The Antique Experience

More than just furniture and fine china, every antique holds a story, and few people know that better than Peter Leaver.

In 1970, Peter and his partner Ken opened Kenneth Lay Antiques and began a lifelong adventure that would take them far beyond Australian auction houses.

Their search for rare and meaningful pieces became a global quest, exploring Sri Lanka and India for remnants of the Raj, wandering the old Dutch trading centres of Indonesia, finding French, English, and Dutch treasures in South Africa, and ultimately falling in love with Argentina’s hidden wealth of antiques.Along the way, they built one of Australia’s largest collections of Staffordshire pottery and shared their expertise through talks at The Johnson Collection.

At The Antique Experience, Peter is joined by collector Marcus Bunyan, whose thrill for op shop discoveries and online finds proves that valuable treasures are not always where you expect them.

Together, they will share their passion for authenticity, value, and the enduring beauty of timeless objects. Audiences are even invited to bring along a small item of their own to be reviewed by the panel, because sometimes the most fascinating stories are the ones sitting quietly on your own shelf.

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