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Are you looking to sell your adored collection of miniatures? Join my free webinar on Saturday, April 15 at 10am ET when I will talk about all of your options if you are interested in selling your adored collection.

Perhaps you are downsizing your assortment or looking to make room for more miniatures (who knew little things take up so much space?!). Maybe you are helping a friend or family member find happy homes for their miniatures or looking to make sure that your collection is ushered into the right hands after you’ve moved on to a bigger and better mini world!

I'm excited to be sharing my knowledge of the options you have for guiding your collections to a protected and cherished home while answering as many of the questions you might have about best ways of handling your adored treasures.


While my seminar will take you through all of your options for selling your collection, you may decide to choose my services. Here is a bit more about me and my experience selling miniatures:


I’ve been a passionate about miniatures virtually my entire life. While I collect and craft miniatures as a hobby, I mostly promote and sell tiny treasures as a business. Over the years, I've developed a keen ability to connect collectors with buyers who share the same understanding of the love, dedication and hard work it takes to curate a personal collection of miniatures; I've learned how to join sellers with enthusiasts who share a common appreciation for the joy, respect and care that miniatures deserve. I’m often called a “Miniatures Empath” or the "Dollhouse Whisperer.”I'm excited to be sharing my knowledge of the options you have for guiding your collections to a protected and cherished home while answering as many of the questions you might have about best ways of handling your adored treasures.

Miniatures are so often misunderstood and dismissed as “toys” or mere “playthings” and sellers want to ensure that their estates are handled with the proper care and respect they deserve. Through the process of learning about the collectors and their collections, I find out about their specific passions, their favorite artists and where they made their discoveries. I ask questions and create an emotional connection while developing strong relationships with my clients, building trust and providing comfort in knowing that their collections will end in the right hands. Photo Above: Fall 2021 Buckalter Estate Sale)

A few years ago, I worked with the family of a miniature collector. I learned that the collector was born in Philadelphia, was the wife of a prominent businessman and that she spent over 50 years putting together her collection. I discovered that a portion of her collection was gifted and exhibited in an East Coast museum and that it appeared on the cover of a miniatures magazine.

It was terrific to meet with the granddaughter and great granddaughter to review the collection and talk about bringing it to market. They were excited to know that I would care for it as much for it as their grandmother did.

The balance of the collection consisted of, among other objects, miniature metal, pottery, flowers, and a pair of oversized, hand-crafted, antique hardwood secretaries. Through research, I found the original gallery in New York City which handled the sale of the piece and discovered that it was quite a rare object. When I began the auction, I connected with a buyer who had been looking for a similar piece for a long time and was thrilled when she discovered one had existed. She was overjoyed as the winning bidder!

More recently I connected with a woman who was handling the estate of her sister who had passed several years ago. Her sister was an avid collector with a passion for food miniatures and had commissioned and purchased an extensive assortment of fine scaled polymer clay bakery and confectionary pieces.

This included individual cakes and cookies as well as vignettes overflowing with scrumptious treasures created by artists like Mary Broaddus and Kim Saulter.

My client expressed how delighted she was that her sister’s collection would be treasured, cared for and loved as much as her sister loved them. I’m still working on finding new homes for this wonderful collection!

I do love the miniatures world but what I think I love most is how it can bring people together through a shared love of tiny objects and respect for the craft.


This is a reprint of my feature in the March 2021 issue of Dollshouse and Miniature Scene magazine.

I look forward to seeing you all at my upcoming seminar!

See you there!


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Be sure to sign up at www.dthomasfineminiatures.com so you never miss event updates a and follow me on my social media channels here: https://bit.ly/DThomasLink


Thank you for being a part of the D. Thomas Miniatures community!


- Darren

D. Thomas Miniatures

SMALL TALK * ESTATE SALES * GALLERY


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I'm excited to be hosting a special Meet the Miniaturist LIVESTREAM open studio event on Sunday, April 16 at 4pm ET when I'll be joined by several artists who will be presenting their work at the upcoming Tom Bishop International Show in Chicago, IL later this month.


The Tom Bishop Show is one of the largest and longest running miniature shows in the United States and features work by many of the best miniaturists on the planet!

We'll be "dropping in" on several artists showcasing in Chicago, visit their working studios and get a glimpse of some of the tiny treasures they're working on to sell at the BIG mini show! The chat box will be open for questions throughout.


Artist scheduled to appear on the livestream (not necessarily in order of appearance) include Chris Toledo, June Clinkscales, Natalie Condrac, Carol Kubrican, and Margie Criner. More about each artist and links to their social media and websites below.

Chris Toledo | Toledo Miniatures

Chris Toledo (IG:@ibuildsmallsthings) is best known for his awesome period structures in small scale include Tudor, Mediterranean and Classical Styles of architecture. His work and attention to detail is unmatched and he is sought after for commissions and roombox creations and has been featured in main stream press including The Los Angeles Times, Architectural Digest and Elle Decor. Chris will unveil his art deco style roombox at the upcoming show and will share some of his work at the upcoming open house event.


