Cardiff a ‘hotbed’ for antiques and collectibles

Local TV

We hear from antiques expert Izzie Balmer about why Cardiff has become such a hotbed for collectibles, with as many a 37% of people around the city having some kind of collection at home.

Transcript

00:00You have got collectors who love searching out for those treasures and they're adding

00:05to their collection. So for them, they're not thinking of selling them. They love the

00:09thrill of the chase and just really enjoying and appreciating those items.

00:13Cardiff is a hotbed for collectors and antiques, according to recent studies by Raisin. They

00:18say that the capital has more people collecting things like jewellery, sports memorabilia

00:22and others than anywhere else in Wales and the rest of the UK. There's no doubt that

00:26Cardiff has some amazing places to find collectibles like Jacob's Market or the Pumping Station.

00:32So we're speaking to Izzy Barmer about why the city and the rest of Wales is such a great

00:36place for collectors.

00:37Yeah, so Raisin have found that Cardiff is an area that has some of the biggest collections,

00:44so 37% of collections in Cardiff. But I have to say, Wales is a really good place for finding

00:52items and there's some lovely fairs in Wales, but also Welsh furniture. So there's a strong

01:01market for collecting Welsh furniture and also sort of traditional Welsh items. And

01:07the best place to go and find those items is, of course, in Wales because there's lots

01:11of them there. But people all over the UK collect Welsh items.

01:16It's everyone's dream to stumble upon something worth a fortune in your attic. An old vase

01:20that just was collecting dust, or an old coin that turns out to be hundreds of years

01:24old. And there's a massive push nowadays for people who love a rummage to make a profit

01:28off it, considering many households across the country are a bit strapped for cash.

01:34For whatever it is, if there's no right answer, if you're sentimental and there's a story

01:39attached and there's the memories attached with that, then it's priceless, isn't it?

01:43It has no value. But then for other people, it's just a box of jewellery sat there in

01:47their drawer or, you know, their grandparents' prized minton collection. Or, you know, we

01:54all dream of finding your Chinese, you know, your rare 17th century Chinese vase. But actually,

02:01you really don't know what there might be. And if it, you know, if you inherited all

02:04these items, and actually you can, you can, not always, but you can make some money.

02:08The online arena has turned into a go-to place for collectors who can search for anything

02:12their heart desires. But more than just collectors, it's a great place to find bargains for antiques

02:17and a great place to make some money selling, too.

02:20So, I mean, so much we do nowadays online, don't we? So for exactly that, for a younger

02:25generation, for them, it's more approachable for them. They find it easier to go online.

02:30I mean, people do still enjoy getting out and about. But you've got online marketplaces

02:35that you can both buy and sell. So it's great if you're just trying to sell, you know, you've

02:38inherited granny's tea set. You don't want it. It's not to your taste. An auction house

02:43doesn't want it. So you just stick it on an online marketplace and, you know, you might

02:47make £20, £30, you might make £100. But it's just quick, easy money. But similarly,

02:52it's also a great place to buy items. So you might think, OK, well, I'm looking for, I

02:57mean, like you said, a Welsh dresser.

Category

Transcript

Recommended