Antiques And Faux

Articles more than 100 years old are not allowed to be exported from India without an export clearance certificate. If you have doubts about any item and think it could be defined as an antique, check with the Ar- chaeological Survey of India.

In Colaba, small antique and curio shops line Mereweather Rd behind theTaj Mahal Hotel and spillover into nearby Battery St. Prices aren't exactly cheap but there's some interesting items ranging from bronze figurines to silver cigarette cases, and the quality of the handicraft artefacts on offer is certainly one step up from the government emporiums. Mutton St in Chor Bazaar specialises in antiques, ingenious reproductions and miscellaneous junk.

Natesan's has been specialising in objets d'art, statues and bronzes since 1930. It's probably the highest profile retailer of antiquities in the city and you'll pay accordingly.

Phillips Antiques , opposite the Regal Cinema, specialises in antiques, silverware, crystal, porcelain and Victorian bric-a-brac. It's a lovely, fusty store, estab- lished in 1860, and almost an antique itself.