Things I want to keep January 23 2015

Sometimes, I find things that I really would like to hang on to, if only for a while. This is one of those items. You can just feel the history pouring off it. It is a stunning example of a Kuba beaded belt, but more than that, it is a REALLY early one. Just look at the back and you can see that it is stitched together with what looks like some sort of grass or plant material and you can see where it has been patched and repaired over the years. Together with the irregular size and shape of the beads, these are exactly the sorts of things that all add up to show its true age. It will be a shame to see it go, but in the mean time I will enjoy it as much as I can.

http://www.thecabinetofcuriosities.co.uk/collections/ethnographic/products/kuba-ceremonial-beaded-belt

Zebra skull September 23 2014

Just in, this lovely example of a skull from the plains zebra Equus quagga. Beautifully mounted on a plinth and also has the loops to be wall mounted. A spectacular statement piece.

Woolly Mammoths July 10 2014

Recently added to the collection we have some lovely LARGE examples of fossilised mammoth teeth. There are also woolly Rhinoceros bones and other similar items. Check them out in the fossils collection.

Antique eggs May 06 2014

The on-line store has now been open for more than a week now and new products are being added daily.

Today I have just listed a beautiful Victorian or Edwardian egg collectors specimen box together with eggs (Ostrich, emu and rhea). I love these old examples of the naturalists paraphernalia. They are so well made that they usually have lasted very well and still look great as part of a collection. I have had this sitting on the side next to an old brass microscope. Hopefully it will last for at least another 100 years.

You can often tell whether an ostrich egg is really old. They seem to have much larger pores than other similar eggs and over the years these pores trap small particles of grease and dust and give the egg a characteristic speckled appearance (see photos). This is much more pronounced in Ostrich eggs particularly.