Welcome

It was with some astonishment that I discovered on page 35 of this month’s issue of the upcoming “great wealth transfer”. For those not in the kno w, this refers to the £5.5 trillion set to be transferred over the next 30 years from the baby boomers (born between the late 1940s and early 1960s and reportedly the wealthiest generation in history) to Millennials (born in the 1980s and 1990s). The relevance to collectors of this huge cash relocation will be a transformation of both the digital art market, and art market in general.

The vehicle for this vast overhaul is NFTs. Not the National Film Theatre but non-fungible tokens, which are linked to the blockchain and cryptocurrencies, and set to fuel the growth in digital art – a market which previously did not exist.

The bad news for my descendants waiting for their slice of the “great wealth transfer” is that all my retirement money is earmarked for posh gin and extravagant foreign holidays. So don’t be looking to me to finance this digital revolution.

But for those of a more generous nature our report does spell out what NFTs mean to collectors both today and in the future.

On a much securer footing, on page 14 we go behind the scenes of a period oak sale, the first of three similar annual auctions from a Suffolk auction house, suggesting demand for the style and its close companion, folk art, is strong.

On page 30 we consider the work of the Anglesey artist Sir Kyffin Williams a couple of months after one of his works set an auction record, as well as considering other Welsh painters whose work is slightly more achievable.

If you are looking for your next collecting obsession you might just find it on page 18 when John Rogers introduces us to the world of 20th-century Iraqi silve r. Long dismissed as tourist ware it is now wowing bidders across the world. On page 46, Lennox Cato describes a recent visit to Dumfries House, home to some of the most remarkable furniture in the UK and, on page 17, Christina Trevanion reveals a soft spot for the arts and crafts maker Ernest Gimson.

I hope you enjoy the issue.

GeorginaGeorgina Wroe, Editor

KEEP IN TOUCH Write to us at Antique Collecting, Sandy Lane, Old Martlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4SD, or email magazine@accartbooks. com. Visit the website at www.antique-collecting.co.uk and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @AntiqueMag

We love this George III-style scratch-built dolls house

(87cm x 57cm), which has an estimate of £200-£300 in Bishop & Miller’s sale on October 14.

Antique Collecting subscription £38 for 10 issues annually, no refund is available.

ISSN: 0003-584X

FIRST WORD

IN THIS ISSUE

OLIVER MILLER goes behind the scenes of a period oak sale, page 14

JOHN ROGERS unveils the world of Iraqi silver, page 18

MALCOLM PHILLIPS

shines a light on comic collecting, page 26

BEN ROGERS JONES on the art of Welsh painter Sir

Kyffin Williams, page 30

The Team

Editor: Georgina Wroe, georgina.

wroe@accartbooks.com Online Editor: Richard Ginger, richard.ginger@accartbooks.com

Design: Philp Design, james@philpdesign.co.uk Advertising: Charlotte Kettell 01394 389969, charlotte.kettell

@accartbooks.com Subscriptions: Jo Lord

01394 389950, jo.lord@accartbooks.com

ANTIQUE COLLECTING 3