What are you collecting at the moment?

I guess some people keep collecting one or two things while others chop and change depending on their mood. I still can't resist a bargain, whatever the category be it studio pottery or metalwork or oriental, etc, etc, but sometimes I pick up a particular scent and hunt out more pieces even if I have to buy them at retail price. Currently that is Mark Smalley's ceramics, and yunomis and chawans from various US potters who list on Etsy.
So what are other members buying atm?

I met me partner 15yrs ago , she a collection of carnival glass , i wasn't really collecting at all although I always knew a good piece when I saw it , as a kid we were taken on visits by the school to museums & galleries so it must have had an influence , anywho , we started collecting whitefriars glass , loads of it , after that came the so called fat lava thing , cheaply bought german 60's & 70's stuff that sold very well , but I always had a good idea of what i wanted and that was studio pottery , the more abstract and textured the better , that has always been my aim , I want Baldwin, Tower , also many many more , I love the Coper pieces but could live without paying that much for them , If I buy it's usually to sell and get what I really want but it's not that easy as we all know .

I like finding things at bargain prices which I couldn't afford retail. For the retail stuff I'm limiting myself to a maximum price and just one or two pieces a month. Some pieces I've reserved until I can afford it the following month. With a couple of potters I follow on Facebook it's nice seeing stuff coming out of the kiln and, if I get in quick, having first pick.

I like to think I collect some pots for investment as well as pleasure , the camberwell potters dominate my thinking although I'd never heard of the school till after I saw the work , todays younger potters have a hard act to follow imo , but obviously some will become high profile , not always the best ones though , if only we could live for a thousand yrs

.....not always the best ones though

Ha ha, very true. I am shocked by the difference in prices of what are essentially the same thing, just that one potter is high profile and another is not. When buying direct from the potter I collect what I like and is in my price range; not for investment.

It CAN be difficult sifting through the Wannabee potters / celeb types , as u say the same theme pops up over & over again ( even their quotes about their nature inspired pot) buy what u like for sure , why not ? , but think investment also , the galleries do , sometimes the value of pots don't reflect the true worth .

Some galleries I've come across online seem to be left with a mishmash of pots after the popular ones have sold. May be best to avoid popular artists unpopular work. Especially when it's at retail price.

I tend to agree with you there , as a rule the best stuff does fly out , but not always in the eye of the bewildered I suppose

Yes agree with that.

I find the supply of studio pottery has run dry. Charity shops, boots and fairs ..even on eBay. So ii have been concentrating on a few higher priced better quality pots from auctions essentially. If I see anything in the charity shops it's more likely to be 50s, 60s or 70 s framed prints and sometimes original paintings or tapestry work. Anything that is hand made and even better if it's got a signature.

There is a lot of junk in charity shops. The manager of one of the local shops let me rummage through a box of unpriced pieces but it was just unpopular local studio pottery which I'd already got examples of.

Has anyone else noticed that most studio pottery on eBay is now BIN at £20? I'm sure there used to be more auctions a 99p.

Plus, when things do sell in auction, are the prices achieved lower for identified but average pieces? It's as if a generic market is dividing into sectors. Such as 'big names, big prices', 'cheap not-so-big names' and 'overpriced unidentifieds'. Very few bargains for us types anymore.

I just buy what I like. There is no rhyme or reason behind it. I do tend to follow potteries for a while before I buy - but then buy the best items I can find - Happy to wait a few years if need be - Got a Ambleside Cook dish recently - waited years for something unusual from that pottery.

I tend not to buy entry level pieces any more. I want less but better quality.

Always buy quality.

I agree with all of the above , there seems to be fewer bargains out there , maybe people are getting more savvy , but it does smell sweeter when we actually do find a bargain , I have a hit list that i'll never achieve but keep trying ( i say never ,but if anyone wants to draw up plans for a heist at the V&A then count me in )
BTW if we did break in we could leave a note on the DE Waal stuff -"thanks , but no thanks "

I tend to sell on ebay using the buy it now option because any pot sold for less than a tenner still needs to be well packed and shipped

You could start at a tenner , yes they all need to be packed & posted but buyer pays that .

the buyer tends to happily pay bare minimum postage charge but add a couple of quid for the time it takes to find a good box, 10 minutes for carefull packing, 10 minutes at the post office,bubble wrap, ebay's cut of the postage fee, polystyrene beans etc .....

I don't charge for packing at all ,or for time packing up goods , boxes are free from shops , bubble is cheap , I only charge actual postage cost and refund any that is over , also think that if an item has potential it's better to list with a low postage and pay the difference ourselves a couple of quid can make buyers feel better imo .

good idea to put some half decent stuff back in the charity shops it'l make someone happy

I want it all! No everything from the boot today is earmarked for sale.
I fall into the Naomi scheme of things. The thrill of finding that killer piece.
I have never been to a gallery, or bought from a potter.
I wouldn't get that serotonin fuelled, walking on air elation, when I get a
good bit at a charity shop, or a boot.

philpot wrote:Just trading up really. Selling the everyday stuff and using the money to buy better quality pieces.

makes perfect sense

big ed wrote:

philpot wrote:Just trading up really. Selling the everyday stuff and using the money to buy better quality pieces.

makes perfect sense

There is something Id really really like right now. May sell a few bits to scrape up the cash.

Me too , anybody know how much Hallie Berry charges these days ?

I don't know about Hallie Berry, but you could probably get Mary Berry for a couple of grand