Antique Trader Blog - Antiques Blogs

Everyone likes shortcuts

Karen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:53:51 GMT

... especially if it's a legitimate shortcut.

So here are shortcuts to some of our latest antiques news articles and features:

Man turns childhood home into classy antiques shop

Talking Sports: A hobby is born during the Great Depression

Ask Antique Trader: Unusual adjustable slag glass lamp a real find

Don’t be a Duncan Pfool: Remember to use furniture's correct vocabulary

Postcard prices realized vary at auction

SOFA Chicago sees increase of ‘young collectors’

Vintage video game sells for $5,250

— Posted by Karen Knapstein

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Milagros are the spotlight of this week's Antique Trader

Karen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:29:07 GMT

I enjoyed reading Mary Simmons' article about milagros and ex-votos. (You can click here to read this interesting feature story.) I have to admit I knew absolutely nothing about them ... and now I do.

Let us know what you think!

— Posted by Karen Knapstein

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Question of the Week: Is a new look necessary?

Karen — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:23:49 GMT

Question of the Week:

As a shop owner, do you think it is important to rearrange your merchandise on a regular basis?

Send your replies to eric.bradley@fwmedia.com or to Letters to the Editor, c/o Antique Trader, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54945.

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New antiques businesses opening

Karen — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:22:05 GMT

If the day-to-day grind of making a living in antiques is getting you down, take a moment to think back to the day you decided to open your first business.

Ideas. Jitters. Excitement. Freedom.

All of these feelings were probably going through your mind as you mustered the resolve and decided to make a go of it in the hectic, crazy and unpredictable world of antiques. It’s truly wonderful to see new antiques related businesses spring up across the country considering the economy of the last few years. Auction houses in Ohio, Arkansas, Wisconsin and Washington have opened in the last six months. The businesses are bringing energy, fresh ideas and are making good use of their resources.
I suppose it’s not surprising to see this shift.

People seem fed up with banks, 401Ks and the bureaucracies of letting other people watch their money. The millions of people who have lost their jobs during the last two years are re-evaluating their definition of a fulfilling life. Starting their own business is a logical solution when other jobs are in short supply. They are showing up at auctions, shows and shops with a renewed curiosity for childhood playthings, fine art pottery and unique objets d’art.

Perhaps this influx of new talent and ideas will be just what the trade needs in catering to a changing customer base.

In Ohio, Jo Valentine started The Antiques Auction Gallery in Sunbury. She employs the services of her dealers at her Valentine Antique Gallery to help appraise and vet the auction lots. Her partnership with Ohio auctioneer Cynthia Schillig has created a one-stop shop for antiques enthusiasts.

New shops are also opening nationwide. For an inspirational story, don’t miss our question and answer feature on page 34. Shop owner Calvin Whetstone turned his childhood home into an attractive antiques shop last year. He is the second generation in his family to sell antiques and he couldn’t be more proud of his trade or his merchandise. Last summer he held an “old-fashioned” picnic for the loyal customers on his mailing list. Next year, Whetstone is considering inviting dealers to the picnic and creating booth spaces nearby to sell some antiques.

Meanwhile, in Aiken, S.C., the North Aiken Flea Market has opened to the public. Launched with a modest 20 vendors, the market was created by a collector who wanted to share the love of antiques with others. The endeavor is hardly a cash cow for owner Corina Burkle, who rents her 40 spaces for just $5 each.

Burkle’s modest beginnings sounds a lot like how one show started 50 years ago: Brimfield.

Eric Bradley
Editor

Free collectibles auction catalog available for download

Karen — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:52:23 GMT

You've probably heard by now that the LaMothe Collection will be featured in the Collect.com Collectibles Auction #1 that runs from Nov. 23-Dec. 12.

The latest news is that the auction catalog is available for download:

Collect.com Auctions is expanding its reach across the collecting spectrum by offering 487 lots including the largest known collection of metal mesh handbags and vintage fashion. CLICK HERE to download the free special eight-page catalog for the sale, composed primarily of the Dennis and Terri LaMothe Collection, a three-decade pursuit for Whiting and Davis and Mandalian Mfg. Co. metal mesh handbags and fashion, plus additions of fine jewelry. The online, absentee and telephone auction opens Nov. 23 and closes Dec. 12 on www.collect.com/auctions.

It’s rare when husband and wife come together with a shared passion for collecting, yet the LaMothes’ union produced two of the 20th century’s top collectors of metal mesh used in fashion. The auction is comprised of four different categories: antique mesh, vintage fashion, jewelry and the LaMothes’ collection of Department 56 collectibles.

Standout lots include a series of handbags depicting Hollywood icons Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable and Mickey Mouse as well as celebrity memorabilia from Cher and Lisa Hartman-Black.

Included are a number of rare scenic handbags depicting a range of Art Deco-inspired themes such as skyscrapers, peacocks, sunrises and meadow scenes. Once a design was chosen it naturally narrowed the market for the handbag. As such, the design and style had to be of the finest quality and feature dynamic designs. “It took 24 hours for each color to dry once it was applied,” Terri said of the different colored enamels used in the designs. “Once they were complete the stencils were destroyed so they really are living history.”

Also in the selection of handbags are 70 lots of rare specimens made by the Mandalian Manufacturing Company. Mandalian-made handbags are highly sought after by collectors because of the company’s eclectic designs and strict production methods. “They used crushed fish scale and applied it to the mesh to give it the shine,” Terri said. “They made a better bag but they couldn’t go up against Whiting and Davis.”

Rounding out the metal mesh collection is a selection of vintage fashion designer Anthony Ferrara made specifically for the Whiting and Davis line.

Among the fine jewelry is a white gold bracelet adorned with 72.23 carats of rubies and a pair of earrings with an impressive 8.7 carats of sapphires accented with diamonds.

Collect.com Auctions’ first vintage fashion sale welcomes mail, phone, absentee and online bids through Collect.com. Bidding opens Nov. 23 and closes Dec. 12. Complete descriptions and images for all lots can be found at www.collect.com.

For information on any lot or to learn more about bidding in this sale, call the Collect.com offices at 888-463-3063.

Photos courtesy Dennis & Terri LaMothe.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE CATALOG (PDF)

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• Find us on Twitter HERE.
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Do you collect a family namesake?

Karen — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:41:50 GMT

Here's the cover for the latest issue of Antique Trader, which hits the mail for subscribers today. (Click on the cover to visit AntiqueTrader.com)

What do you think? The cover feature is a subject near and dear to my heart :) ... now we'd like to hear your collecting story ...

Do you collect a family namesake?

If you’d like to share your story behind your own family-based collection, please send your story to editor Eric Bradley at 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54945 or eric.bradley@fwmedia.com. Your story may be published in an upcoming issue.

— Posted by Karen Knapstein

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
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Question of the Week: Used gifts?

Karen — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:07:36 GMT

This week's Antique Trader question of the week ... what do you think?

Do you think it is tasteful and appropriate to give an antique or collectible as a gift or does the holiday season encourage you to purchase new items?

Send your replies to eric.bradley@fwmedia.com or to Letters to the Editor, c/o Antique Trader, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54945.

Or you can post a reply here on the Antique Trader blog, or HERE on the Antique Trader message boards.

Will eBay bounce back?

Karen — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:00:02 GMT

What the heck happened to eBay?

A few years ago many of us were complaining that finding “it” online was the final nail in the coffin of every brick and mortar shop around. A recent Associated Press report now states that eBay subsidiary PayPal could overtake the giant online marketplace in gross revenues by 2011. It’s not that surprising since eBay remains an online marketplace and PayPal has the capacity to be used everywhere for a variety of goods and services. The full story is on page 12.

