Antique Malls can be as interesting as Museums or as dusty as Egyptian tombs

Most "Antique Malls" in the United States house a variety of collectibles and a smaller percentage of antiques. True Antiques collectors will often scowl at the thought of the number of modern day collectibles found in a "mall", however the interest is relative to the age and knowledge of the beholder. For instance, A collector of Barbie items can have just as much passion as a collector of fine 18th century British Sterling. To each collector, a store or mall that contains their passion, is a museum of visual delight. The main reason the US tends to have more modern pieces in our Antique Malls, is because our country is comparably younger than a European shop's location.

I am always amazed by the number of ancient relics located in Europe that are just now finding their way to sunlight. I've most recently been watching a PBS broadcast about the search for Cleopatra's tomb. After thousands of years a young woman acting on a personal hunch and with the budget of her own purse, funded an excavation of the Temple of Osiris outside of Alexandria, in Taposiris Magna, Egypt. Kathleen Martinez, the amateur archaeologist, was able to locate relics that predated the Rosetta Stone! Multitudes of people have toured Egypt daily for thousands of years, including tomb raiders and famed archaeologist who were specifically hunting relics of those areas, so the fact that someone in modern times would still be able to dig anything new of significance is phenomenal.

Take a tip from Kathleen Martinez and Don't give up the dream of finding your new 'old' treasure, my US friends, The Antiques Roadshow is proof that there are plenty of treasures that have traveled across oceans in steamer trunks, as well as been buried in fields across small American towns. Incidentally, Did you know "The Antiques Roadshow" originated in Great Britain in 1979, eighteen years before our US version? If you have family of British descent, you might be interested to watch a clip about a few people who have shared their "treasure troves" in a gallery showing entitled: "Antique Dealers: Buying, Selling and Collecting" at the University of Leeds. One gentleman speaks about his Grandfather's prize find that cost just £16, when he purchased it at a shop in 1960, however it was discovered to be an amazing bronze and gold statuette created over 500 years ago.

this is Madame, temporarily signing off to shuffle through some more "Antique Malls", just call me a professional dust lover, and don't forget to send me your wish lists!!