Are My Goods Medieval? SUITABLE - UNSUITABLE - ABOUT DRAGONS - PICTURE GUIDE There are many goods you can sell that are appropriate and quite a few that aren't. Suitable medieval goods include- - Ceramics & clay goods - Pewter - Silverware - Jewellery - Pilgrim badges - Wooden hobby horses - Wooden bowls & plates - Floral wreaths - Simple tunics - Ciders & meads - Simple leather slip on shoes - Rolls of fabric- wool & linen - Bone goods- combs, needles - Backgammon sets, wood/stone - Juices - Candlesticks - A wide range of glass beads - Wool & weaving products - Resin knight models - Long leather belts - Leather bags - Wooden toys - Rings with single stones - Silver & gold crosses - Wooden boxes - Wooden goblets - Floppy felt hats - Robin hood style hats - Illuminated artwork - Heraldic items - Hand-dipped candles - Drinking horns - Sheepskins - Nine Men's Morris games - Animal skins & hides - Some lanterns - Strands of semi-precious stones - Fresh produce - Breads - Cheeses - Pastries & fruit pies - Wooden swords & shields - Fabric hobby horses - Drawstring pouches - Herbal goods - Traditional wines - Dandelion wines - Religious icons - Woven rugs & throws - Beeswax candles - Carved chess sets - Children's clothes - Weapons & armour - Unpainted baskets - Dark Age goods - Dried flowers & herbs Unsuitable goods include (but are not limited to)- - Fairy wings & wands - Plastic crowns - Wizards & demons - Disney characters & goods - Buddhas, oriental goods - Batik items - Skeletons - Oriental daggers - Fantasy swords - Pagan jewellery - Lord of the Rings goods - Fairy dresses - Froggy themed goods - Plastic goods - Crushed or panne velvet - Fantasy dragon goods - Movie posters - Roman armour & weapons - Greek armour & weapons - Australiana - Plastic castle sets - Anime - Mermaids - Superheros etc - Indian themed goods - Tie dye goods - Goth clothing - Witches - Pink and purple things generally - Contemporary images (Elvis, Bruce Lee, Ned Kelly) - Movie memoribilia - Showbags A word or two about... d r a g o n s ! ! Dragons are a part of folklore and have been written about for centuries. I get so many requests from stallholders who want to sell dragon goods or items with a dragon theme, that I've devoted a whole entire page to the dragon issue. Please visit the MEDIEVAL DRAGONS page. I'd welcome any comments or historical documentation to add to this page. Below are common misconceptions of what is suitable and what is not. NOT SUITABLE MEDIEVAL AND HERE'S WHY.... Wooden boxes and caskets in all shapes and sizes are great. Take care that they do not have pagan symbols on them. Hand made candles that are brightly coloured or shaped are not appropriate. Plain beeswax or dipped ones are perfect. Scented candles are very nice tied with silk ribbon and a sprig of herbs! Decorative candle holders with dragons, dolphins etc of this style on the left are not suitable. Stick-types made of wood, brass, pewter or silver are what we're looking for. There's nothing remotely medieval about fairies, wands or wings. If you plan to make kid's costumes, they will adore the princess style dresses like these. In just about anything but panne or crushed velvet. Felt was widely used in the Middle Ages, but take care to keep your styles simple. Floppy hats and even those Robin Hood style ones are okay to sell. You can't get much more medieval than stained glass. Keep themes auitable. Suncatchers with dangly bits are need to be themed. Try heraldry or themes of Courtly Love. Dragon pendants are fantasy. There's no way around it. There are many beautiful styles of jewellery, both medieval & celtic which will delight shoppers. Sell those. Plastic toys and little pink & blue dragons are not great. Boys & girls will love wooden swords, shields, felt hats, crowns, Princess hats, rag dolls, beads, little drawstring bags with tassels, floral circlets... Seriously, the swords on the far left are fantasy. Fantasy, I tell you! If you're not a maker of proper reproduction weapons, then don't bring those. There are laws concerning the sale & packaging of weapons after sale, so be aware of them. No fantasy dragons please!! Artwork like the one on the right is wonderful! It's a whole different style of art altogether. Ask the Market or Stallholder Co-ordinator if what you have in mind is suitable. Let me bang my head on the desk for a bit while we talk about clothes. The shiny, purple, gauzy dangley sleeve, lace up dress on the left is to be avoided at all costs. So is Goth clothing. Spiderweb lace. Lord of the Rings dresses. There are some reasonable patterns available. Try them. Oh, please.   SURFED IN? RETURN TO THE HOME PAGE   ALL TEXT & IMAGES REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHT HOLDERS INCLUDING THE ABBEY MUSEUM OF ART & ARCHAEOLOGY INC, MARK GREENMANTLE AND ROSALIE GILBERT NO PART OF THIS WEBSITE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION