Covid has played havoc with the scheduling of antique shows. The latest to announce a schedule change is U.S. Antique Shows. They are the promoters of the Original Miami Beach Antique Show. Originally scheduled for late January, 2021,the show has been postponed to mid-March, 2021. Following is the email from the promoter.

As you have already heard, in light of continued concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel restrictions both domestically and internationally, as well as ongoing restrictions on large group gatherings, we’ve made the decision to postpone the annual Original Miami Beach Antique Show (OMBAS) to March of 2021. Originally slated to take place in late January, the new show dates are Friday, March 12 to Tuesday, March 16, allowing for a show that runs over the course of a full weekend.

As we move forward with our new dates, we have developed options for the funds invested in the January 2021 event. We’ve created a webform allowing you to rollover your exhibitor funds invested in Original Miami Beach Antique Show to March 2021.

My wife and I have decided not to exhibit at the show in 2021 as it is unlikely that things will have returned to normal even if the public were starting to be vaccinated. Our plans are to exhibit in Miami again in 2022. I am, however, very curious to know how the show will fare. How many exhibitors will be there? How many people will attend? Tune in in late winter for the answer.

My best guess is that the next show where we’ll exhibit will be in Baltimore in August, 2021. It’s really hard to say at this point.

Tiffany Studios made many lamps of the same design with different glass. Following are four examples of 16″ diameter Colonial table lamps.

The example above was built with striated (streaked) glass. The color is flat and unattractive. I would rate it a 5 on a scale of 1-10.

Example 2 has dichroic (two-color) glass, which is one color unlit and another color lit. The unlit color is awful, a 3. Since I don’t have a photo of it lit, I have no way to determine how nice it might be, but it’s sure to be nicer.

Example 3 is less common, as it’s green. The glass is very nice, with extensive mottling. I would rate it a 9.

The example above has fiery rust and orange mottled glass. It’s a spectacular example that I would rate a 9.8.

If you’re in the market for a Tiffany lamp, check the glass. Sometimes a great example of the same lamp can sell for 2-3 times or more of the value of a lesser example. It isn’t the only criterion you should look at, but it’s certainly important. Buy what you can afford but always stretch for the better examples.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that the Tiffany lamp market is strong. Accordingly I cast a wide net looking to buy more. My search took me to the auction house of Aste Boetto in Genoa, Italy. They held an auction on September 29, 2020, which included a Tiffany 16″ diameter Tulip table lamp. The problem was that it was very difficult to establish authenticity on a lamp 4,000 miles away.

I did try. I asked for additional photographs and I established a FaceTime connection to ask a few additional questions. Try as I did, I couldn’t say for sure if it was authentic or not, so I didn’t bid. The auction house didn’t have confidence that it was authentic, so they put an estimate that reflected their skepticism, €1,500 – 1,700. It if were authentic, that was ridiculously low. It sold for €5,400, not including buyer’s premium, or approximately $8,000, including buyer’s premium. What a score that would have been if it were authentic! If I could have held it in my hands, there would have been no question.

What do you think?

If you haven’t noticed, the Tiffany lamp market is hot. I’m talking both about auction and private sales. Here are a few examples.

I can’t keep Tiffany lamps in inventory. I’m almost sold out of leaded lamps and trying to buy more has been futile recently. I had two serious inquiries on the same day for my Tiffany 15″ Spider table lamp. One client said he’s seriously interested and requested a few more pictures, which I agreed to. 10 minutes later another client said she’ll take the lamp, without requiring additional photos. I had to let the first client know it was sold. If I were him, I would have been suspicious, but strange things like that happen every once in a while (especially when the market is hot). There was absolutely no monkey business, just coincidence.

This past Saturday, I tried to buy a couple of Tiffany lamps at Cottone Auctions, Geneseo, NY. They held a Fine Art & Antiques sale, including several Tiffany lamps.

Lot #38 was a Tiffany 22″ diameter Peony table lamp. The colors were strong, but to my taste garish. I had no interest in the lamp. Regardless, it sold for $120,000, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $60,000 – $80,000.

I did try to buy lot #41, a strong example of the Jewel and Feather model, with superior color, mottling and condition. I figured I could sell the lamp in the $15,000 – $18,000 price range, so I bid accordingly. Estimated to sell for $7,000 – $10,000, it realized $21,600, including buyer’s premium. I can only assume a retail bidder was the final purchaser.

For the complete results of the sale, click <a href=”https://www.cottoneauctions.com/prices-realized/auction/fine-art-antiques-5?view=grid&PricesRealizedForm%5Border_field%5D=%60t%60.%60lot_number%60&PricesRealizedForm%5Border_direction%5D=ASC&PricesRealizedForm%5Bnum_per_page%5D=200“>here</a>.

I do have a fabulous Tiffany 18″ diameter Oak Leaf & Acorn table lamp for sale, as well as a fine Tiffany 16″ diameter Crocus table lamp and a 19″ diameter Linenfold lamp. If you’re interested in any of them, please let me know. I suspect they won’t last long.