It has been some time since i have written up on the blog but then things have been moving very fast on this side and i only seem to have 25hrs in a day.() Had a friend out from London and i took him on the grand tour of antique shops fleamarkets and yes the brockis and i tell u there were plenty to visit.Here i must say that those run by charities are by far the best and also u need to know that these open and close at odd hours so u need to plan ahead of when the open and close...beware luchtimes...and then most of them open wednesdays from 2pm...impossible to get to more than 5 on the wednesday depending on the travel plan.
what still amazes me is the number of little secrets u need to know when u are browsing the brockis....where do the best treasures lie and where to look.It is these strages little places that we found amzing pieces that were ignorned by many but then again i guess if u have an eye and a good knowledge of what out there then u will be in for a great treat.
here is a liitle one that we bought and mind u in a matter of two brokis we found two....Holmegaard Piggy banks that come in various colors...also be warned that there are lots that are being sold as the genuine article but are far from it....so u need to know what they really look like.Italy also produced many as well as other companies...but the one featured here was designed by Mr.Bang for the Holmegaard factory and is rather difficult to find and therefore one can expect to pay a good price to own one.....
and so we travelled where we also found the stacking set by Wilhelm Wagenfeld...lacking a few pieces ..and also an egg coddler with metal strap by Wagenfeld.Seen these featured in great books but in all my thirty years i have never found a single piece until these showed up.Stelton stainless steel was found in three different venues and really ignored as they were covered in dust and grime...designer stuff.A wonderful lalique ashtray in its original box which surely is worth the Sfr2.00 paid.West German Fat Lava where as before i found plenty was rather thin on the shelves with a lot of ordinary pieces...i.e. rather common pieces.A super small bronze ink well by Tiffany Studios New York...there were a number of people scratching through the box and then came my turn...and voila i recognized it at first sight and for the principal price of 50rp....what a bargain!!
ok so there is so much i can add but then that could be for another time...but a must show is a wonderful ladies Italian bicycle and this tickled me pink...actually its white but when i looked agin it has had a repaint...and the original color is ....PINK..all fitted out with the original lamp and a carrier with white handles pedals and saddle.Had a lot of cleaning but now looks great...pity the tyres are shot....see her here......
To all if you would like to visit ...The Golden Frog 201 Birmensdorfstrasse Kries 3 Zurich where we have fashionable antiques and a small amount of Swedish designer furniture as well as glass and art nouveau items.See you there.

So finally the doors of The Golden Frog has opened and fully stocked to the point of bursting at the seams.
201 Birmensdorfstrasse....Kreis 3...Zurich....vis-a-vis Co-Op.
It would be well worth visiting The Golden Frog if you are looking for fashion antiques as we have a good stock of designer furniture glass and light fittings.
We also stock antiquities from England ranging fron Georgian furniture silver and glass..at present we have an amazing Queen Anne side server in oak...dating late 1700 in pretty good condition and i must say at a very affordable price.
Here u will find a short list of goodies that are available
Lalique...dino martens....seguso...ittala...orrefors....vennini and glass spanning 1950/70
Designer swedish furnitue....not many pieces but they will go fast at these prices.
Georgian furniture "a large selection" also many lithos and oils.
English porcelain from the famous Royal Worcester factory...featuring the hand painted and artist signed pieces also a wonderful Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre bowl.
A good selection of Royal Copenhagen and Meissen.
Art Nouveau and art deco pieces and a magnificent Italian standing lady lamp...signed

a stunning early litho of scenes of New York dating 1850....and this one is rare!
Early Swiss maps and lithos a few Swiss oils...swiss potter Magaret Linck.
So why not pop in and visit us as we have plenty more to show you...and if your taste extends to West German Fat Lava then we have one of the largest collections available as well as ceramics spanning the 50/70s.

Plenty of parking available in the side streets.See you there.
Wednesday-Friday......1pm - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

so just when the world shows new visions of Batman(DARK KNIGHT) the old collectibles seem to pop out of the wood work and are for sale.How things change to suit a new generation stretching to the limits that tintalating excitement which sends the imagination to new heights of fantasy.Its a case of we want more bigger better faster more "stylish"designer sleek etc and gives one the feeling that thats not even enough for some.There are dark knight collectibles on the market but only available in two countries...future collectibles
as seen in the picture this mobile has been truly played with and no doubt long hours of play with the wildest imagination doing its fair share of crashing and the like...see the paint work
lacking its original box lowers the price and of course the damage does lowers the price...serious and dedicated collectors want it in great condition and will be willing to pay a good price.So heres the trick....for a future collectible...buy one or some of the toys that are available from the concerned counties were they are available...as these would be considered ...a first issue...and pack them away for the years to come.this may just turn out to be your investment for the future.An idea that i rather liked was...a customer that was so delighted with his first born...a son,,,that he set out buying a large sea chest and started to fill it with great collectibles(each birthday and xmas) and this would be the coming of age gift ...so 21years of the best collectibles....Rolex oyster watch(gold ofcourse and a whole variety of goodies.what a stunning investment he had made for his son as the prices that he paid have risen in somecases more than 600%.It was with great excitement when Greach opened his treasure chest and well we were all enthralled with viewing the treasures with yelps and huge smiles.Dad had even taged where each item was purchased and a bit of history.One of the items i do remember was a George Jensen teaset and tray purchased from my store some 23 years ago at the paltry sum of 300 dollars...well today i guess if on the open market it would fetch a sum of 20,000 dollars.
Also featured here is a stunning WMF Batman teaset on tray and all in great condition there is a small repair on the sugar bowl.Now this piece is a true collectible and as far as i know there are no reproductions around...so its a case of find another.This one came out of an estate and the two girls hated it and also needed to raise some capital and were delighted with the sale price.
so long live the Dark Knight and get to see this great movie!!

