For about 50 years I bought and sold American and French Art Nouveau and Art Deco glass and lamps. The point has come where I won’t be doing that much longer. I will be selling off my remaining inventory at great discounts to get down to zero. It’s not that I don’t want to keep doing the same thing, but it’s gotten so much more difficult. Most antique shows have failed or have been severely cut back. And unfortunately my best clients have died within the last year. Soon I will be exhibiting at my last two shows ever. The first will be in Winnetka, IL, November, 2023 and the last will be in Miami Beach, FL, January, 2024.

So first, I ask that you check out what I have left to sell. It’s several hundred items, of the best quality, all hand-chosen my me. Some are listed on my website but many are not, as I don’t have the time to photograph and list them all. So please ask and I’ll send photos.

What I have pivoted to is selling other people’s items, mostly estates. I’m in the process of selling the contents of a 20,000 sq. ft. home in upstate New York, as well as the Jamaica Estates estate of a deceased friend of mine. I’m also working on selling the artwork from the estate of a famous artist.

If you are a relative, a friend, or an attorney, and you have one item, or several items, or the estate of a living or deceased friend or relative to sell, please let me know. My fee will be 5% – 15%, depending on the number, value and quality of the items. I’ll take care of everything, so all you have to do is watch, wait for the items to be sold and receive a check. I personally know most of the auctioneers in the United States. I know who’s honest and who isn’t. I know all the ins and outs of the auction business, so I can negotiate the best deal for you. You can try to do it yourself, but you’ll end up with the best result if you trust it to the expert. You’ll get the most money with the least hassle. It doesn’t matter where you live. If the value is sufficient, I’ll fly out to do business with you in person.

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I will publish a new blog once in a blue moon, which as you know is not very often.

What was my motivation for writing a blog? Well, what is anyone’s motivation? It’s got to be self-serving. I wanted people to know that I was very active in the antiques business and that I was an expert in my field. I wrote about new items for sale, items I’d sold, antiques news, lessons, etc. And it worked.

I remember an incident at an antique show many years ago. I told a client that a lamp I was selling was authentic. So I referred her to another dealer on the floor of the show to verify what I was saying. In fact, he wasn’t knowledgeable enough to verify what I had said. So the client returned to my booth and asked me “How do I know what you’re telling me is correct?” I was put in the position of having to defend my knowledge. There was no good answer. I didn’t have a degree in lamps or art history or anything of the sort. No gray hair at the time. I was right, but I couldn’t prove it.

Fast forward to today. That rarely ever happens anymore. People know that I’m the expert and don’t question my credentials (which I earned from the school of hard knocks and experience). Many auction houses use my services to authenticate and evaluate consignments of glass and lamps. Part of the credit goes to my blog, which people have been reading for the last 12 years.

So why would I stop now (or slow down tremendously)? 1. It takes a lot of time and effort to write. 2. Readership is down considerably to about 1/3 of what it was at the peak. (If readership were stable or going up, I would continue to write.) 3. I don’t get much feedback from my blog. 4. I shot myself in the foot more than once. Let me explain.

I write honestly and sometimes too bluntly. I’ve heard from many readers that that’s one of the reasons they like to read my blog. Some of the blogs I’ve written have been critical of auction houses or dealers. I wrote the blogs from my point of view and didn’t realize in some cases that I was offending or demeaning the subjects of the blog. Some of the subjects of my blogs took great offense, when none was intended. So at this point in my career, my blog is causing me more harm than good. So I may write a blog from time to time, but for the most part, my blog is finished. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it and maybe learned a thing or two, but for now it’s adios.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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Toomey & Co., Oak Park, IL, held a sale of The Ira Simon Collection on April 27, 2022, with outstanding results. Included in the sale were some very fine examples of Tiffany lamps, and a multitude of unique Art Nouveau and Art Deco items. Following is a review of a few interesting lots by Tiffany Studios. There were other categories and makers that also sold fabulously well. You can check them all out by clicking here.

