From the mythical artefacts of the ancient world to prized 80s pop memorabilia - and the dedicated collectors who revere these objects - The Antiques Magpie brings together a treasure trove of stories, anecdotes and facts from the wonderful world of antiques. The Antiques Magpie divulges closely-guarded insider tips on how to discover fakes and forgeries; explains how boom and bust can have a devastating impact on the antiques market, and why a Chinese five-clawed dragon, rather than four, can make a porcelain vase worth millions. Sure to delight and surprise, Marc Allum’s Magpie examines the most respected design icons throughout history, explores conundrums like who invented glass, reveals the most expensive antiques ever sold, the subtle differences between collecting and hoarding and much, much more...

Autorentext
Marc Allum is a freelance art and antiques writer and consultant based in Wiltshire. Marc has been a miscellaneous specialist on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow programme since 1998.

Zusammenfassung
From the mythical artefacts of the ancient world to saucy seaside postcards, The Antiques Magpie explores the wonderful world of antiques and collectables. With Antiques Roadshow regular Marc Allum as your guide, go in search of stolen masterpieces, explore the first museums, learn the secrets of the forgers and brush up on your auction technique. Meet the garden gnome insured for £1 million, track down Napoleon's toothbrush, find out how to spot a corpse in a Victorian photograph and much more. This book is for anyone who's ever been fascinated by what relics of the past tell us about history and what they are worth today.