Curating Memories: Vintage Cash Cow’s Guide to Edinburgh’s Vintage Treasures

Decluttering your home could earn you cash – have you got hidden treasure in the house? Picture – supplied.

In the heart of Scotland's historic capital, where echoes of past centuries dance across the cobbled streets, lies a world of vintage treasures waiting to be rediscovered. Join the antique experts at Vintage Cash Cow, the UK's number-one buyer of antiques, vintage items and collectables, on a captivating journey through Edinburgh's past.

Bookbinding: Where art meets literature:

Amidst the literary ambience of Edinburgh, where poets and writers have left an indelible mark, hand-bound books emerge as timeless relics. Between the 17th and 18th centuries, Scottish craftspeople were renowned for their distinctive 'wheel' and 'herringbone' binding techniques –simple identifying features of a period Scottish book.

To some it’s just accumulated clutter from down the years – to others it’s vintage treasure! Picture – supplied.

Silverware: Gleaming nostalgia

From cutlery or ornate jewellery, Scottish silverware is a testament to the country's artisanal excellence. Bullet teapots crafted from Scottish silver were particularly popular during the Georgian period, with some of the finest pieces crafted by Edinburgh's William Ayton and Edward Lothian. If you have any silverware that you believe to be Scottish, look for a miniature castle-shaped hallmark.

Maps: Cartographic poetry

The art of cartography finds its home in the alleys of Edinburgh. Over the years, the city's mapmakers skilfully blended accuracy with artistry, creating works that were as much visual poetry as they were navigational tools. But one name in particular springs to mind, a man named John George. He took over the Edinburgh map-making firm Bartholomew & Son in the 1800s and pioneered techniques still in use today, like contouring and systematic colour layering.

Pewterware: Beautifully functional

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, skilled artisans like James Moyes meticulously transformed lead from Scotland's mines into beautiful pewter tankards, plates, and candlesticks. Each piece was finished with intricate engravings and decorative motifs to later adorn homes and establishments alike.

Unveiling Edinburgh's Vintage Mystique

Vintage Cash Cow has been preserving the legacy of our Scottish crafts since 2016, along with millions of other unloved antiques, vintage items and collectables. They pay a fair price for everyone's old, broken or scratched bits and bobs, so if you're considering decluttering your home and wish to earn some extra cash, click here to begin your decluttering journey. They'll send you some free postage labels to insure your items up to £10,000. Then, upon receiving your things, their experts will contact you with a free, no-obligation offer for everything within three to five working days. On accepting your personalised offer, you'll enjoy instant cash in the bank or have your items returned for free. It's a win-win situation.