But why isn’t eBay projected to grow in lock step with PayPal? After all, we who stood by the behemoth when it required us to accept PayPal for every transaction dutifully signed up and paid the fee for the right to do commerce on eBay.

The crippling snag is likely due to a slew of major site and policy changes that occurred at the same time as a calamitous worldwide financial meltdown.
During the past two years eBay has worked to develop new ways to claim their rightful share in the millions of transactions through its sites. EBay had every right to find new ways to make money from the site – business is business. However, the difficulty came when it started to over regulate the transactions and encourage sellers of antiques to “get in line” or get out.

What makes eBay most successful for sellers is the massive flow of site traffic. The extra bells and whistles added on to a seller’s listing are nice but they wouldn’t be worth squat if eBay didn’t attract so many millions of unique users. It’s what is separating other startups with feisty fee structures from becoming the No. 1 Web site for selling antiques and collectibles online. However, there is a downward trend at eBay. Just last month AuctionBytes.com’s Ina Steiner reported eBay’s August-September site traffic has hit a five-year low.

Many of my favorite dealers packed up and left – some in the middle of transactions. One situation I remember vividly: I was all set to buy a framed print when the seller told me in a response to one of my questions that he was no longer selling eBay … right now. He blamed the overly aggressive changes to feedback policies, among other changes. He hasn’t been back since.

So as PayPal breaks into new and growing markets and methods for making payments (some predict we’ll be using our cell phones to buy antiques at brick and mortar shops in just a few years) where is eBay supposed to grow?
Will the threat of losing its valuable site traffic encourage it to rethink some of its policy changes? Even if major changes were reversed – would they be enough to bring sellers back when the economy rebounds?

Eric Bradley
Editor

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
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Haunted antiques anyone?

Karen — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:21:02 GMT

Billy Bob Thornton avoids antiques because he believes they're haunted. How about you?

Do you own a haunted antique?

Do you have a piece of antique furniture in your house that isn’t...quite right?

Something you believe might be haunted?

If so, we want to hear your story.

Tell us what’s happening: Why do you think your furniture is haunted?

What started happening when you brought the item your home?

Does the piece have a history that leads you to believe it might be possessed?

Send your story to hauntedfurniture@gmail.com. Please include your name, state, email address and phone number.

(Photo courtesy Rare Victorian)

— Posted by Karen

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
• Browse the Antique Trader Classifieds or place your FREE online ads HERE.

From the Editor: The collector’s quandary

Karen — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:21:56 GMT

There are several methods to liquidate a collection, ranging from an auction to an estate sale to selling to another collector. One method that’s come up recently in two high-profile cases involves the role of museums.

K*B Toys co-founder Donald Kaufman and his wife, Sally, who assembled what will forever be known as the largest collection of automotive toys, considered a museum but decided collectors would take care of the items as their cherished objects.

So, too, did Dennis and Terri LaMothe consider a few museums to house their landmark mesh handbag and vintage couture collection.

When the Orlando couple interviewed a few museums, nonewould guarantee the collection would not be sold in the future if the museum ran out of space.

Both instances are examples of the quandary collectors may find themselves as they try to liquidate their collections. For both the Kaufmans and the LaMothes, the natural obligation they felt to preserve the history and years of research they invested in their collection made a museum a logical choice.

Museums are indeed the backbone of a country’s heritage and play an active role in the current hobby and research. Imagine how shallow and poor America would be without the Smithsonian Institution. What would the scholarship of American folk art be without the work of Winterthur or New York’s American Folk Art Museum? But museums can also be subject to politically charged boards, poor collection-care standards and vulnerable to economic downturns that decimate endowments.

Personally, I have always viewed collectors as a type of historical militia, a force comprised of ordinary people who share knowledge and preserve precious objects. Collectors are constantly engaging in new research and sharing this information in new ways.

As collectors from all levels now take stock to downsize, they face a world of decisions. These decisions are deeply personal — there is not a single solution that fits everyone.

What do you think? What role should America’s museums play as a growing number of collectors dispense with their collections?

Post a reply here on the blog, HERE on the Antique Trader message boards, or send a reply to eric.bradley@fwmedia.com.

Eric Bradley
Editor

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
• Browse the Antique Trader Classifieds or place your FREE online ads HERE.

Antique article shortcuts

Karen — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:57:56 GMT

Here's an easy way to get your antique news: click on the links below to read the articles:

Antique Trader breaks new ground with new “Collecting Depression Glass” online seminar

Portraits and pistols earn top prices at Garth’s

Liberace’s cousin’s estate draws standing room only

This Emilio Pucci designer dress with matching panties was sold at Liberace's cousin's estate auction in Wittenberg, Wis. Photo by Eric Bradley.

Brimfield completes Fiftieth Year Celebration

Jenkins Shows draws 20,000 for Springfield Extravaganza

Toy world mourns passing of Donald Kaufman

Depression glass collecting continues to evolve

Art Markets: Gallery label prompts investigation of attic find

Ask Antique Trader: Cheers! Robj liquor decanters worth $900

Posted by Karen

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
• Browse the Antique Trader Classifieds or place your FREE online ads HERE.

New Antique Trader hits the mail today

Karen — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:22:55 GMT

Here's a look at the newest cover:

Fantastic feature on Depression glass including clues of reproduction and a bit of pricing info too.

CLICK HERE to read the cover story by Ellen Schroy and Eric Bradley on Depression glass.

In case you've missed it, we're producing a Webinar on Collecting Depression Glass (Nov. 5 @ 7 p.m. EST). We've picked up a couple of sponsors, too: SeeAuctions.com (an eBay alternative) and the Gurnee Antique Center. Thank you, sponsors, for your support; we're going to have a great program! What better way to learn about Depression glass than from one of the country's foremost experts, Ellen Schroy, and to have her answer participant questions!

Vampire killing kit to cross the auction block

Karen — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:29:52 GMT

ABERDEEN, Miss. – October promises to be a busy month for Stevens Auction Company. The firm has scheduled two important estate sales this month. One will be held at the firm’s gallery facility at 609 North Meridian Street in Aberdeen on Oct. 17. Then, two weeks later, on Oct. 31 (Halloween), Stevens will conduct an on-site estate auction in Port Gibson, Miss.

Certain to attract intense bidder interest will be a rare and authentic Vampire Killing Kit (just in time for Halloween!), as well as Confederate currency and Civil War-era firearms. The vampire killing kit includes a Rosewood case with mother of pearl cross inlay, pistol, silver bullets in a coffin case, silver occult dagger and Holy Water vials.

“The Oct. 17 auction will include a nice selection of antique and furniture pieces from the collections of three prominent Southern estates,” said Dwight Stevens of Stevens Auction Company. “Featured will be items from the estates of two ladies from Alabama – Katherine Nelson Young of Athens and Lucy Russell McCaleb of Winfield. Both were dedicated collectors of fine antique items.”

Mrs. Young inherited her mother’s antique collection and continued to add to it throughout her life. Mrs. McCaleb was a schoolteacher of 42 years and a lifelong resident of Winfield until her death at age 102. Bidders will be able to preview their collections on Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Doors will open on the day of sale Oct. 17 at 8 a.m.

Read the complete auction coverage here.

From the Editor: Show changes span the world

Karen — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:53:44 GMT

This week’s issue is jam packed with show coverage, which I hope you will appreciate.

Especially notable is the topsy-turvy environment being created in the British antiques market (CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY). Promoters are working to build bigger and more sustainable shows. Both the owners of the famous Newark fair and the Arthur Swallow Fairs are changing venues and holding competing events on the same day. Time will tell whether the move will force one or the other out of business, or if the crunch just puts pressure on dealers stuck in the middle.

On our cover is an article on Zurko Promotions’ rebooted event in Grayslake, Ill. Owner Bob Zurko has been in business for nearly 40 years and it’s great to see him rolling with the economy by building a fun, new show. He had his dealers buzzing about the changes way back in July – which is always a good sign of progressive and out-of-the-box show promoting.

