things. Antique shops became a thing of the past too, as most of the transactions were done online, and younger people didn’t have the same interest, for the most part.
However, at an age when most people are getting rid of things and downsizing generally, I still have sufficient interest to glance through charity shops for such treasures, when time permits.
The Hospice Shop is a cause which has become very important to me, as we have had a great deal of help and support from their organisation over the past couple of years. Their funding, which is always difficult to obtain, is provided to a great extent by donations and the proceeds from such businesses, which are run for the most part by volunteers. I had the pleasure of working in the Upper Hutt store when it first opened.
Therefore, if you have ever had the desire to become a collector, in order to widen your retirement interests, don’t be put off by the thought of having to pay a small fortune for items. There are a vast number of charity shops around the country and all of them support worthwhile causes, so start hunting through their stock and delight in obtaining a bargain, while contributing towards their much-needed funds.
