Auckland antiques king going, going but not quite gone
One of the kings of New Zealand’s antique industry has brought the hammer down on 53 years in business and is auctioning off his entire stock.
John Mains began trading in antiques in the early 1960s working at a stall at the famous Portobello Market in London while he was on an OE.
In 1965 he leased an old butcher’s shop in the then-emerging Auckland suburb of Parnell and established the popular Portobello Antiques.
The 76-year-old will call time on a colourful career by selling off the entire contents of his Ellerslie warehouse at Cordy’s Fine Art and Antique Auctioneers in Remuera tomorrow.
It is expected the auction will pull in several hundred thousand dollars. Hundreds of items of furniture, art and silverware are up for grabs.
“I first became interested in antiques when I was a schoolboy,” Mains said. “But it was when I was in London that I really caught the bug.
In between, Mains enjoyed a spell as errand boy for the late, great TV and film actor Peter Sellers in London.
“Apparently I got the job because his secretary thought I looked a bit like him,” Mains said.
He was also a lift operator at the word-famous Selfridge’s store in Oxford Street. And he even had a stint as an apprentice french polisher in Sydney.
“An old school friend of mine, Matthew West, was in London at the same time as me and he was working for Peter Sellers,” Mains said.
“But Matt had some very glamorous friends and he mingled with people like the Beatles and big movie stars like Judy Garland. It was all very exciting.
“Peter Sellers was great to us. He knew I didn’t have much money and he used to come around to the flat Matt and I were sharing and would give us presents.
“Peter was nothing like his public image. He was a superstar but he was also very shy and kind.”
When Mains opened Portobello Antiques he soon found people queuing outside his shop.
“Within two weeks I was cleaned out but I had wonderful support from some well-known Auckland families who would give me things to sell.
“New Zealand has a very rich seam of antiques because of all the old families who migrated here.
“It has been a fabulous journey and I won’t stop now because I suspect I will still keep an eye on the auctions.” Cordy’s owner Andrew Grigg said he expects the Tuesday auction to be packed.
“John has been at the pinnacle of the antiques business in New Zealand for an awfully long time. He is the man the rest of us have always looked up to.”