The sale started off with a bang. Lot #1, a lovely Tiffany Studios 22″ diameter Dragonfly table lamp was the top lot of the sale. It almost doubled its high estimate of $250,000, realizing $545,000, including buyer’s premium. Wow! Shows you the market is hot.

I really wanted to buy lot #2, a charming Tiffany Studios 12″ diameter Apple Blossom table lamp on a rare Fern base. I figured it had a retail price in the range of $40,000 – $50,000. Boy, was I wrong. It sold for $112,500, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $15,000 – $25,000. Wowza! That’s two home runs in a row to start the sale. It set the tone for aggressive bidding throughout the sale.

The sale was so strong that even a so-so example of a Tiffany Studios 16″ diameter Daffodil table lamp sold for $62,500, including buyer’s premium; approximately double its high estimate of $30,000. The lamp was a marriage, as the shade had an original gold finish and the base had an original patina. If it were me, I would separate the parts and try to find a nice gold base for the shade and an appropriate patina shade for the desirable tree trunk base.

Lot #7 was a Tiffany Studios wood and Turtleback inkwell. Tiffany used wood in very few items, making this inkwell very rare and very cool. It was made of oak, with brass corners and a glass Turtleback lid. I just loved it. I thought I had a chance to buy it because I was willing to pay about $7,500 and the estimate was only $1,000 – $2,000. No luck at this sale. It sold for $22,500, including buyer’s premium. Another wowza!

Congrats to John Walcher and the entire team at Toomey & Co. for a job well done.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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My show schedule used to be packed with over twenty shows a year. That’s now been whittled down to three or four a year. Not only that, but the limited schedule seems to be in a state of constant flux. The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show is now a late October show. The Chicago Antiques + Art + Design Show, which was held for many years in the Merchandise Mart, was canceled, revived and then moved to a new, unproven venue in a Chicago neighborhood I never heard of. The dates were scheduled for October 6-9, 2022. I decided to exhibit there because I have lots of great clients in the Chicago area whom I haven’t seen for several years because of Covid.

Last week I received notice from The Antiques Council that the Antiques + Modernism Show is returning to Winnetka, IL, after an absence of three years. The new dates are November 4-6, 2022. That forced me to make a decision; either exhibit at two shows in the Chicago area one month apart or choose between the two shows. Since I don’t have enough clients in Chicago to exhibit there twice in one month, it made the decision easy. I decided one show was enough and that would be a proven show in Winnetka. I’m looking forward to it. I really like Chicago and the people there, so it will be a pleasure to get reacquainted.

Click here for a direct link for more show information.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

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I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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Cottone Auctions held a Fine Art & Antiques sale on March 19, 2022. Included in the sale were 17 Tiffany Studios leaded and Favrile glass lamps. Following is a review of the top three results of these lamps.

The top lot of the group was an 18″ diameter Peony table lamp with beautiful red, pink and magenta flowers. It sold for $126,000, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $60,000 – $80,000.

The next lot, #127, was a 20″ diameter red Poppy table lamp. Intense red flowers are very desirable, so it was no surprise that it achieved the second best result with a sale price of $93,600, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $50,000 – $80,000. It would have sold for more if it had had a more important base.

The third best result went to a 20″ diameter Arrowroot table lamp. It sold for $78,000, including buyer’s premium. I don’t know the estimate because it must have been a late addition to the sale that wasn’t published in their brochure. The price was strong because the colors were exceptional; very few examples have blue in the background.

For the complete results of the sale, click the following link. https://www.cottoneauctions.com/prices-realized/auction/fine-art-antiques-5

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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Business continues to be good with the most interest in the usual suspects; Tiffany lamps and French glass. Following are three recent sales.

It’s been really tough buying good Tiffany Studios lamps. I can sell many more lamps than I can buy. So I consider myself lucky to have bought a superb 18″ diameter Turtleback table lamp with amazing color and mottling. The patina on the Mock Turtleback base is fantastic. The kicker is that the lamp was the personal property of Marcello Mastroianni. How cool is that? A great lamp with incredible provenance.

