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COLLECTING CARRIAGE PRINTS

Watercolours of British scenes

For those who love watercolours and history
 

collecting carriage prints, travel posters, railway posters, transport posters, railway prints, posters, railway art, railwayana

Collecting Carriage Prints
There are no rigid guidelines about collecting these attractive pictures from the past. Some people prefer the prints framed, others unframed; some collect a series and some acquire the works of a favourite artist or those of a particular area. See a separate web page for a more detailed account on collecting from the book Landscapes under the Luggage Rack.

Unlike many railway relics such as cast iron signs the prints have an aesthetic quality which will equally appeal to both sexes - no need to secretly smuggle carriage prints into your home past the watchful eye of the lady of the house! They should certainly hold their value too, which makes them a good investment, and they're particularly suitable for gifts - as the sign in the antique shop said - "There's no present like the past".
Where to obtain them
It is not uncommon to see the occasional carriage panel in antique shops, but by far the best way to obtain them is through the railwayana collectors market. Thousands of people collect old railway memorabilia and the interest in carriage pictures amongst these collectors has spread rapidly over recent years. Various well-run auction houses hold specialist railway relic sales around the country at regular intervals throughout the year - the largest and most well known being at Sheffield. Many framed carriage prints come up for sale in these auctions.
A full list of carriage prints issued by the railways is available on this web site.

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My years of collecting have meant that I often have surplus prints for sale or exchange from my personal collection, too.

Prices
The price of prints is largely dependant on condition, rarity, demand for certain areas or locations and whether they are in original style frames or not. Unframed prints are obviously cheaper. A Price & Rarity Guide to Carriage Prints gives full information on prices realised in auctions.

The original artworks for the prints are certainly valued highly and quite understandably so, as they are unique items. It is worth keeping a look out for them, not only in railwayana auctions but in art sales generally - you never know, a bargain may turn up!

River Wharfe, Ilkley, Yorkshire                                 Frank Sherwin RI

If you have prints for sale or exchange do contact me