The time is drawing close when The Golden Frog opens in Zurich and you will find a great collection of english antiques ranging from porcelain,silver,art and glass from 1750 to 1960.
there is also a large selection of reto collectibles including designer names and ranges of furniture glass and ceramics.(German and Swiss potters and furniture)
As from previous blogs you will notice that a large collection of Fat Lava will be represented from small pieces to those magnificent large floor vase in strong colors with crazy fat lava drips...certainly a great collectors item for the future and prices have gone up in the last year.The reason being that the BBC road show featured them on one of their shows and it has been noted by dealers that there has been a run on the Fat Lava selection.
from bight blues,reds,orange,browns,green and the rare yellow with a black lava drip and some totally encrusted, these(west germany) are extremely difficult to find and are in high demand and then there is a large selection from east germany where collectors are seeking the better fava encrusted examples.
i would also like to introduce you to a Dr.who has his Ph.D in zoology and tropical ecology from zurich and may i suggest you visit this site and scroll down to view his CV and give his efforts your support in saving The Golden Frog.....save the frog
and little did i know that there is even an award given to artists and very different to the oscars...and with super reading and a list of whos who in the business here is The Golden Frog ..awards...........The Golden Frog awards
and then for the tourist mile there is that walk which is most probably common to all ...The Bahnhofstrasse....the street not lined with gold...but go here and read what it is all about...........true
so be sure if you have the time to visit the new and exicting "The Golden Frog" 201 Birmensdorfstrasse kreis 3 Zurich...between Schmiede Wiedikon and Goldbrunnenplatz opening on the 30th july 10am to 6.30 See you there!

For many years i have surrounded myself with golden frogs and these delighted visitors... asking why frogs?.As we have the fairytales of the frog and what can truly happen if you wish to kiss one always being a romantic at heart.i never really had to opportunity but let me assure you there were so ugly frogs about (lol)I remember as a child whilst they were building our swimming pool there appeared a huge bullfrog that was said to be pretty dangerous and these frogs attacked cows and caused the cows to die....scary stuff as a 7 year old and ofcourse the scare stories followed.
then we have the near extinction of the Panama golden frog which are unique with the females being totally gold and the males having some black stripes/markings has extrodinary behaviour and a delight to watch...so i give you a fab link to U-Tube showing these amazing creatures...go here.......Golden frog
there is a huge amount to be learnt about these little mites and a good read.
according to legend it is said that when they die they turn into pure gold.
so then a visit to the following address.....The Golden Frog...201 Birmensdorfstrasse Kreis 3 Zurich and you will be able to enter into the new opening of..The Golden Frog....and who knows the good fortune may just rub off on your visit.So tag this address for the forth coming opening.
Opening 30th July from 10am to 6.30pm
see u there!!

there has been so much on the go here in switzerland with all the soccer so exciting and yeah tons of people.The heat has been too much and found myself eating so many icecreams...like that would really help to cool down,,but my favorite summer snack so why not.
i was on one of my grand tours of the shops and markets and came across this delightful russian silver milk jug dated 1908-1926 by vasilii ivanovich andreev who worked in moscow.it stood behind an ugly metal bowl and for some reason i just had to move the bowl and lo and behold when i saw the handle i recognized what presented itself...went to find out the price and to my delight it was a dismissive price so i dashed off with my little treasure eager to get home and research the maker and date.It is in such wonderful condition and has hardly been used...a gold wash interior and fully marked on the underside as well as on the lip of the jug.
the next day i found ...lying in a box of mixed metal ware a tiffany studio bowl...a rather small piece...and it did put a big smile on my face as one mans junk is anothers treasure and to crown off the trip i came across some scandinavian designer furniture at a bargain price and all in stunning condition...i guess if one keeps looking one finds....this does not happen every week but it sure happens from time to time and thats why i love the business i am in.
so this week is the burkliplatz market back at full steam and hopefully there will be some great treasures to be found.visit us there and see what we have to present.
the shop is also full of goodies .....shop
further news as to a new venture so please keep an eye here as in three weeks....we present...The Golden Frog.