Enjoy!

Eric Bradley
Editor

Two more things

In honor of last issue’s feature on Woodstock collectibles, we have chosen a copy of Woodstock : Peace, Music & Memories (Krause Publications) as the grand prize for October’s Antique Trader Treasure Hunt. With more than 350 color and black and white photos, the book has personal recollections of the 1969 concert. To enter the sweepstakes, CLICK HERE.

The latest edition of our quarterly Antique Trader Traveler is now available as a free download. The issue is an excellent guide to autumn’s top museums, expos and antiques and collectibles events. Especially interesting is the feature on the recent renovations to Washington, D.C.’s Ford’s Theater, the engaging exhibits at the Museum of the Confederacy and the nation’s 650 Mile Yard Sale. To download the issue CLICK HERE.

SUBMITTING LETTERS

Letters to Antique Trader are appreciated and encouraged but cannot be responded to individually. If you are writing via e-mail, please do not use all caps and add the city AND state you live in. Send your letter to:

Mail: Letters to the Editor c/o Antique Trader, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54945

Fax: 715-445-4087

e-mail: eric.bradley@fwmedia.com

Kathleen Guzman hosts charity prints auction

Karen — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:18:11 GMT

Here's your chance to expand your collection and do a good deed in the process:

Guzman to host VIP party with TV experts Daile Kaplan, Nicholas Lowry, Joyce Jonas and Eric Silver

EVENT: Housing Works Auctions Presents “Early American Prints,” a live charity auction with Kathleen Guzman

WEB SITE: www.housingworks.org/earlyamericanprints

DATE: Wednesday, October 7, 2009

TIME: VIP cocktail hour with celebrity appraisers, 6-7 pm. Live auction, 7-9 pm

LOCATION: Housing Works Gramercy Thrift Shop, 157 E.23rd St (between Lexington and 3rd)

COST: $50 for VIP cocktail hour. Live auction is FREE and open to the public.

BENEFITS: All proceeds benefit Housing Works, which provides lifesaving services such as housing, medical care, meals and job training to homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.

Currier & Ives, publisher
The Yacht “Sappho” of New York, 1869 (Conningham #6815)
Hand Colored engraving
19 1/8 by 27 7/8 inches.
Kennedy Galleries label, on verso

Housing Works Auctions announced that on Oct. 7, it will host “Early American Prints,” a live charity auction of 60 fine prints from 19th century America, including dozens by legendary engravers Currier & Ives. Longtime Housing Works volunteer and celebrity appraiser Kathleen Guzman will serve as auctioneer. The prints, which can roughly be broken down into Pastoral Scenes, Marine Subjects, Historical Figures and Events and Maps, range in estimated value from $100 to $1,500.

While the live auction is free, for $50, the public can meet Guzman and a group of her celebrity colleagues, including Daile Kaplan, Nicholas Lowry of Swann Galleries, Eric Silver of Lillian Nassau, and Joyce Jonas, jewelry appraiser, at a VIP pre-auction cocktail party. (Housing Works members get in free. Join at www.housingworks.org). Guzman, Kaplan, Jonas, Lowry and Silver have appeared frequently on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow.

Charles Hart, lithographer/ L.M. Delevan, publisher
Washington Family, after William Savage, artist
Hand Colored lithograph
16 3/4 by 23 5/8 inches.
Kennedy Galleries label, on verso

The venerated auction house Swann Auction Galleries and the collectibles Web site Worthpoint.com are contributing support to the “Early American Prints,” event, which will feature champagne, light hors d’oeuvres and Martine’s fine chocolates of Bloomingdale’s.

If you can’t make the Oct. 7 live auction, a separate selection of prints will be auctioned online on Housing Works Thrift Shops’ auction site, Shophousingworks.com. Bidding online is underway and ends at 7 p.m. Oct. 8. Online auction items will be featured in the windows of Housing Works Thrift Shops’ 23rd St. and 77th St. stores starting on Sept. 25.

“Early American Prints” was prompted by an anonymous donation of nearly 300 engravings and prints. Many were originally sold by the famed Kennedy Gallery.

“This is a unique opportunity to bid on treasured artwork for your home or collection and generously help a worthy cause,” says appraiser Guzman. “Charming and significant prints by Currier & Ives, Endicott Brothers + Company, and William Sartain will be offered. Most notable are the many works depicting Hudson River subjects and the Catskill Mountains to be sold without reserve to the highest bidder.”

— Posted by Karen

Okemo Antiques Show turns 16

Karen — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:31:40 GMT

It's nice to see shows hanging in there — especially shows that have been around for more than a decade and don't show any sign of giving up ... not only not giving up, but promising "to be the best ever."

I'm talking about the Okemo Antiques Show at the Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vt.

Pat and Don Clegg of East Berlin, Pa., who promote and manage the show as Abbott House Associates, established their antiques business nearly three decades ago, specializing in American painted furniture and related items, early textiles, early lighting and wildfowl decoys. They also exhibit at about 10 shows each year, one of which is the Okemo Antiques Show.

The Okemo Show is one of five shows that make up Vermont Antiques Week in early October each year.

Among the exhibitors at this 16th incarnation of the Okemo Antiques Show: Jeff Cherry and Kass Hogan (Cherry Gallery), Lewis Scranton, Tom and Bev Longacre, Mario Pollo, Chuck White and Lynne Weaver.

The details: The celebration kicks off with a wine and hors d'oeuvres preview party from 3-6 pm on Oct. 2. The show continues on Oct. 3 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Additional information can be obtained by calling Abbott House Associates at 877-211-1877.

Hang in there!

Images courtesy Abbott House Associates.

Posted by Karen

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
• Browse the Antique Trader Classifieds or place your FREE online ads HERE.

Puchsteins take full control of West Palm Beach shows

Karen — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:21:21 GMT

Puchsteins take full control of West Palm Beach Shows

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Bill and Kay Puchstein have taken over as the sole owners of West Palm Beach Antiques Festival for the upcoming season.

The Puchstein’s purchased eight show enterprise from dmg world media last December in partnership with promoters Jim and Yvonne Tucker of Missouri. The Tuckers have decided the schedule of these eight shows was more than they were willing to do together with nine shows of their company, Antique Shows of Florida.

“The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival was much more than Yvonne and I had envisioned,” Jim Tucker said in a telephone interview. “We live in Missouri as our primary home with the nine shows concentrated in two and a half months, that’s enough.”

West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is the first weekend of each month, with their Spectacular in February hosting about 800 dealers.

The Puchstein's, who also live in Florida, also run a dozen other smaller shows through the winter months in the central region of the state.

The Puchstein’s website for details of West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is www.wpbaf.com and take calls at 941 697 7475. For their other shows go to www.floridaantiqueshows.com. The Tucker’s website is www.antiqueshowsofflorida.com or call them at 941 408 3576.

-By Tom O’Hara, posted by Eric Bradley

How America lost its $50B furniture industry

Karen — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:55:09 GMT

Check out this fascinating report on the future, or lack thereof, of the American furniture industry. The report asks, "do American furniture companies have a leg to stand on?"

The release on the report reads as follows: Baby Boomers don't care about owning fine furniture. Department stores aren't interested in stocking furniture. Design piracy flourishes. And marketing savvy is in short supply.

What's going on here?

It's another sad chapter in the history of the American furniture companies, a perfect storm of consumer trends, market forces and industry intransigence. A detailed report, The American Furniture Industry: What Will It Take to Survive?, has just been published.

Compiled by Anderson Bauman Tourtellot Vos, a leading turnaround management firm, in collaboration with Michael K. Dugan, author of The Furniture Wars: How America Lost a Fifty Billion Dollar Industry, the report is based on research conducted over the past two months.

