Buy one antique or vintage item and together we can make a big difference...
31 March 2022
Buying a pre-loved, antique, or vintage item not only provides you with unique style and value for money but it also goes a long way to reducing landfill, and the annual emissions of an antique or vintage item can be as little as one sixteenth of those of its new equivalent!
Sworders is proud to be collaborating with Antiques are Green - the movement founded by Nigel Worboys of Worboys Antiques in 2009 to promote “a greener future created from the past”.
When Antiques are Green launched 13 years ago, hundreds of businesses rallied behind it to promote the green credentials of buying an antique or vintage item and it quickly became commonplace for this message to be cited by television presenters, journalists, dealers and consumers.
The incredible work the movement did with the Antiques Trade Gazette on their original carbon footprint comparison of an antique versus a modern chest of drawers remains regularly quoted, but it was perhaps just sadly a little ahead of its time.
The truth of it is, sustainability is now a time critical issue for us all. Antiques are Green is relaunching and we need more people to get behind it to raise awareness and show their support.
Like many people, we passionately believe in doing all we can to help reduce the effects of climate change, over consumption and waste, and small actions from many of us can add up to make a big difference.
You can read Antiques are Green's fascinating carbon footprint study of a Georgian chest of drawers versus a modern equivalent here
Show your support for the movement by posting pictures of your auction purchases in their new homes on Instagram tagging @swordersfineart and @antiquesaregreen with the hashtag #antiquesaregreen
Have you found yourself a bargain to be repurposed/upcycled? We'd love to hear about your projects!
For more information about the work of Antiques are Green, please visit -
A major highlight of our forthcoming Dreams – A Unique Private Collection sale on 9 July is a remarkable archive of letters and manuscripts by John Ruskin (1819–1900), the celebrated Victorian polymath. This unparalleled group – numbering in the hundreds – is believed to be the largest collection of Ruskin correspondence in private hands and spans a vast range of topics from art and architecture to politics, religion, and personal reflection.
2 July 2025
'The Scented Garden of Abdullah the Satirist of Shiraz' - also known as 'The Bagh-i-Muattar' - quickly caught the attention of our book specialists, when a copy bound in full vellum was brought in by a local client to our weekly valuation day.
2 July 2025
We are thrilled to launch The Glass Sale - a brand-new addition to our auction calendar! The inaugural sale will take place on Tuesday 28 October and will become a biannual fixture in our calendar going forward.
20 June 2025