On the great antique hunt in Newark

I do not hunt Wabbits, I like to hunt for antiques and get involved in the cut and thrust and the wheeling and dealing.

To get my fix of all this, Lozza's Loot headed off to Newark in Nottinghamshire for the world famous antique fair run by the International Antiques and Collectors Fair.

There is no feeling like it, the thrill of the chase and a time to dance and haggle over the price.

It is a time for adventure and a time to discover what treasure you will find on one of the hundreds of stalls dotted around the showground in Newark.

Antique hunting brings with it under written rules, a law which each side is party to but of which no one speaks.

You conduct yourself well and get into the spirit of bold curiosity as you venture ahead.

Wandering around the showground can for the uninitiated be an over whelming experience.

Even for seasoned visitors you need to keep your eyes peeled and keep your eyes on the prize.

There is so much to see but that is what makes Newark so good. You never know what you will see and that is great.

I enjoy the sheer exhilaration and enjoyment of everything about Newark.

There are stalls outside up and down the avenues and plenty of stalls in the barns and pavilions.

You are spoilt for choice of where to go and what to see.

While at Newark I spoke to dealer, Martin Dance who was an auctioneer for 25 years and has been dealing for 15 years.

Speaking about being a dealer he said: "I do enjoy it.

"A lot of people even today do not know what they are buying.

"Having worked in an auction room and now being a dealer I enjoy teaching them about what they are buying.

"Telling them what it is, why it was made and what it is used for.

"When they pick up old glass they can see the different between an antique piece of cut glass and modern 20th century glass.

"I enjoy telling them the difference, telling about good, better and best.

"It is always a learning process as much for buyers as it is is for dealers.

"I never stop learning. Even now I find myself buying things I do not know what they are.

"I bought a long pole with a thin brush shaped like a cone on it and had no idea what it was used for. It took me six months to find out it was a brush used to clean the dust from buttons on high back chairs.

"Having worked in an auction most of my life what was great was you got to see so many different items every day.

"I use to talk to the dealers, ask them what they were looking for, what they looked at when studying a piece of furniture.

"You can read books but if that is all you do ever piece of furniture you see you will think is Chippendale.

"The only way to really look at antiques is to touch them and handle them "Never be ashamed to ask and to get information.

"It is teaching the younger generation about glass and saying there is a big difference between a petrol station glass and antique glass.

"Wine will taste better in an antique glass than it will in a petrol station bought glass.

"You will not believe the difference.

"What happens is young people move into their new homes and start their new lives and want new things.

"Many are lead by magazines and what they see in shops and think they should have it in their lives.

"But as they grow they realise they can enhance their lives with better things."

One of Martin's passions is restoring and repairing furniture. Not only does he repair it he also leaves hidden notes telling people who he is and what the repair was he carried out.

So in a 100 or 150 years time when the item might need repairing then someone in the future will find one of this little notes and know all about Martin Dance.

I did buy a Victorian decanter from Mark which cost £20.

Time is your worst enemy at Newark as there is never enough time.

My time was restricted as I had to get back to Somerset and this journey takes four hours. Not exactly around the corner.

The final dealer I spoke to was Linda Garner who although she spoke with a Yorkshire accent actually came to the fair from France.

She said: "I have been a dealer for twenty years since my husband died as it was his business.

"What makes it good is days like this (it was a sunny April day) and I enjoy meeting people and buying and selling items.

"It is a pleasure to sell items to people who will get the same amount of joy I got from finding the things.

"I am strangely drawn to religious items like religious medals.

"These are the type of things pilgrims would buy on their travels as a little momento of their trip to a holy site.

"I come to Newark, Kempton and Ardingly."

The next antique fair at Newark is on May 31-June 1.

You can go a little close to home and attend the three day May 4-6 antique fair at Shepton Mallet.

Full details of all International Antiques and Collectors Fairs at iacf.co.uk