Of the furniture manufacturing companies surveyed, sales dropped over 10% on average last year, with some of the best known brands taking the biggest hits. Retailers were similarly afflicted as housing construction came to a standstill and consumers made do with the furniture they owned.

The economic downturn exacerbated long-standing trends. The industry as a whole has been slow to adopt cost-saving tactics, such as Lean Manufacturing. Nor have there been serious attempts to penetrate the export market, even as production moved offshore. And unlike other consumer goods industries, furniture companies have not become adept at marketing and distributing their products.

The industry has some unusual challenges, such as the fact that well-made wood furniture doesn't wear out, and only goes out of style at a glacial pace. And then there's the truth that price discounts don't work the way they do in other industries where style counts. If the price of dresses goes down, the report notes, women may feel the need to buy more dresses. If sofas are marked down, the customer just needs one, if any.

As manufacturing companies and furniture stores fall by the wayside, some companies will have a chance of surviving.

"Those will be the companies that are open to change," said Peter Tourtellot, managing director of Anderson Bauman Tourtellot Vos. "The industry needs fresh thinking about marketing and branding, information technology, and manufacturing and distribution."

The PDF report can be reached here (safe to download).

Collect.com/Antique Trader's conference "Depression Glass" Nov. 5

Karen — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:24:18 GMT

Collect.com and Antique Trader are teaming up to produce an online conference on Depression Glass. Hosted by expert Ellen Schroy, the conference is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST Nov. 5.

"Once a popular prize found in oatmeal boxes, and used by movie houses and gas stations as a free gift with purchase, the history of Depression glass is as diverse as the pieces themselves. Learn the history behind the companies, commonly reproduced patterns and why the hobby of Depression Glass collecting is getting bigger every year."

Schroy is the nationally known author of Warman's Depression Glass, 5th edition. She has been the longtime editor of Warman's Antiques & Collectibles, Warman's Depression Glass and numerous other antiques and collectables books. In addition to serving as an appraiser at antiques events, Schroy frequently appears on radio shows across the USA.

Click here to register.

Ellen Schroy to host online Depression Glass conference

Karen — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:12:26 GMT

Collect.com and Antique Trader are teaming up to produce an online conference on Depression Glass. Hosted by expert Ellen Schroy, the conference is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST Nov. 5.

"Once a popular prize found in oatmeal boxes, and used by movie houses and gas stations as a free gift with purchase, the history of Depression glass is as diverse as the pieces themselves. Learn the history behind the companies, commonly reproduced patterns and why the hobby of Depression Glass collecting is getting bigger every year."

dmg world media sells AntiqueWeek, three others in deal finalized late last week

Karen — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:30:27 GMT

KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind. – In a deal finalized late last week, dmg world media sold its Knightstown, Ind., publications, including its flagship antiques and collectibles newspaper AntiqueWeek. Included in the sale are publications AntiqueWest, The Auction Exchange and Collectors News and Farm World, billed as “the largest farm newspaper in the Midwest.”

The new owner is MidCountry Media, Inc., which has ties to the Mayhill family who founded AntiqueWeek in 1968 and sold it along with its other titles to dmg in 2000. dmg world media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc, one of the largest and media companies in the United Kingdom.

Talks of a sale surfaced in October 2008 when employees were informed the Indiana titles were under contract to be sold. Since then, dmg has steadily sold segments of its antiques and collectibles businesses.

It sold the London-based newspaper Antiques Trade Gazette in October 2008. In June it sold four of the biggest antiques and collectors' fairs in the UK. In July, dmg sold back the Florida show known as “Palm Beach - America's International Fine Art & Antiques Fair” to its original owners, the Lester family.

In the case of Antiques Trade Gazette, it was employees who purchased the publication. The UK fairs (Newark, Ardingly, Shepton Mallet and Detling) are owned by a group, which includes a former dmg executive who oversaw the original acquisition in 1994.

AntiqueWeek is a national publication with The Auction Exchange and Collectors News focuses on the Great Lakes region and AntiqueWest focuses on the West Coast.

dmg owns The Avignon (France) International Trade Fair, The Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show, The Miami Beach Antique Jewelry & Watch Show, The New York Antique Jewelry and Watch Show, The Original Miami Beach Antique Show and the The Washington DC Antique, Art and Jewelry Show, which debuts Oct. 15-18.

dmg also publishes more than 40 related magazines, newspapers, directories and market reports and employs 700 people worldwide.

-posted by Eric Bradley

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
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Here’s to the antique misfits

Karen — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:08:59 GMT

At first they looked like elaborate toothpicks or something from a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. They were all different shapes and sizes and – one was even in the shape of a hand, while others were decorated with elaborate carvings.

The curiosities were part of a diverse collection of bride sticks. The 100 or so sticks are a part of the famous Joseph and Lilian Shapiro Collection, and featured in an Oct. 8 Dan Morphy auction. Skillfully hand-carved and painted, the rarely seen decorative objects date from the early 19th century to around the turn of the 20th century. Each was a custom design, to be given as a gift to a new bride. While not meant for practical use, they replicate the plainer forked sticks that women used for pushing down laundry into tubs of boiling water.

It’s the offbeat and obscure items, such as the Shapiros’ bride sticks, that are my favorite part of learning about antiques. Usually, the items are not particularly valuable; the bride sticks are expected to sell for between $50 and $100 each. Don’t get me wrong, I have a strong appreciation of antique furniture, prints, coin operated machines and advertising. However, there’s just something alluring (maybe even charming) about those oddball items most people don’t much care for.

Much to the dismay of my wife, my wallet seems to be a magnet for these misfit antiques. On a recent shopping trip, I spotted a curious machine in a vendor’s booth: it was cast iron and sported seven different pulleys.

“It kind of looks like a circus wagon,” I told my wife, both describing its original paint and doing my best to get her remotely interested in yet another of my weird purchases – this one even larger than usual. The seller told me it was a hay trolley. They were used in the time before elevators to lift bailed or loose hay up into barn lofts. The trolleys are large, weighing about 35 pounds and are sometimes decorated with ornate cast iron.

They are offbeat, for sure, but are gaining some respect. A few farming museums devoted to antique farming technology have recently opened in the Midwest and all feature the decorative and trusty hay trolley. The one I found has a new home as a sculpture on our kitchen desk, which for us is really the base of a Hoosier cupboard.

Learning about new things is the most important benefit of being a collector. Everyone who ventures out in search of antiques always brings their curiosity. Expanding your experience of the rich and diverse world of antiques helps you better spend your money. Plus it’s also a neat trick whenever you can pull a little-known fact out of your noggin at precisely the right time.

So go out and look for those unusual items no one else seems to notice. Just remember, it helps to decide where you’re going to put your misfit before you bring it up to your spouse.

— posted by Eric Bradley

From Sept. 30, 2009 issue of Antique Trader magazine

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
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Spot your shop in the Antique Trader Regionals

Karen — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:39:33 GMT

It's been a month since we launched our new regional focus. In every issue we reserve up to eight pages to provide you a survey of market trends and tips and some of the personalities that make each region unique. We're pleased with the results and we hope you are too.

The regional section is a great way to show off your shop, show, group mall or online antiques business. If you are willing to snap a few pictures and send them to our offices, we are willing to publish them for our readers.

Likewise, readers may send photos or comments to share the inspiration behind their collections. If you live in Zanesville, Ohio, we want to know why you collect the area's wonderful pottery. Our readers appreciate learning about every sort of collection or group of inventory no matter how large or eclectic.

Please send your comments or photos to Antique Trader, 700 E State St., Iola, WI 54945 or ATnews@fwmedia.com.

