Original illustrations for Enid Blyton’s Noddy will be among the many fascinating childhood treasures going on sale at the UK’s most popular antiques fair, Antiques for Everyone, at the NEC, Birmingham from Thursday 23rd - Sunday 26th November 2000.
Toys and Dolls is the collecting subject highlighted at this huge fair that features more than 700 antique dealers from across the UK and Europe.
A unique Loan Collection of rare Toys and Dolls will be displayed by The Broadway Teddy Bear and Doll Museum and many exhibitors will be offering childhood collectibles for sale. The collection of original watercolour drawings featuring Noddy and his pals by artist Robert Tyndall will be shown by Abbott and Holder, the London gallery.

They come from the Enid Blyton Noddy Archive and were commissioned for the popular series of books published in the 1950s and ‘60s. All the famous characters are depicted, including Big Ears, Mr Plod, Tubby Bear, Teddy Bear and Mrs Bear. Noddy’s famous yellow car is also featured. 

Antiques for Everyone features antiques and works of art valued at more than £30million. Fine period furniture, works of art and rare connoisseurs’ and collector’s pieces from across the world go on sale at an event that attracts more than 25,000 visitors. 

Antiques for Everyone provides the opportunity for collectors at every level to find something special. The vast range of fine quality exhibits makes the fair essential for anyone looking for fine period furniture, paintings, ceramics, glass, metalwork, silver and jewellery. 

Prices range from more than £100,000 for the finest Victorian oil paintings to less than £10 for engravings and ephemera. The Fair is divided into two sections, offering something for everyone. Exhibits in Section One generally pre-date 1914 and in Section Two they pre-date 1940. Jewellery is allowed to 1960 in both sections while at this particular fair, art of all ages, including contemporary works by living artists and sculptors, is allowed. 

The Theatre Seminars
A number of informative and entertaining seminar talks take place every day, many highlighting the theme of the fair, Toys & Dolls. Speakers include Richard Edmonds, antiques writer and drama critic from The Birmingham Post, who will present ‘A Wind-Up Affair‘, a talk on the history of automata collecting. Janice Longhi, owner of Broadway Toy and Doll Museum, will speak on the history of dolls, and Yvonne McGeehan, a writer for Teddy Bear Scene and a noted collector, will present “Gladly” My Cross-eyed Bear! Additional speakers include David Brown, the well known representative from The National Trust, who will talk on topics including National Trust properties and the conservation of antiques. The seminar talks take place throughout the fair and entry is free to fair visitors.

Furniture for Interior Decorators
The Fair is widely regarded as a major source of both inspiration and accessories for interior decorators and home furnishers. The fair provides an enormous choice of 18th, 19th and early 20th century furniture and decorative accessories. Desks for the office, tables for the dining-room, bookcases, display cabinets and writing tables for the drawing-room, sofas for the lounge, four-posters and wash stands for the bedroom, Art Deco three-piece suites, Arts and Crafts hall furniture, ormolu mirrors, longcase clocks, barometers and chairs for every occasion, are all present in abundance and at prices to suit most pockets.

Ceramics and Glass
Antiques for Everyone has an international reputation for the huge range of ceramics and glass. More than 150 specialist dealers exhibit, showing Derby, Worcester, Coalport, Minton, Blue & White, Spode, Wedgwood, Delft, Clarice Cliff, Shelley, Staffordshire figures, Majolica, Crown Devon, Chinese porcelain, Parian ware and much more. 

Vetting for Quality 
More than 150 experts inspect every exhibit on sale at Antiques for Everyone. Exhibits must be authentic and of good quality. Items considered to be out of dateline, over restored, damaged or simply not authentic are removed prior to public entry.

As organiser Fran Foster from Centre Exhibitions explains: ‘Our vetting policy is a major factor in the on-going success of this fair. For a fair of this size and scale, it is very reassuring for visitors to know that such great attention is paid to authenticity and quality. Confidence is most important in today’s marketplace and it is our intention to always provide the highest possible standards for collectors’. 

Rare Signed Musical Quotations from the Great Composers on offer 

Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Richard Strauss, Sergie Rachmaninov, William Walton and Thomas Beecham will be
among the famous names featured in a collection of autographs and autographed musical quotations going on sale at
the UK’s most popular antiques fair, Antiques for Everyone, at the NEC, 

The collection of musical memorabilia will be shown by Fishburn Art & Music from Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. Among other well
known names represented in the collection will be John Ireland, Paul Tortelier and Henry Wood.

Richard Fishburn explains that famous composers often signed autographs on a short hand-written extract of their most well known
music. These musical quotations are now highly sought after by collectors of musical memorabilia. 

Dates: Thursday 23rd - Sunday 26th November 2000. 

Visitor Info: NEC Box Office Tel: 0121-767 4789 

Ticket Office: For advance tickets Tel: 0121-767 4789 (50p booking fee applies). 
Supported by: The National Trust. British European Airways. 

Location: Hall 5, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, UK. 

Organisers: Centre Exhibitions, NEC House, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham B40 1NT. Tel: 0121-767 2760. 

E-mail: antiques@necgroup.co.uk. 

Web site: www.antiquesforeveryone.co.uk. 

Press Preview: 10am, Thursday, 23rd November (or earlier by prior arrangement.) 

Open Hours: Thursday 11am - 8pm / Friday 11am - 8pm Saturday 11am - 6pm / Sunday 11am - 6pm 

Admission: Thursday £7.00, Friday - Sunday £6.00. Concessions: Senior Citizens: Thursday £6.00, Friday - Sunday £5.00. Groups: By prior arrangement. 

Seminars: Programme details in Fair Catalogue. Free entry for Fair Visitors. 

Car Parking: Free at NEC (for the antiques fair only.) 

Catalogue: Colour catalogue including feature articles and exhibitor details. Available at the Fair. Produced by the Antiques Trade Gazette.