Buying antique gifts for a special lady in your life, be it your partner, mother, aunt or sister, can be a minefield. In our latest guide, we’ve tried to make it easier for you to find unusual gifts for her!
Narrowing your choices down so that you source the perfect gift takes a bit of thought and forward planning. Once done, however, it will be much easier to find the right gift. This can be done by following these easy steps:
Gifts for antique collectors
Ask yourself if the recipient collects anything; it is sometimes much simpler to add to someone’s existing collection than to attempt to start one from scratch. So, if you know that she collects antique rocking horses, for example, the gift of a new addition will show that you care enough to have sourced something you know she will love.
Gifts for an antique lover
Are you buying for someone who has a wish list of items they’d love, but would never buy for themselves? If you know your mum has her heart set on vintage kitchen scales, you can narrow down your search to vintage kitchenalia.
If you’re still at a loss, setting a budget can help you to reject any antique gift ideas that are out of reach financially and, when searching online, it helps to filter your choices by price.
Vintage gifts and antiques at Hemswell Antique Centres
With thousands of pieces on display from hundreds of dealers across four buildings, we are confident that every taste and budget can be catered for. For those searching for the really unusual, the following might give you some inspiration:
Gifts for every occasion
Our dealers have an eye for the unusual and original so whether you are looking for quirky glass buttons, an antique silver stamp box or even an art nouveau pearl caviar dish, our Gifts for every occasion has over 600 items online, starting from just £12.
Small collectables
From exquisite mother of pearl and tortoise shell Victorian calling cards, to a Georgian silver meat skewer, our Small Collectables offer lots of choice.
Of course, if you are finding it too hard to narrow down your choice, why not let the lady in your life pick her own gift? Our gift vouchers start from just £10 and can be purchased in-store or over the telephone on 01427 668389. We can also post them out to an address of your choice.
Considerations when buying antique gifts
Buying from reputable dealers is essential and at Hemswell Antique Centres many of our dealers have membership of such professional bodies as LAPADA (The Association of Art and Antique Dealers) and BADA (The British Antique Dealers’ Association).
If visiting us in person, always examine the piece carefully. While wear and tear can add character and is deemed acceptable, damage will diminish the value and may affect function.
Understand the difference between antique and vintage. The former refers to items over 100 years old, while the latter refers to items between 20 and 100 years old. This may help you to align your choices with the person receiving the gift.
Of course, we understand that not everyone can visit us in person and many prefer to shop online. If so, do read our tips for buying antiques online for great advice before browsing hundreds of antiques that can be posted for £15.
Antiques and gifts at Hemswell
We welcome visitors from around the world to our centres close to the historical city of Lincoln, so come and spend a day of indulgent browsing with us, enjoying a break in one of our restaurants as you work your way through our four buildings.