Here are some of our past Regional focus features:

Regional Round Up: ‘Circus capital’ also offers antiques

Antiques Regional Roundup: Sisters open antiques shop to honor late father

Regional Roundup: What’s going on in the West

Regional Roundup: East

If you have questions about the Regional focus, contact eric.bradley@fwmedia.com.

From the Editor: Haggling shouldn't end badly

Karen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:41:01 GMT

Where has our summer gone? Too quickly our sand beaches have given way to the first glimpses of red leaves.

I certainly hope you enjoyed your summer. Here in Wisconsin where Antique Trader is produced our summers seem relatively short due to our three distinct seasons and bitter winters. The summer was packed with all the best the outdoor show and auction season has to offer.

It is always a good day when you can spend it walking and chatting with vendors and fellow collectors.

However, sometimes things overheard in a vendor’s booth don’t always put you in a buying mood. One instance in particular happened early in the summer and I have thought about it often on the trail.

A young couple was standing in a lovely flea market booth filled with a pleasing mix of both expensive and common glassware and porcelain. The lady spied a pair of candlesticks and picked one up. She motioned for her partner to move closer and check them out. The way they were chatting about the sticks and how they were looking at the details gave away the fact that they were not dealers. The way they were dressed indicated they had probably stopped by the flea after attending a Sunday service.

“What is your best price on these?” the young lady said holding the sticks up.
The vendor responded simply: “$40.”

“Would you take $35?” was the young lady’s response.

The vendor looked her in the eye and said loudly, “How do you expect me to make my rent if all you customers keep asking for more and more discounts? This business is hard enough.”

More than one pair of eyebrows was raised. Perhaps it was a rare bit of weakness on the vendor’s part, however the response was not what I’d expect from any business owner addressing a counter offer. Regrettably, the response is not rare.

More and more as I visit shops and shows, the rate of dealers and sellers complaining to customers about the current economic climate is reaching a fevered pitch. It’s as though shop owners feel obligated to inform their customers that they are no longer making any money at buying and selling antiques.

As we head into the fall and winter indoor show season, all buyers and sellers should understand the economic hardship is affecting both sides of a transaction. Buyers as well as sellers are feeling the pinch.

The flea market vendor insulted by the young lady’s counter offer could have politely responded: “Sorry, I’m going to try to get $40.” That would have sufficed.

We need every new collector or casual buyer we can get. Turning them off when they are young may eliminate a lifelong buyer from the marketplace.
And what fun would our summers be without flea markets?

— Posted by Eric Bradley

Feel free to send your comments to eric.bradley@fwmedia.com or to Letters to the Editor, c/o Antique Trader, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54945.

Holt-Howard, Red Wing, toleware, the list goes on ...

Karen — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:34:31 GMT

It took me a while to get around to blogging about my weekend, but I'm finally here! (even though we're fast-approaching another)

I can only hope all of your weekends as pleasant as mine. Any time I can squeeze in a flea market over the weekend makes me happy ... especially if the market has a lot of dealers with a lot of great antiques.

We made it up to Zurko's Shawano flea market once again on Aug. 22, and what a great day. The weather was a bit cool, but the vendors were out in force. (Of all the times I've been up to the Shawano market, I think last Saturday's was the strongest showing yet.) I was tempted time and time again by crockery of various sizes and shapes, some cute Holt-Howard kittens (even though their noisemakers were missing), and beautiful cast-iron cookware ... some of it old, all of it cleaned and seasoned.

I don't know about any of you, but I prefer to cook in cast iron. And old, properly seasoned cast iron is the best! A few years ago I bought two fabulous bail-handled cast iron pots from my uncle, who was trimming down his estate. I cook in them every chance I get. When I use them, I always remember him and my aunt. I'm so very glad that I have something tangible and useful that I can remember them by.

Of course I had to stop and read through book titles at every opportunity, too ... you just never know what you'll miss if you don't!

Now if I can just get to Princeton and Columbus! (If you're ever anywhere near it, don't miss the Columbus Antique Mall ... but plan on spending a few hours there ... It's HUGE!)

Are there any antique shows in your weekend plans? Which ones? What's your favorite show ever?

— Posted by Karen

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Question of the Week

Karen — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:37:44 GMT

A comment from an article in our new regional section struck me this week. It was originally printed in an article from The Press Tribune:

“The resources have already been used to make (antique pieces),” said Deborah Candlish customer service representative at Roseville’s (Calif.) Antique Trove. “So you’re really being ‘green’ and saving resources when you shop antiques.”

According to a Carbon Footprint Analysis by Carbon Footprint Ltd. it takes 1,000 times more Carbon Dioxide to manufacture a new piece of furniture as opposed to reusing an older piece.

“Why would I buy something new when I can get the same look and reduce my impact,” said shopper Mindy Kruse of Lincoln, Calif.

Candlish's observation inspired this issue's Question of the Week:

What do you think our trade can do to better promote antiques to younger collectors seeking ways to reduce, reuse and recycle?

We want to know what you think! Send a quick comment here or via Twitter to @AntiqueTrader.

-posted by Eric Bradley

Congrats sweepstakes winners

Karen — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:07:21 GMT

We recorded more than 10,000 entries from May-July for the Antique Trader Treasure Hunt Sweepstakes. The monthly sweepstakes conducted on www.antiquetrader.com offers free books, collectibles and keepsakes for readers of our print edition and Web site.

Congratulations to our winners:

Fan Bird Carving Sweeptakes

Grand Prize winner Alicia Wallace, Stafford, Va., won an authentic fan bird carving. Four runner ups won commemorative post card sets: Jacqui Haddock of Temple, Texas; Christy Curran of Equinunk, Pa.; Robert Lorenz of McKees Rocks, Pa., and Tony Tannahill of Fairfield, Ill.

Holt-Howard Collectibles

Sharon Hutson of Batavia, Ohio, won a copy of the book Price Guide to Holt-Howard Collectibles and Related Ceramicware of the 50s & 60s by Walter Dworkin (Krause Publications).

Dames, Dolls & Delinquents

Grand prize winner Steven Muir of Bellevue, Wash., won a copy of the book Dames, Dolls and Delinquents: A Collector’s Guide to Sexy Pulp Fiction Paperbacks by Gary Lovisi and a set of notecards from Heritage Auction’s recent sale of the Charles Martignette estate July 16. Runner up Karen Stanley of Fort Smith, Ark., won a copy of Lovisi’s Antique Trader Collectible Paperback Price Guide and a set of notecards.

The sweepstakes for August and September is sponsored by the Butter Pat Patter Association. The association has provided three Buffalo Pottery butter pats as prizes for three lucky winners. The Art Deco-inspired designs are valued at $25 each.

To enter the sweepstakes, visit www.antiquetrader.com and click on Contests.

Weekend wasn't 'wonderful,' but it was productive

Karen — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:31:46 GMT

Going into last weekend I was optimistic that I finally had a weekend that I could do whatever I wanted. I didn't have any set plans, mind you, but I had several options that I was narrowing down: estate auction opportunities on both Saturday and Sunday, flea market opportunities on both Saturday and Sunday, or knuckling down and starting to go through my attic treasures. Endless possibilities!

Alas, such freedom just wasn't meant to be. Getting saddled with another youngster - this one younger and higher maintenance than my own - for the weekend knocked out the possibilities that had been jingling around in my head since late Wednesday evening.

Needless to say, I was cranky. I'm usually pretty easy going, but when decisions like that are made for me, I have a hard time keeping from "losing it." After all, time is one of the few things you can't get more of.

But I made the best of my situation and got some much-needed organizing done. I hadn't gone through my purchases (mostly box lots) from the last estate auction I attended, which was piled up in my garage and taunted me each and every time I went in there; I decided to get that taken care of so I could go to the next one with a clear conscience.

