Hunting for Titian

 A weekend away treasure hunting in the Waikato.


Front window of Arkwrights Antiques, Paeroa

Danny and I love our roadies. Who doesn't enjoy driving around checking out antique shops, op-shops, second-hand shops and demolition yards. I approach the shops with a sense of excitement wondering if there's something for us, or more especially, for me! It's the adulting version of a treasure hunt.  

This weekend we visited shops in Paeroa, Rotorua and Taupo. We were on a time schedule so I had to choose which ones were most likely to have something for me. Paeroa - 'The Antique Capital Of New Zealand' with its eleven shops, most of them on Belmont Road, are within easy walking distance of each other. Find a park, and off I (oops, we) go. As a personal preference Danny and I chose to wear masks in all the shops we visited.

 
The Titian stand-up butterfly vase, and the Orzel Ti-Toki bottle were in locked display cabinets with the more desirable Crown Lynn pieces.

 
Generally, you'll find Titian and Orzel pieces in the Crown Lynn selection, with the white Titian vases sometimes popping up amongst the English china. With no maker's name and only the product code on the base to go by, I'm sure it's a difficult and time-consuming job for dealers to hunt down makers. The opposite can also be true with jugs mislabelled as Titian but are Crown Lynn with the tell-tale four digit numbers on the base. I always check rather than relying on the label. I'm pretty thorough when checking items because there's a number of pieces missing from Sherwood Pottery, Titian Studio, Aquila gallery on the New Zealand Pottery website. I'd be chuffed to find a piece to fill a gap.

 
            The Depo                                                                                                                   Rotorua Antiques

Walking around a shop a couple of times gives me a good overview especially in the big shops. I look everywhere, including window displays, always asking permission before moving items that could be easily damaged. Like an antique fair, Danny and I head off in different directions as two pairs of eyes are better than one. He's always on the hunt for Ambrico animals and New Zealand signs so we'll go around a least a couple of times, just to make sure we haven't missed something. 


I easily get caught up in the moment when spotting a piece, (I didn't know I needed until I saw it) being careful to check for chips, cracks and crazing. Running a finger around the rim and the base, and wearing my good glasses I'm more likely to pick up a fault. Sometimes a very gentle tap with my fingernail will produce a 'ring' or a clunky sound. The clunky sound can mean there's a hairline crack. Regardless, if I like it, and the price is right I'll buy it. 

I've always enjoyed gentle haggling. The shop owner with the Titian oak leaf vase actually called out, "make me an offer," as soon as I picked it up. It was in great condition but I already have six, so decided I didn't need another one. Over the years and many purchases, I've built up a great relationship with Chris from Rotorua Antiques. He kindly offers me a small discount on my purchases as I've bought so many items off him in the past. His stock is high quality and is displayed well. With Covid affecting so many businesses over the last two years I don't tend to haggle much these days. If I'm happy with the price, I'll buy it. If not, I'll leave it. Danny says I have the worst poker face anyway! 

I didn't buy any Titian or Orzel on our roadie this time, but I had a great time hunting with Danny. Good luck with your hunting and maybe I'll see you out and about. 

Happy days,
Louise 


Below are the shops we popped into on our latest roadie. Check opening days and hours online, or consider purchasing the Collectors Anonymous handbook to find even more great shops as you travel around our beautiful country.

Rotorua Antiques - 1201 Eruera Street, Rotorua
True Collectors - 15 Belmont Road, Paeroa
The Vintage & Retro Shop - 9a Belmont Road, Paeroa (0272528478)
Arkwrights Antiques - 32 Belmont Road, Paeroa
The Depo - 24 Belmont Road, Paeroa
Second Thoughts (Granvilles Retro Funk) - 20 Belmont Road, Paeroa
Oakleaf Antiques - 141 Tongariro St, Taupo


©Louise de Varga 2022 - Content and pictures in this blog 

Comments

  1. Val Monk18 July 2022 at 21:12

    I always love shelfies. Ta for posting, Louise. Our last roadie didn't yield a huge amount of stuff either - considering it was 5 weeks of dedicated shopping. (With a tiny bit of cycling thrown in).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Titianstudiopottery19 July 2022 at 00:27

      I saw on FB the last lot of goodies you found. I'm super impressed with your dedication. 😆

      Delete

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