June Clinkscales | Miniatures by June

June Clinkscales (IG: @MizMinis') creates work which can be seen adorning some of the finest miniature collections in the world. Her whimsical, super-dreamy furniture pieces include elaborately draped beds, hand-painted dressers and ornate upholstered chairs take viewer's breath away. June was also a judge on the competition reality-based television show The Biggest Little Christmas Showdown on HGTV in 2020. June's table is always flooded with gawkers and collectors with pieces that need to be seen!

(Above: A swoon-worthy collaboration between Chris Toledo and June Clinkscales in 2020)

Natalie Condrac | The Old Crooked House

Natalie Condrac's (IG: @condrac) art includes collage, roomboxes and detailed sculptures in small scale, often with dark themes as can be seen in her abandoned dollhouse (below). Her work also includes beat up vintage billboards, long-been-forgotten restaurant signage and neglected roadside gas pumps. This will be the first time Natalie will be presenting in Chicago at the Tom Bishop Show.

Carol Kubrican | True2Scale Miniatures

Carol Kubrican from True2Scale Miniatures is an artist and self-proclaimed "mini enabler" from Northern California who designs and creates DIY kits in smaller scales (1:48, 1:24 and 1:144). Her kits allow makers to craft their very own miniature masterpieces made from inspiring designs for "pulse-quickening" results.


Carol's super tiny espresso machine on a super tiny coffee bar (above) is part of her 1/48 scale "Buzz Box Coffeehouse" kit which will debut in Chicago. This kit will also be part of a workshop she plans to teach at the show!


Margie Criner | IttyBittyMiniMart

Margie Criner from her Chicago-based company IttyBittyMiniMart excites the crowds and miniature enthusiasts with her vintage-inspired small scale electronic appliances including televisions sets (with rabbit ears!), reel to reel tape machines (including carrying cases) and high-fidelity (the kids called it "hi-fi") stereo sets filled with inch-sized vinyl records. Margie has work currently on exhibition at the Small is Beautiful Art exhibition in New York City.

Above: Margie Criner for IttyBittyMiniMart

Miss the live? This livestream will replay on my YouTube Channel - Link here to all my social media and to sign up for my updates here .


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Until Next Time Thank you for being a part of the

D. Thomas Miniatures Community

and be sure you are on my email list so you never miss an update!



D. Thomas Miniatures is thrilled to announce that the rare museum-quality miniature longcase grandfather clock crafted by master miniaturist Neil Bateson and expertly restored by master craftsman Iulia Chin Lee is currently on the market for sale. Link below to contact proprietor Darren Scala of D. Thomas Miniatures for more information or call 914-548-1984.

This fine English 18th century-style miniature hardwood clock was built in England, signed by the maker who indicated "England No1," dated 1999 and was inspired by the fine mahogany longcase clock constructed by John Taylor (London c1780). The Bateson clock is constructed in 1/12 scale and measures 8 3/8” tall by 7/8” at the widest point (hood) and was crafted using oak and veneered book-matched Amboyna burl wood with walnut cross-banding on the trunk base, door, and sides.

The pagoda-topped hood has intricate fretwork detailing with walnut cross-grained molding over the arch. The glazed door is Amboyna as is the face board, immediately behind the door which opens to reveal a clock face with a broken arch moon phase atop. The clock has a minute and second ring, a date aperture, and features pillars made from walnut and finished with 23 ¾ gold leaf. Each number on the clock face is fully engraved and filled with hard black wax with working hour and minute hands. While this piece was crafted with a working clock mechanism, the movement has not been tested and Scala has not determined if the clock is functioning, although there is no reason to believe it not operable.

This clock is one of two of Mr. Bateson's clocks included in the estate of Jerry and Claire Buckalter, of Suffern, New York, who curated an extensive collection of some of the world’s finest art miniatures. The estate sold at an auction by D. Thomas Fine Miniatures in Fall 2021. Prior to the auction, this Bateson clock was discovered damaged, with 2 of its gold-leafed finals broken off from its hood, and the hood was missing a pair of wood runners to hold the top in place.

Award-winning IGMA Artisan Iulia Chin of Chin Lee Miniatures, best known for her intricate wood turnings and 1/12 scale period furniture, was engaged by Darren Scala in 2022 to repair the clock and return it to its original finery. After more than a year of development and execution, the ball and spine finials on top of the pagoda were recreated and reconstructed, with hand-turned rosewood decorated in 23k gold. Ms. Chin spared no attention to detail; she even recreated the center finial to be slightly larger than the two finials flanking each side of the hood. Chin details her work in this video:

An extensive provenance arrives with this piece including letters from Mr. Bateson to the Buckalters, together with detailed drawings and instructions on how to handle the clock.

Original Photos and letters from the artist are part of the provenance.

Now that the clock has now been expertly restored, D. Thomas Miniatures is pleased to make it available and to find it a new home! Interested buyers may click the link below to send an inquiry or call proprietor Darren Scala at 914-548-1984. This is a very rare chance to own an example of a rare museum-quality miniature to add to an adored collection.

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Until Next Time Thank you for being a part of the

D. Thomas Miniatures Community

and be sure you are on my email list so you never miss an update!



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