Treasure Trove

We finally made it to the Collectors Treasury. I say "finally" because it has literally been on my list of places to go since I first read about it even before we moved to Johannesburg. But as I have said before, there is so much to do here and we keep adding things to our list. It has been difficult to get there.

Founded in 1974, and housed in an eight story building in the diamond and jewellery district in the Joburg CBD, Collectors Treasury is the largest used and rare book shop in Africa, and in the Southern Hemisphere, having 1,000,000 plus items on hand. In addition to books, there are substantial offerings of maps, old engravings and prints, printed ephemera, periodicals, newspapers and photographica. Collectors Treasury also deals extensively in records, with a stock of over 300,000 vinyl and 78rpm discs.



But that is not all. As I found out, they also have an extensive range of small antiques and collectibles, with strong emphasis on the decorative arts 1870-1970.

The mosaics in the sidewalk in front of the store should have been my first clue. It certainly was an omen of good things to come.

Piles and aisles of first editions ...

... and rare books ...

... it certainly is a literary treasury.

And somewhere behind the stacks of books and display cases was buried treasure of another kind  ... Linnware. Dozens and dozens of pieces.

Along with an out-of-print book on South African art ceramics, The Woman of Olifantsfontein – South African Studio Ceramics, we purchased some more practical examples to add to our collection.

A cream jug, a couple of tea mugs, two beer tankards and a gorgeous teapot to go along with the coffee mugs we already have at home.

I kept it on my list because we will be going back often to Collectors Treasury.