What fun it turned out to be!

I found some great old advertising pieces in the boxes of sewing rick-rack, as well as some fantastic old sewing and mending tools. (Have you ever noticed that the boxes from matches ... simple little stick matches ... are nowhere near as appealing as they were 50 years ago?)

Do any of you know when manufacturers stopped making all-metal children's "safety" scissors? You know, the ones with the rounded tips ... those were a curious find that I'll have to do some research on ...

I went through box after box of old cookware, cut glass, holiday decor, and so on. Tackling it like that made me have to decide then and there what I would keep and what would have to go.

I'm keeping an eclectic (but pristine condition) variety of bowls; I decided I really didn't need the old pots, pans, or another graniteware roaster ... those can "go"; I've got to keep all the little sewing do-dads and notions; and the best thing of all: I'm happy with all my decisions. I believe having the weeks to think everything over helped me make good, solid decisions as to what I would keep and what I would get rid of.

I'm still undecided about the Fire King Copper Tint pieces though. They're perfect! And they still have the stickers! ... but what am I going to do with them?!

Perhaps with more time and thought the decision will be easier.

What do you all think? Do you take your time and mull it over when you're going through your collections or auction purchases? Or do you make shoot-from-the-hip decisions and just live with those decisions? Do you regret those decisions later?

Post a reply or drop us a line and let us know ...

— Posted by Karen

And more recent antiques-related headlines:

Karen — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:32:05 GMT

On Pawn Stars it’s all business (my favorite!)

Regional Roundup: East

NY State malls helping shoppers justify purchases

French doll shatters world auction record (still hot news)

Collector selling Archie #1 as marriage proposal looms - Tom Michael analyzes Archie through the years ... fascinating, in-depth analysis of the development of "The Mirth of a Nation."

AT Inbox: Reader seeks help identifying father's jardiniere

Ask Antique Trader: Driftwood furniture first popular in the ’40s

To pawn or not to pawn

— Posted by Karen Knapstein

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
• Browse the Antique Trader Classifieds or place your FREE online ads HERE.

To pawn or not to pawn ...

Karen — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:35:19 GMT

Before the credit card explosion in the 1950s, pawnshops were a neighborhood’s answer to easy credit with few questions. Pawnshops and pawn brokering have been around for thousands of years and it was an important aspect of the economic foundations of Chinese, Ancient Greek and Roman Empires.

So if pawn broking has been around so long, why is HISTORY’s new show Pawn Stars so popular?

Like the PBS smash hit Antiques Roadshow, average folks haul their treasures or investments to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in an effort to find their value and sell them at a respectable price. A pawn transaction gives the seller an cash advance on the value of their antique and sets a time limit on when they must pay it back, usually at a double digit interest rate. If the seller doesn’t return the pawnshop legally claims ownership and may sell the item at whatever market price the new owner may set. The shop owner’s goal is to accurately describe the item and get the seller to agree on a sale price that is fair but also leaves room for him to make a profit.

Maybe it’s the rare chance to be a fly on the wall as a sale price is haggled back and forth. This is my favorite part. I have always believed that when you’re buying an antique, the first person that offers a price loses something in the negotiation. This belief is reinforced every time I watch this show. It’s fascinating to watch sellers learn the history behind their item and quickly realize factors such as condition, scarcity and market conditions also influence the value of an antique.

Another reason the show is popular has to be because of its timing. The problems pulling down our economy have touched off a new era of frugality and resourcefulness. People want to tap the cash value in their antiques and collectibles. What could be more entertaining than watching someone negotiate a sale?

Although it is entertaining for a spectator to watch, it’s important to remember a few caveats when selling antiques and collectibles through pawnshops:

• Research the value range of your antiques before you sell. I use the words “value range” because sellers should know enough about the market conditions to negotiate a sale price based on current demand, scarcity and condition.

• Not every pawnshop will accept antiques or collectibles. What makes Rick Harrison’s Las Vegas pawn shop so unique is that he has experience in appraising art and antiques and has built a customer base for that merchandise. Call ahead to see if your local pawnshop accepts such items.

• Leave some room for the pawnbroker to make a profit in the transaction. After all, it’s still a business transaction and only the successful deals leave room on both sides to make a profit.

Eric Bradley
Editor

CLICK HERE to read a partial excerpt from the exclusive interview Antique Trader had with Rick Harrison, co-owner of the Gold & Silver Pawnshop.

P.S. Elsewhere in this week’s issue, you will find an ad for the Butter Pat Patter Association. The association has provided three Buffalo Pottery butter pats as prizes for three lucky winners of the Antique Trader Treasure Hunt for August and September. The Art Deco-inspired designs are valued at $25 each. To enter, visit www.antiquetrader.com/sweepstakes.

Question of the Week: Pawnshop finds anyone?

Karen — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:22:05 GMT

This Week's Antique Trader Question of the Week:

What is your impression of the pawn business as a source to buy and sell antiques and collectibles?

Post your reply here on the Antique Trader blog, or HERE on the message boards, send your replies to eric.bradley@fwmedia.com, or to Letters to the Editor, c/o Antique Trader, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54945.

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
• Browse the Antique Trader Classifieds or place your FREE online ads HERE.

Free Michelangelo podcast today from the MET

Karen — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:14:11 GMT

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is offering a free podcast on the fascinating topic of the first known painting by Michelangelo Buonarroti.

According to the MET:

Keith Christiansen and Michael Gallagher of the Met discuss their research and conservation of the first known painting by Michelangelo believed to have been created when he was twelve or thirteen years old (circa 1487-88). Recently acquired by the Kimbell Art Museum, the painting The Torment of Saint Anthony underwent conservation and technical examination at the Met, leading to this new attribution. This podcast accompanies the special exhibition Michelangelo’s First Painting, on view now through September 7.

The podcast may be found by clicking the museum's media link. If you don't have an audio player installed you can still download a transcript.

-Posted by Eric Bradley

Are you an Antique Trader fan?

Karen — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:50:26 GMT

If you are, why not "show us some love" on Facebook and become an "official" fan.

Here's a peek at the Antique Trader feed on Facebook:

Antique Trader on Facebook

Is quantity out in favor of quality?

Karen — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:20:22 GMT

The question occurs to all of us at one point or another. We take a step back to enjoy the collections amassed over the years. We remember the trips, the shops, the shows or the dollars invested in every piece.

Then the question pops into mind: “What am I going to do with all this stuff?”
It’s a problem every collector must face. Whether they are thinking about the best way to display their collection or how to include it in an inheritance, deciding what to do with a collection can be a difficult problem to solve.

Some collectors are generalists and purchase anything that strikes their fancy within a particular field. Others are more focused in their interests and collect items that meet a specific theme. No matter the approach, a collector can quickly find themselves awash in antiques.

The question on how to focus a collection came up recently during an interview with Stuart Holbrook, president of Theriault’s. He was discussing the record-setting Albert Marque doll as shown on the cover and on page 21 (CLICK HERE to read the story).

Holbrook and other auction house principals are watching a trend quickly unfold in nearly every realm of collecting: Quantity is out; quality is in.

“There is a certain point in every great collection that one needs to reign in the necessity to accumulate and exchange that with the necessity for quality,” Holbrook told me. “If they do find that quality, they should pay what it takes to get it. Once they reign in that need, they will have more money to pursue the things that are really going to matter to them.”

Holbrook’s observation will not come as a surprise to experienced collectors. These collectors have long disposed of the flotsam and jetsam often accumulated when starting out.

However, perhaps it is that new collectors are bypassing this stage altogether.

Is that why dealers are reporting only the best-of-the-best is selling? Despite a harsh recession, the sky’s the limit on quality items. I’m sure that’s what David Luebke is hoping as his copy of Archie Comics #1 reaches auction Aug. 14 as explained on the cover.

