About Me

I’ve been treasure hunting for as long as I can remember.

The passion for antiques was ignited literally as I started walking with vivid memories of finding a small Victorian porcelain dolls head buried in the garden which I still have. This single act was the genesis that shaped my life and I remember the excitement it gave me. From then on it was a years saving pocket money to by a metal detector from Joan Allen Metal Detectors in Biggin Hill in around 1980, looking for old bottles and dragging my parents round old junk shops in Chatterton Rd, Bromley and any other old bric-a-brac shops and antique fairs that caught my eye. A Passion for vinyl records, old pocket watches, clocks, cameras and skulls soon began to fill the shelves in my bedroom.

I cut my teeth working in a pawnbrokers in West Croydon and The Cally Rd in the late 1990’s, qualifying in as a professional jeweler which then allowed me to study at Southampton Institute as a mature student gaining a 2/1 degree in Fine Art Valuation throughout my degree I was working at Picketts & Pursers jewelers and by this time I had started selling stuff on Ebay. The FAV degree covered all aspects of auctioneering and antiques, including Renaissance – Abstract art, Meissen – Clarice Cliff, 18th century French Boulle work – Robert (Mouseman) Thompson. After working in various auction rooms including Henry Adams and Roseberys, I started working in a well established (Since 1901) family jewelers in Tunbridge Wells, L Reich & Sons, which I became assistant manager of and started studying for the Fellowship of the Gemological Association FGA, gaining a diploma in gemology.

My true passion always remained in the hunt and collecting and soon left the retail industry qualifying to become a professional arborist/tree surgeon (my other passion in life) and started running my own firm V R Farren Tree Surgeons. Throughout this time I was buying all sorts from local auction rooms and selling via ebay. The balance of tree surgery and buying and selling has always worked very harmoniously but as I have got older the passion for antiques and especially vinyl has started to tip the scales and this is now my main focus. I spend my days scouring online sales and get to as many actual auctions as I can looking for sleepers and hidden gems.

Drawing on my broad knowledge of many aspects, including modern 1st edition books, vintage watches & jewellery, arts & crafts, aesthetic movement, Deco furniture and interior design. My net is cast far and wide and I get great pleasure in hunting down treasures from across the board, researching them, getting items restored and finding homes for beautiful objects.

This is and will always be a lifelong commitment.

Simon Harris