After a longer than usual summer break, antiques enthusiasts will be pleased to see the return of the Carmarthen Antiques Fair to the Carmarthen Showground on Saturday and Sunday, September 27 and 28.
This summer, Carmarthen-based organisers Towy Antiques Fairs put on a one-day Flea market which was judged a resounding success by traders and visitors alike and is scheduled to be repeated in 2009.
Meanwhile, the traditional indoor two-day Carmarthen Antiques Fairs are about the more serious stuff of collecting, and dealers from all over England and Wales are already preparing their latest finds to offer to the discerning collectors who come from far and wide to September's event.
Regular visitors know that they will find a treasure-trove of rare and unusual items and the fair has a reputation for offering some of the very best Welsh furniture, pottery and porcelain, pictures, maps and prints, and textiles to be found anywhere under one roof.
These will include some lovely examples of traditional hand-made Welsh quilts and hand-loomed blankets, and, following the recent dispersal of a large collection of Welsh pottery, there should be a particularly good selection for sale with the dealers who specialise in the products of the Llanelly and Swansea Potteries.
Pictures are always popular at the Carmarthen Fair, with customers always keen to buy examples by well-known Welsh artists.
One dealer from England promises a collection of pictures by Meryl Watts and Myfanwy Lloyd Evans, while local dealer Tim Bowen from Ferryside will be bringing a delightful oil painting of the picturesque St. Ishmaels Church, Ferryside, by Carmarthen artist Wynne Jenkins.
The Carmarthen Antiques and Collectors' Fair is open on Saturday and Sunday, September 27 and 28, from 10 am - 5 pm each day. Admission is £3.50 for adults and there is plenty of free, level parking.