Perhaps only experienced collectors are the ones who are finding ways to work more purchases into their budgets?

Whatever the reason, the way collectors are collecting is changing. In this week’s regional section (read the Regional Roundup HERE), you’ll see dealers are addressing the changing tastes of collectors with innovation and elbow grease.

Collectors and dealers have some tough decisions to make in the coming years. The collecting bug isn’t going away but I think it will permanently change the course of hobby.

Eric Bradley
Editor

P.S. Don’t forget to send us the story of your favorite rummage sale or yard sale discovery. You may just win a copy of the 2010 Warman’s Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide.

Send your stories to eric.bradley@fwmedia.com or to Found Treasure, c/o Antique Trader, 700 E State St, Iola, WI 54945.

CLICK HERE for full contest rules.

— posted by Eric Bradley

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
• Browse the Antique Trader Classifieds or place your FREE online ads HERE.

Question of the week: Are antique collecting trends changing?

Karen — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:56:52 GMT

This week Antique Trader would like to know:

What changes have you seen or experienced first hand in the way collectors are collecting?

Do you think quantity has fallen more out of favor than quality?

Send your replies to eric.bradley@fwmedia.com or to Letters to the Editor, c/o Antique Trader, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54945.

Or post a reply here on the blog or HERE in the Antique Trader forums.

Brimfield antiques shows owners headed to trial

Karen — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:25:03 GMT

It was reported this afternoon the owners of several Brimfield Antiques shows will take their suit against the village to trial. Town Meeting voters rejected changing the way emergency services fees are charged to owners, arguing the fees are the only way the village can provide such services and not go in the red.

More than 20 promoters run shows in May, July and September in Brimfield, Mass., along Route 20.

As first reported by The Republican, May's Antique Market, Inc., filed the original lawsuit in 2006. Owners claim the emergency services fees the town has collected from the 20 show owners have sometimes been more than $100,000 higher than the cost of police, fire and ambulance protection provided during the shows.

A second lawsuit seeking the overturn of the emergency services fees was filed in March by the owners of Mahogany Ridge, Shelton Antiques and The Meadows New England Motel & Antique Market.

Are antique shops really just pawn shops?

Karen — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:59:46 GMT

A troubling story out of Louisiana this morning got me thinking about a battle that took place across California a few years ago.

The News Star reports the Monroe City, La., city council will introduce an ordinance next week requiring antique shop owners to register and report their inventory like pawn shops are required to do.

An excerpt:

Police Chief Ron Schleuter said including jewelers and antique shop owners in the law, which is already a part of state law, would help law enforcement catch criminals. With the price of gold on the rise, the chief said thieves are taking gold items and selling them to the jewelers and antique shops at a fraction of what they are worth.

Schleuter said a Monroe resident recently purchased 16 gold coins as an investment, and 13 of them were taken from his residence. Ten of the 13 coins were recovered at jewelry stores and an antique shop.

In Monroe City, pawn shops report descriptions of their inventory and secure identification of those wanting to sell their items to help police track down stolen goods. If passed after a public hearing at the council's Aug. 11 meeting, the new law will require the same of jewelry stores and antique shops.

Although the law's intention may be to protect the public, this bureaucracy will shut down dealers and snuff out tax revenue.

Can you imagine a dealer amassing a mountain of paperwork on their inventory? Can you imagine while taking a photocopying everyone's driver's license that walked through the door with something to sell?

No? Neither can I.

Why? Because proposed laws like this never distinguish between a spoon-carved dresser and a diamond ring.

Laws like this step on the free market principals that allow dealers and collectors to quickly and easily trade items. If Monroe City is really worried about theft, perhaps they should regulate whom in their county posts items on online auction sites? I bet most stolen goods are now fenced online rather than small shops across town.

Why make Monroe City, La., dealers pay the price?

-posted by Eric Bradley

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
• Browse the Antique Trader Classifieds or place your FREE online ads HERE.

Have you entered the Treasure Hunt this month

Karen — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:20:00 GMT

The end of July is almost here, meaning the end of the July Antique Trader sweepstakes.

In case you missed it, the July Treasure Hunt Sweepstakes is featuring Dames, Dolls & Delinquents and the Antique Trader® Collectible Paperback Price Guide as prizes.

AND, in addition to those books, we're giving away some beautiful blank note cards (graciously provided by Heritage Auction Galleries) that feature illustration art from the Charles Martignette collection.

Make sure you visit http://sweepstakes.antiquetrader.com today and enter for your chance to win ... you'll be glad you did!

If you haven't already done so, you want to sign up on the Antique Trader home page (http://www.antiquetrader.com) for the free e-newsletters so you get fresh news and notifications delivered right to your in-box ... including when we launch new sweepstakes and contests.

— Posted by Karen Knapstein

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
• Browse the Antique Trader Classifieds or place your FREE online ads HERE.

Question of the Week: Tell us about your favorite rummage sale find

Karen — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:16:18 GMT

Big or small – what is your favorite rummage sale or yard sale discovery?
Send the story behind your most memorable find by Labor Day, Sept. 7, and our judges will award the best story a copy of the 2010 Warman's Antique & Collectibles Price Guide, with bonus DVD.

Send your stories to eric.bradley@fwmedia.com or to Found Treasure, c/o Antique Trader magazine, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54945.

Fun forum thread: Supply the caption

Karen — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:09:59 GMT

We've recently started a new forum thread in the Antique Trader forums. It's just for fun. And that's all.

Did the pic of the baby doll with the bug on its face leave an impression on you? That's the pic we chose as the first in a series that we're going to post that you can reply to and supply the cutline.

Or, if you like, start your own thread in the "Just For Fun" forum and upload your own image that you think would be fun to share.

Here's the one we posted: http://forum.antiquetrader.com/tm.aspx?m=234

Check out the captions that have already been posted and post your own if you're so inclined ...

— Posted by Karen Knapstein

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• Reference books available about your favorite collectibles HERE
• Antique Trader message boards HERE.
• Browse the Antique Trader Classifieds or place your FREE online ads HERE.

Theater used in Dillinger shootout up for sale

Karen — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:29:53 GMT

A South Bend, Ind., theater that was the site of a shootout after John Dillinger's last bank heist is going up for auction.

The historic State Theatre still bears bullet holes from police as they fired at Dillinger and his gang on June 30, 1934. A police officer was killed during the shootout. Dillinger is back in the public eye with the recent release of the movie "Public Enemies."

The theater will be sold by NAI Global of Albuquerque, N.M., in an online auction which ends July 30.The former owner is a minister who bought the theater three years ago for Christian entertainment but who now faces a foreclosure threat.

Dillinger was shot and killed by FBI agents in Chicago less than a month later.

January Pier show added to Stella 2010 antiques show calendar

Karen — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:34:53 GMT

After a two-year hiatus, Americana & Antiques at the Piers has recently returned to the calendar of events produced by Stella Show Mgmt. Co. designed to coincide with Antiques Week in New York, the 2010 show is scheduled for Jan. 23-24, 2010.

“We are very pleased to have this show again,” said Dorothy Stella, president of Stella Shows. “It has been sorely missed by our exhibitors and our customers. The piers were not available in January for several years. Now that dates have changed, we can have Pier 92 for Antiques Week in New York again.”

There is a wide variety of antiques events on the Stella Show Mgmt. Co. 2009/10 calendar including Antiques & Design in the Hamptons, Aug. 14-16; Country Living Fair, Sept. 18-20; the Modern Show, Oct. 16-18.

Question of the Week: Native American relics

Karen — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:41:44 GMT

Question of the Week:

As seen on page 8 of this week’s issue, should Native Americans buy a tract of land to preserve a rare archaeological site or does the current landowner have the right to sell the artifacts, using the site as a “diamond mine.”

