Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2008/January 2009 | Page 66
life
ANTIQUES
By Philip Hoare
Gilty
Pleasures
When I was a child there was
something that fascinated
me above all other things,
it took my attention away
from schoolwork and often
my playthings; it was my
grandmother’s bangle! I would
sit, open-mouthed, gawping at
it for hours, wondering where
it had come from and had my
grandmother actually had to
wrestle with pirates in order
to achieve it??! It was indeed
a rare looking trinket and
treasure to me. This was my
first encounter with that most
precious and coveted of all
metals - Gold!
Gold is a highly sought after
precious metal, it occurs as
nuggets or grains in rocks in
underground "veins". Gold
has been used as money in
jewellery, in sculpture, and
for ornamentation since
the beginning of recorded
history. Of course because
of its popularity gold has at
times drawn out the worst
in mankind. In the 16th
century Spanish conquistadors
travelled to South America
hoping to find cities of gold.
In Peru they captured the
King and demanded his weight
in gold for his release. The
Peruvians obeyed and instead
of keeping their word the
Spanish chopped off the Kings
head!
A less horrific story is that
of a couple who bought a
Grade II listed Toll House in
Yorkshire. They were having
such dreadful trouble with
the local council that they
were about to give up work
when one of the beams that
was rotten broke loose and a
whole cascade, 3-4 hundred,
gold sovereigns toppled out!
Luckily for the couple their
problems were solved as these
coins paid for all the work that
needed to be done!
In these uneasy financial
times it is excruciatingly
difficult to know whether
ones finances are safe in those
once infallible institutions:
banks. Where indeed does
one put ones money? Gold
has become an increasingly
popular investment, due to
the fact that, even in turbulent
financial waters gold maintains
its value. On the 13th of
March 2008 gold reached an
all time record high in US
dollars breaking the $1,000
dollar per ounce barrier for the
first time ever!
Buying gold may be expensive
but it works the other way
as well. If you have any gold
jewellery or trinkets tucked
away you may well be surprised
to realise what they are
actually worth and who knows
that little bangle may pay for
Christmas!
If you do have any queries
then please don’t hesitate to
contact me and may I take this
opportunity to wish you all
an auriferous Christmas and a
24-carat New Year!
Philip Hoare 07773 877 242
Email: [email protected]
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