Thinking of buying a tin of biscuits for Christmas? Dick Henrywood has a great idea for the perfect gift.

'Oh dear, nearly Christmas again and you’ve still not finished (or even started?) shopping for presents. No doubt you will have some ideas for most people but there are always one or two that seem to tax the imagination. Some might well be happy with a good tin of biscuits, but perhaps I can make a suggestion to forget the biscuits this year and just go for the tin. To be fair, not just any old tin, but a proper collectable biscuit tin. It may surprise some of you to learn that old biscuit tins can be worth quite a lot of money...'

Mrs Beeton and beyond...Margaret Powling meets the household gurus, the formidable female authors we turn to for advice when it comes to running our homes.

'When the BBC recently dramatised the book The Short Life & Long Times of Mrs Beeton many viewers were surprised that the matronly woman they presumed Mrs Beeton to be was actually only 21 years old when she sat down to write The Book of Household Management, with just six months’ experience of running her own home. But Mrs Beeton wasn’t the first, and she most certainly won’t be the last, household guru to whom we turn to for advice when it comes to running our homes...'

Pen Friends; The pleasure of collecting writing materials by Jane Vandell.

'Letters provide historians with such a wealth of material about the intimate details of daily life through the centuries that the virtual disappearance of this form of communication during the last 20 years can only be a cause for regret. Written on good quality paper and penned in an elegant hand, the appearance of a letter was a statement of social position and, in a subtle way, revealed the sender’s character...'

Gaming Tables Fit for a King The perfect combination; sophisticated, elegant furniture made solely for fun and games!

'Cards and games of ancient and uncertain origin have been used for many years all over the world for harmless amusement, instruction, theology, for telling fortunes and for gambling them away! The establishment of card-playing in England in the mid-fifteenth century was swiftly followed by the manufacture of the first purpose-built gaming tables, designed according to the fashion of the day. By the early sixteenth century, card-playing had taken such a hold in Britain that Henry VIII tried, in 1526, to suppress it, except for at Christmas! Yet, he was fond of playing at dice, shovelboard and backgammon...'

Chess sets have an ancient and tactile appeal. Clare Blake relates the history of this fascinating game.

“Chess is a beautiful mistress” said Danish Grandmaster Larsen, and there is no doubt that like the most seductive of film sirens, chess has the ability to totally mesmerise those who fall beneath its spell. Like many other collectors of chess sets, Colin Redman finds that chess works on more than one level. “For a start there’s the whole fascination of the game itself, a battle of skill rather than just chance between two opposing forces, but also the chessmen themselves have enormous appeal. They are designed to be held and the pieces are extremely tactile. They are often superbly crafted pieces - small individual sculptures pleasing to the eye..."

Two centuries ago, carved and engraved Chinese chips were used to play popular card games. The games disappeared, but the chips live on!

'What chips made 150 to 270 years ago from super material with finest carved and engraved detail, can be dated within two to fifteen years, often with the original owner identification, have high rarity ranking, and are available for a fraction of their original cost? Mother-of pearl counters or chips made by the Chinese for the West between 1720 and 1845!...'

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