Source Book: Antiques

I love poking around London's markets looking for antiques, but my mother assures me that the bargains that she and my father would find in the 50s, 60s and 70s are no longer there, partly due to the current exchange rate and partly due to the popularity of shows like Antiques Roadshow.

On this trip, I will be hunting for spoons. I have two sets of flatware, one the French Ivory-handled knives and forks that I've collected for years, and the other, a recent gift of some Mappin & Webb silver from the late 1800s. Neither set has spoons, so that's my quest.


Here are some of the places I will check:

• Alfie's Antiques Market - This art deco-fronted former department store houses about 100 dealers of all sorts. The last time I was there, I watched a posh couple dickering with a dealer over two beautiful eiderdowns. I seem to remember a lot of mid-century modern, something I am not shopping for at all.
• LASSCO is always a must do. The salvage at LASSCO is very different from what we have in Baltimore, mainly due to the age difference in the buildings. A few years ago, a friend and I set up an architectural salvage company, and I've always been fascinated by it. I am not likely to lug home a radiator or some flooring, but there are always little bits and pieces that are great finds!
• Appley Hoare has a new location on Pimlico Road, just down from their old place, which I knew. She specializes in French country furniture and accessories. Click here to see some photos of her work. There are a lot of great stores along Pimlico Road, and they are all expensive!
• One of the places I might have some luck with my spoons is at the London Silver Vaults, which is actually a collection of 30+ dealers, most of whom specialize in English silver. I may take piece or two of my M&W silver to see if they can match it, or as M suggests, just photocopy one for perfect scale!
• I fell in love with Josephine Ryan's work ages ago and even wrote a post about it almost exactly a year ago. It looks like such a fun shop, full of lots of interesting goodies!

Of course, there are a zillion other antiques stores in London, in addition to the famous Portobello Road and the other open markets, but this is just a hint.