Photo courtesy John Shishmanian/ NorwichBulletin.com

Post a reply here on the Antique Trader blog, or e-mail your replies to eric.bradley@fwmedia.com or post your reply in the Antique Trader message boards HERE.

— Posted by Karen Knapstein

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Holt-Howard hits the spot

Karen — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:12:26 GMT

Looks like Holt-Howard is on the minds and in the hearts of our readers. Last week's cover story, excerpted from Walter Dworkin's excellent book "Price Guide to Holt-Howard Collectibles and Related Ceramicware of the '50s and '60s."

Could it be a perfect storm is brewing for these funky affable ceramic pieces? Just take a look at how Holt-Howard has moved up the charts in the last week:

The Antique Trader Web site has had more than 600 hits on Dworkin's article in the last few days.
Kovels Komments, the weekly electronic newsletter published by Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles, writes today that Holt-Howard novelty giftwares are selling well again. Items were collected in the late 1980s but suffered a drop in price. Well, Kovels says those prices are on the upswing.
A quick survey on ebay shows Holt-Howard items are selling well. A classic Pixieware Lil' Sugar jar and creamer sold for $285 on July 3. A "brown skinned" Pixieware instant coffee jar from 1959 brought $216.50 on July 6.

Could Holt-Howard collectibles in the middle of a comeback?
Are you seeking a special Holt-Howard item?
Post your request here.

Take a break and play with some toys

Karen — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:50:12 GMT

Make plans to visit this show in Dover, Del., on July 26. Toy shows like this are a great out-of-mall experience. They bring back great memories or introduce you to something you never knew you wanted.

The Delaware Antique and Collectible Extravaganza will transform Spence's Bazaar, 550 S. New Street, Dover, Del., into what's being billed as Delaware's largest free outdoor antique and collectible show.

Managed by promoters Toyshows.org, the show attracts antique and collectible dealers from the east coast who sell a wide variety of merchandise. Vintage furnishings, artifacts, jewelry, porcelain, ephemera, glassware, advertising collectible's and toys will be featured.

Admission is free. Show hours 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sales are prohibited before the 9 a.m. opening Rain date is scheduled for Aug. 2. For more information on attending or participating in the show, go to our web site, Toyshows.org or call 856-302-3606.

As always, Antique Trader urges attendees to contact the promoter before traveling extreme distances.

Antique auction news: some highlights and previews

Karen — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:40:36 GMT

Theriault's is saving its fireworks for July 12 - some gorgeous and seldom-seen dolls

Largest sale ever planned for Morphy’s, Aug. 13-15

Skinner Sci-Tech auction, July 25

International interest makes strong showing at Alderfer auction

Ruger papers top the sale bill at Cowan’s Auction

Robert Edward Auctions celebrates most successful baseball card auction in collecting history at $10M

Signed rosewood Victorian bedroom suite brings $51,700

Isn't this an absolutely gorgeous bedroom suite?

The buyer got a good deal on it ...

Here they are: more article links

Karen — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:33:57 GMT

Newest articles:

Pixie-flair: Holt-Howard’s Pixieware ‘fad’ survives 50 years

Served up fresh: splendid salmon labels ... check these out! They are truly marketing ART for can-side display. Beautiful & colorful!

Collecting without cash - we'd love to hear your swap stories - successful or not. What works? What doesn't?

Can labels brought art to the aisles

Ask Antique Trader: Gargoyle hitching post finials are unusual

Milk’s letters making big news - Harvey Milk, that is ...

Antiques & Collectibles National Association announces New Orleans convention dates for 2010

Let us know what you like - and what you don't!

You can post a reply here on the blog or e-mail us: eric.bradley@fwmedia.com or karen.knapstein@fwmedia.com.

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• Visit the Antique Trader Web site HERE. Sign up for our FREE newsletters!
• If you really like what you see, get your own subscription to Antique Trader HERE.

And off it goes! Antique Trader 7/22/09

Karen — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:15:06 GMT

The newest edition of Antique Trader just headed off to the printer.

This week's cover features: those adorable Holt-Howard collectibles and vintage canning labels.

Oh, by the way: we change the cover to say "Pixie-flair" ...

What do you think of it?

— Posted by Karen Knapstein

Any press is good press, right?

Karen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:44:16 GMT

Can you remember a week where antiques and collectibles dominated the headlines as they did the week of June 21-27?

Television, newspapers, blogs and the Internet were buzzing about major news stories that involved the value – or perceived value – of antiques and collectibles. First, Michael Jackson’s untimely death took his fan base and the rest of the world by surprise. Talk quickly changed from what killed the King of Pop to what will become of his estate – including his three children and millions of dollars worth of investments he made in antiques and collectibles. Jackson was a well-known collector and accumulator of fine antiques and show biz memorabilia. Scenes of Jackson practically emptying a Las Vegas antiques shop in a seven-figure shopping spree was rehashed in news reports following his death. The Associated Press reported Jackson’s estate owns about $20 million worth of antiques, old cars and “other property.”

Does even the most experienced dealer or collector even realize what $20 million worth of antiques and vintage cars would look like? Imagine your favorite mega-antiques show and estimate the retail value of everything on the floor. You would have to include part of the building itself to reach $20 million.

Jackson liked owning unusual things – but he also made some shrewd investments such as the catalog of songs by The Beatles, among others, which is purportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Time will tell if his fans are just as shrewd after scouring the Web in the days after his death to buy all manner of Jackson collectibles.

The second big story was dramatically smaller in dollars compared to Jackson’s estate, but it may create a comfy nest egg for its owner. Antiques Roadshow stopped in Raleigh, N.C., on June 27 as part of its 2009 taping season.

Appraiser James Callahan noticed something worthy of more attention in one woman’s collection of Chinese jade carvings. He put the collection’s value at about $1.07 million, a record discovery in the 13-year history of the American version of the British TV hit. The owner’s father purchased the collection during the 1930s and ‘40s while stationed by the military in China. Taylor expected the set to be worth about $10,000. The collection includes four pieces of Chinese jade and celadon from the Chien Lung Dynasty (1736-1795). Special marks on the bottom of a large bowl indicate it was carved for an emperor.

Antiques Roadshow appraisers review about 18,000 items at each stop. Show producers told media outlets that about 34,000 people applied for tickets to the taping but only 6,400 were picked. The $1.07 million appraisal will be shown on Jan. 4 as part of a new season of Antiques Roadshow.

If there truly is no such thing as bad press, let’s hope the week’s events – both fortunate and unfortunate – encourages a new generation to look at antiques and collectibles in a different light.

Eric Bradley
Editor

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• Visit the Antique Trader Web site HERE. Sign up for our FREE newsletters!
• If you really like what you see, get your own subscription to Antique Trader HERE.

Antiques Roadshow find shatters value record

Karen — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:28:33 GMT

One lucky woman's find shattered the previous record for an item appraised during an Antiques Roadshow stop in Raleigh, N.C. last weekend. A collection of Chinese jade was valued at possibly more than $1 million.

Show publicist Erika Denn says the four pieces of jade from the period of 1736 to 1795 was valued at $710,000 to $1.07 million. That breaks the previous record of $500,000 set last year in Palm Springs, Calif., for a painting by abstract expressionist Clyfford Still.

An unidentified woman from eastern North Carolina owns the jade, which she brought to the show early Saturday morning.

The show also drew 34,000 requests for tickets, besting the previous record of 29,000 tickets for a show in San Jose, Calif., that will be held later this summer. Denn says 6,400 tickets were distributed in Raleigh.

Antiques Roadshow is scheduled to make four more stops this summer in Madison, Wis., July 11; Denver, July 25; Phoenix, Aug. 1 and San Jose, Calif., on Aug. 15.

-AP