Monthly Archives: August 2012

The results of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair, August 23-26, 2012

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My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

It was pretty busy in my booth on Saturday afternoon

It’s 4:40 PM on Sunday afternoon as I write this, with about an hour to go until the 2012 edition of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair is over. We had a very fine and interesting show. We made many sales, almost all of them from the showcases. No art sold at all. Most of the sales were American and French art glass, as well as Tiffany Pine Needle and Grapevine items. We sold more items than last year, but the gross was down because no individual item was extremely valuable.

A beautiful Gallé dragonfly box, sold at the show

Attendance was solid throughout the show. You might think that the Friday of any four-day show would be slow, but it wasn’t. There were quite a few people in attendance. For us, business was almost the same each day, except for Sunday, when it was a bit slower. We were rarely bored, as there were many questions and fairly frequent sales, especially to new clients. It was very satisfying to get what we had hoped for.

The center aisle of the show had a moderate number of people on Saturday afternoon

In asking around, the results were mixed. I heard more than a few dealers complain that they had done poorly, while some said their shows were good and a few said they were satisfied. One dealer told me he had his best Baltimore show ever. I’m sure the majority of dealers were satisfied enough to renew their contracts for next year.

No shows in September, but we’ll be back for the Arlington Park Racetrack Show in October. In the meantime, we’ll travel and find great new items. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

I just purchased this fabulous A. Walter Art Deco pate-de-verre working clock

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Just recently, I added about 15 new items. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show opens today, Thursday, August 23, 2012

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My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

The center aisle of the show will be carpeted by the time the show opens

The important Baltimore Summer Antiques Show opens today, August 23, 2012. This is one of the two most exciting shows of the year, (The Original Miami Beach Antiques Show being the other), for three reasons. First, it’s big, with really great dealers. Second, the dealers have exciting merchandise. Third, there’s action from serious buyers. Think of something you want to see and chances are good you’ll find it at the show.

Billy Rau of M.S. Rau brought his usual stupendous assortment of superb paintings and antiques

Last year was very interesting. On Tuesday, during setup, we had a once-in-a-century earthquake. Luckily it wasn’t strong and we suffered no damage. Next was Hurricane Irene, which came through Baltimore in the middle of the night between Saturday and Sunday. So you might think we had a bad show. Nooo, we had the best show in Baltimore ever! Go figure. If we do 50% of last year’s business, we’ll be very pleased.

The carpeting in front of our booth is about to be installed

If you’re reading this blog post on Thursday (or Friday, or Saturday), there’s plenty of time to visit the show. It’s open until Sunday at 6 PM. There are lots of hotels, lots of good restaurants and lots of fun activities. I recommend Hotwire.com or Priceline.com. (I just checked Hotwire and hotels were available from $67 to $92 per night). I promise you, you’ll enjoy the show and Baltimore. I would love for you to tell me you came to show because you read my blog. Monday I’ll post the results, which I hope will be wonderful.

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Just recently, I added about 15 new items. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The results of the Chicago Summer Antiques Show, August 17-19, 2012

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My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

We were very pleased with the way our booth turned out

Friday, August 17th, 1:00 pm. The show has been open one hour. There are a fair number of people here, but no sales yet to the public. I did make a sale to another dealer on the floor of the show, just prior to opening. Last year the show was fabulous, so I’m hopeful this one will go well too. I’ll write more every few hours or every day, as time permits.

Friday, 4:45 pm. Friday has been a very slow day so far. The small crowd that was here for a good part of the day is mostly gone. I’ve played so many games of Spider Solitaire, that I’m crawling out of my skin. And my chair is too hard. How’s that for complaining? Nothing happened today so far, but I’m still cautiously optimistic that the show will turn out well in the end.

Rare, large Tiffany Pine Needle clock, sold at the show

Saturday, 3:00 pm. Yesterday would have been terrible if one of my good clients hadn’t shown up toward the end of the day and made a nice purchase. I’m very lucky to have the loyal clients that I do. Thank you to each and every one of you.

I couldn’t sit down to write today until 3 PM as it was quite busy. As Murphy would have it, three of my good clients showed up at the same time, so I couldn’t spend enough time with any of them. By the time all was said and done, one of them made a nice purchase.

Important Schneider Poppy vase with padded and wheel-carved flowers, sold at the show

Sunday, 2:00 pm. Yesterday was a good day as it finished well, but it could have been better. I made two substantial sales and one smaller one, so the numbers added up. What would have been better would have been more clients. Selling to new clients and not relying so heavily on existing ones would have been ideal. Mind you, I’m not complaining, just making the observation that making smaller sales to more people would have been preferable, even if the dollar amounts were exactly the same.

Attendance was light on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 PM

Sunday started off slowly, with light attendance. I assume more people will come later in the afternoon, but I have a feeling that today will be a bust.

Sunday, 8:00 pm. The show is over and we’re relieved. It went well — not as well as last year, but last year was exceptional. Contrary to my pessimistic view of Sunday, we actually did make one sale, so it wasn’t a bust. Now we’re looking forward to the Baltimore Show this week.

A view of a small part of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

The important Baltimore Summer Antiques Show will start this Thursday, August 23rd, at noon, and continue for four days, until Sunday, August 26th, at 6 PM. The show is one of the best of the year, second only to the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center in January. It’s big, with some of the world’s best exhibitors, and worth a trip from anywhere. Buyers fly in from Europe, Japan, South America, Canada, and all over the United States. The selection of hotels and restaurants is diverse and first-class. If you’ve never visited the Baltimore show, I strongly recommend it. You’ll thank me.

