The cap that fitted

摘要

For several years, I have been indulging in a weekly routine: trawling through the Antiques Trade Gazette website to search the catalogues of forthcoming sales of more than 80 British fine art and antiques auction houses.rnAs I live in a far-off corner of France, there is rarely an opportunity to attend these highly theatrical events. But should some 'must-have' item of canal memorabilia be discovered, there is always the option of making a telephone bid. Drawbacks are two-fold: obviously it can be risky buying on the strength of a photograph without being able to see the object for real. Secondly, packing and shipping costs are prohibitive: for a bulky purchase at a hammer price of, say, ￡100 I can pay the same again to have it delivered to our Clairac front door.