9/22/2023 0 Comments Antique large number press![]() Some have suggested that only 1 in 10 are still running, but it is hard to know how seriously to take this number: very likely nobody, including the Russians, really knows.īut now the shortage of modern types is forcing Russia to resort to T-62s. However, years of neglect and poor storage conditions (not to mention corruption and theft) means that many of the vehicles have been cannibalized to keep the others running. According to the Military Balance 2021, quoted in Kyiv Independent, Russia has over 10,000 battle tanks in storage, mainly T-72s and T-80s. In theory Russia has thousands of tanks waiting in giant warehouses and vehicles parks which can be reactivated. Ministry of Defence stated, referring to the T-62s. “Their presence on the battlefield highlights Russia's shortage of modern, combat-ready equipment,” the U.K. Analysts speculated that the T-62s would be used to backfill training and reserve units so that more modern tanks could be sent to Ukraine to make up losses, so seeing one in Ukraine was a surprise. So, if you have a nice deep mantlepiece or shelf, in need of a collector's best friend, then a pair of perky (and always well-behaved) Staffordshire dogs should do the trick.The T-62 is not supposed to be in frontline service. As prices are variable, there should be a nice pair of dogs out there to suit most collectors' pockets. If you want to invest wisely, then buying from a reputable dealer is probably the surest way to do it. Like many collectable ceramics, fake Staffordshire dogs come regularly into Britain to snag the unknowledgeable collector. As the accompanying description proves, they had the desirable traits of an excellent Staffordshire dog: the coveted turquoise ground, nice blackberry spots and Disraeli curls. A pair of very handsome (though not perfect) seated greyhounds, c.1850-60, sold recently at W&H Peacock in Bedford and they went for a record price of £6400. But when something particularly nice comes to market, there are price exceptions. A Victorian pair of pooches can be had for around £500, with prices going up into the low thousands, depending on rarity. On Madelena Antiques and Collectables website you can find a large selection of covetable Staffordshire dogs of all sizes - and variable winsomeness. And before you can log in to eBay, prices start to rise again. Contemporary designers like Ben Pentreath collect them, and illustrators like Clive Hicks-Jenkins adore them. The recent interest in British folk arts and artists has seen another wave of affection for owning a Staffordshire dog or (preferably) two. Their heyday was, along with other Staffordshire flatback figures (often of royalty or political figures) from around 1840 - 1900, with the most collectable ones coming from the mid-19th century. Some of this lack of manufacturing provenance probably accounts for the relatively low prices of Staffordshire dogs - you can still buy a pair for hundreds, rather than thousands. ![]() But the appellation 'Staffordshire' isn't completely wrong, he says, as in the mid-19th century 80% of British ceramics were made in North Staffordshire. It's a catch-all generalisation that curators wouldn't use. This makes it almost impossible to attribute them to any one maker."īen finds the term 'Staffordshire dogs' a little challenging. ![]() It was anonymous, backstreet manufacturers here in Stoke-on-Trent making them. It wasn't the usual names - Spode or Wedgwood - producing these pieces. "The dogs and flat back figures would have been made in small factories employing 10-20 people, producing press-moulded earthenware, and then later slip-cast figures. Ben Miller, Assistant Curator of Ceramics at The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery (a wonderful cornucopia of ceramics in Stoke-on-Trent), where they know a thing or two about Staffordshire ceramics, says that it is very difficult to assign Staffordshire dogs to any particular manufacturer. Staffordshire dogs were made in large numbers in the 19th century and probably sold on market stalls or bought from travelling salesmen. Indeed, they look so well in situ, you might think mantlepieces had been invented for them. A pack of Staffordshire dogs sits in state on a mantelpiece in Sarah Corbett-Winder's London house Paul MasseyĪ pair of Staffordshire dogs on a mantlepiece was a common sight in Victorian and Edwardian England. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |