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Mike Melody

Mike Melody, of Mike Melody Antiques, Cheshire, established in 1977.

Mike Melody at home in 2019

Photograph of Mike Melody at home © Antique Dealers Research Project, University of Leeds, 2019.

A conversation between Mike Melody and project lead Mark Westgarth; the 3rd in our 'LAPADA Voices' extension to the antique dealers' oral history project.

In this highly entertaining and forthright interview Mike tells us of his very varied life in the antiques business, which, together with his wife Margaret, he developed from a small market stall in Chester in the early 1970s, to an extensive international 'shipping goods' business, together with his business partner Roderick Gibson. Mike also recalls his work as a TV antiques personality, starting in the early 1980s on 'The Antiques Show' with Jill Dando and then on popular programmes such as 'Going for a Song', 'Dickinson's Real Deal' and 'Secret Dealers'.

Mike reflects on the many dealers and characters in the antique trade he has encountered in more than 40 years in the trade, and tells us of the varied and discrete markets for antiques in various parts of the UK, including the extraordinary market for antiques in Northern Ireland in the 1970s during 'Troubles' and the processes and opportunities for buying antiques in the Isle of Man during the 1980s.

Our interview with Mike continues our oral history archives and makes a very significant contribution towards our understanding of the antique business in the regions during the latter part of the 20th century.