A Dunedin engraver retires today after selling the family business started 137 years ago.
John Swan and Co Ltd owner Brian Swan (69) started a five-year apprenticeship at the business in 1962, at the age of 16.
''It has been my life since I was born ... It's been with us so long. It's part of the family.''
The decision to sell the business as a going concern was ''hard'', but it was time to call it a day, he said.
His family had other business interests, so passing the firm on was not an option, he said.
The five staff, the business name and business operation would remain the same under new owner Janette Armstrong, who takes over tomorrow.
The work was enjoyable and varied and included creating bronze plaques to commemorate Dunedin's best writers and engraving the Ranfurly Shield.
The biggest change for the business was the move away from hand engraving towards computerised engraving in the 1980s.
''The technology changed so much over the years. You are learning all the time.''
His great-grandfather Robert Swan bought a ''horse paddock'' in Bath St to start the engraving business for his two sons in 1878.
One of the sons was Brian's grandfather, John Swan, who worked for the company for more than 60 years.
His father, also John Swan, worked for the company for more than six decades.
''I've let the side down a wee bit - I've only been here 54 years,'' he said, laughing.
In the early 1900s, business was booming and a branch was opened in Auckland and operated for more than 20 years.
In Dunedin, the building next door was bought in 1974 to accommodate the expanding business.
Mr Swan said he intended to spend more time fishing at Lake Hawea and working on his Taieri farmlet.
''I'll fill the day, no problem. I'll probably be busier than I am now.''
