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John
Bly is an antique dealer specialising in old furniture, who is well known to
viewers of The Antiques Roadshow.
The Bly family have been dealers in Tring
since the early 19th century. An ancient letterhead proclaimed 'JOHN BLY -
antiques dealers since the reign of William IV'. But it was the grandfather of
the present John Bly who first showed a serious love and appreciation of old
furniture and established his own business in the centre of Tring in 1891. The
present John Bly worked for four years at Sotheby's before joining the family
firm.
In 1991, the firm's 100th year, John Bly
opened showrooms in Bury Street, St. James's, London. The business is still
operated from Tring with showrooms and extensive workshops. John Bly provides
the same services that his grandfather established: fine antiques bought and
sold, full valuations, and cabinet making and restoration of the highest order.
He is a regular contributor to The Antiques
Roadshow and The Great Antiques Hunt and has presented his own series for ITV
called Heirloom. He has written a number of books including Discovering English
Furniture, Discovering Hallmarks on English Silver and Miller's Silver &
Sheffield Plate Marks. He was editor of and contributor to Is It Genuine?
republished as Antiques: A Guide for the Collector and he is chief consultant to
the editor to the Antique Directory of Furniture and contributing editor to
Readers' Digest Treasures in the Home.
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