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Just recently, I added about 15 new items. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Setting up at the Chicago Summer Antiques Show, August 15, 2012

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My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

Setup is just beginning in our booth. The transformation will be impressive.

Wednesday was the first day of setup at the Chicago Summer Antiques Show. It’s one of the easier shows for setting up and breaking down, as vehicles can be driven into the building, right to one’s booth. It really makes life easier. There are two full days for setting up, which takes the pressure off. By the time the show opens on Friday at noon, the booth and the show will be gorgeous.

Wonderful Tiffany Favrile millifiori vase to be exhibited in our booth for the first time

The show is small, but with good dealers, so there’s a very nice selection of items for sale. It’s worth a trip from anywhere in the greater Chicago area. Personally, I’ve brought a lot of fresh merchandise that I’m sure you’ll like, so please visit the show and take a look. Hopefully you’ll like what you see and go home with a treasure.

A view of a small part of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

The important Baltimore Summer Antiques Show will start a few days after the Chicago show on Thursday, August 23rd, at noon, and continue for four days, until Sunday, August 26th, at 6 PM. This show is one of the best of the year, second only to the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center in January. It’s big, with some of the world’s best exhibitors, and worth a trip from anywhere. Buyers fly in from Europe, Japan, South America, Canada, and all over the United States. The selection of hotels and restaurants is diverse and first-class. If you’ve never visited the Baltimore show, I strongly recommend it. You’ll thank me.

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Just recently, I added about 15 new items. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The Chicago Summer Antiques Show begins this Friday, August 17, 2012

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My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

A view of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center looking northeast, also showing Gibson’s Steakhouse

The summer antique show schedule is half over, with the stronger half about to come. The Chicago Summer Antiques Show will begin this Friday, August 17th, at noon, and continue until Sunday, August 19th, at 5 PM. It’s a show I look forward to for a few reasons. First is to see all of my many clients and friends in the greater Chicago area. Next is the convenience of a show in the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, very close to the airport. The convention center allows vehicles to drive into their booths, making setup and breakdown easier than many shows. The hotel is across the street and comfortable, with very good restaurants in walking distance. And last, but not least, is that business is usually very good in Chicago.

I will have a very fine selection of Martin Brothers stoneware at the shows

The show has gotten smaller over the years, but has managed to maintain a nice level of quality, with good exhibitors. Many of these same exhibitors will continue on to the big Baltimore show the following weekend, so this is a very good opportunity to get first crack at their offerings. Many antique shows are struggling, so it’s important to attend your favorite ones and consider making a purchase. The success and survival of your local antique show depends on your participation. That doesn’t mean your friend or neighbor, it means you! (AND your friend or neighbor) :>)

A fabulous, rare Schneider Art Deco vase with padded and wheel-carved poppies — one of several very fine examples

Personally, I will be bringing a very strong assortment of American and French glass and lamps. I’ve been very successful in making great purchases in the off-season of May to mid-July. Rarities in Daum, Gallé, Le Verre Francais, Schneider and Tiffany will be part of my display, as well as a strong selection of original Louis Icart etchings. I guarantee you’ll like what you see.

A view of a small part of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

Immediately following the Chicago show will be the important Baltimore Summer Antiques Show. It will start on Thursday, August 23rd, at noon and continue for four days until Sunday, August 26th, at 6 PM. This show is one of the best of the year, second only to the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center in January. It’s big, with some of the world’s best exhibitors, and worth a trip from anywhere. Buyers fly in from Europe, Japan, South America, Canada, and all over the United States. The selection of hotels and restaurants is diverse and first-class. If you’ve never visited this show, I strongly recommend it. You’ll thank me.

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Just recently, I added about 15 new items. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Goodbye, Los Angeles

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Sorry for the posting delay until Tuesday, but my laptop computer blue-screened, so I had to wait to return to New York to finish the post on my desktop computer.

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

Saturday afternoon at my booth

It’s 5:30 PM on Saturday afternoon, as I compose my preliminary draft of Monday’s blog post. As of this minute, the title is Goodbye, Los Angeles. That could change by the end of the day on Sunday, and I hope it does. The Pasadena Antiques Show has been busier than last week’s Redondo Beach Antiques Show — more people, more questions, more sales, but not enough to warrant returning to Southern California. The total of all sales, as of this minute, is not enough to cover our expenses, let alone make a profit. If this were a local show, it would be fine, but the expenses of transporting our inventory from the East Coast to the West Coast are such that we need to do more business.

Defense of the Homeland, one of several Louis Icart etchings sold at the show

I’m writing this paragraph on Monday night and unfortunately the results did not allow me to change the title. We did some business on Sunday, but not enough to come back to Southern California in the foreseeable future, and that’s a shame. It was fun going for vacation for a week prior to the two shows in Southern California, with its glorious weather, but it wasn’t meant to be. Next summer we may return to do a show in the Midwest in July and also Birchwood Manor in New Jersey. Every year I have to adjust the calendar by deleting some shows and adding others. C’est la vie.

I tried to convince this visitor to the show to make a purchase, but had no luck

We’ll be back in New York for a week before we head to Chicago to exhibit at the Chicago Summer Antiques Show in Rosemont, IL. We’ve got so many clients and friends in Chicago, that it’s always a pleasure. The following week, we’ll be in Baltimore for the big, important Baltimore Summer Antiques Show. That’s one you shouldn’t miss. It’s huge and filled with some of the best exhibitors in the country (and the world). It’s worth a trip from anywhere. Visitors fly in from Japan, Europe and South America, as well as every part of the US. Baltimore is a fun city in the summer, so make your plans to visit. You’ll thank me.

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Just recently, I added about 15 new items. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com