When I bought the Turtleback swivel desk pictured above, it was covered with over 100 years of grime. After two hours of careful cleaning, the results were great; the iridescence sparkled and the patina was outstanding.

Can you believe the quality of the Daum Nancy vase pictured above? It’s totally wheel-carved, decorated all the way around and gorgeous. I don’t get vases of this quality as often as I would like.

If you’ve got something good to sell, please offer it to me. I need quality items now, so I’m buying aggressively.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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Christie’s New York held an online only Modern Collector: Design and Tiffany Studios sale, February 25 – March 11, 2022, with total sales of $2,000,628. Included in the sale were additional items from the collection of Dr. Thomas Chua. On March 4, 2022, Doyle New York sold part of the collection (see my blog post of March 7, 2022 for a review of that sale.)

The top lot of the collection was #81, a 20″ tall Daum Nancy Dragonfly table lamp. While the workmanship was superb and the decoration very rare, the shade was too small for the base. It was original from Daum, but quite clunky, so I didn’t have much interest in the lamp. But others did. Estimated to sell for $20,000 – $30,000, it realized $50,400, including buyer’s premium.

Christie’s sold two monumental Gallé Wisteria vases, lots #103 and #104, very similar in shape and size (24½” tall). Both were estimated to sell for $6,000 – $8,000, but the blue example sold for $47,880, including buyer’s premium, $10,080 more than the red example; both impressive results.

I really wanted to buy lot #87, a gorgeous Daum Nancy Ombelles vase. It was the total package; totally wheel-carved, great shape, beautiful color, and applied handles. Unfortunately for me it sold for more than I was willing to pay; $22,680, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $5,000 – $7,000. I bid strongly, but it wasn’t enough.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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Very few authentic Tiffany Studios lamps come up for sale in Europe, but occasionally one does. Aguttes, a French auction house, sold one on March 24, 2022 in their 20th Century Design sale. The lamp was a rare 16″ diameter Grapevine shade on a Bamboo base; a strange combination, in my opinion, but apparently original as presented.

Figuring out the value of this lamp was difficult because there were no comparisons with the usual suspects; Tiffany floral, leaded lamps. This one was built with six green glass bent panels and overlaid with Grapevine filigree. Who could I sell this lamp to? Most probably a collector of the Grapevine desk set who had the means to pay for it; i.e., a small subset of Tiffany lamp buyers. Seems like caution should have been my operative word.

I did my due diligence by getting a condition report. The shade was unsigned; a negative, but not a deal breaker. The base was a very good model, but usually seen with a matching Bamboo shade. The condition was superb, including the glass panels and the patina on both the shade and base. The sockets had been changed to European; a negative because of the cost of changing them back to American. I had to weigh it all in determining what I was willing to pay.

Selling as lot #34, it had an estimate of €6,000 – €8,000. I decided to bid up to €12,000, but got carried away when the bidding passed that. I dropped out at about €15,000. It sold for €19,500, including buyer’s premium; approximately $21,418. I was the underbidder. I don’t think I would have been the buyer even if I had gone a little higher. The other bidder seemed determined.

And so it goes. You win some and you lose some. I’ll keep searching. If you have any Tiffany lamps for sale, please think of me.

For the complete results of the sale, click here.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

Bonham’s, the UK’s third-largest auction house after Sotheby’s and Christie’s, has decided to expand its reach within the United States with the purchase of the venerable Massachusetts-based auction house, Skinner Inc. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. I’ve been buying at Skinner’s for decades, and remember Mr. Skinner. I shouldn’t have been surprised as Bonham’s bought Butterfield’s Auction in California in 2002. Now I’m curious about some other auction houses, like Doyle New York, for example. If they’re acquired, it will no longer be a surprise.

Click on the following link for Bonham’s announcement.

P.S. Bonham’s is trying to become a powerhouse. On March 22nd, Bonham’s purchased another auction house, this time Denmark’s leading auction house, Bruun Rasmussen. Click here for the announcement.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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I said I would devote an entire blog post to a single lamp that I sold a few weeks ago. So here it is.

I did a complicated deal with a couple of real gentlemen in Canada. Many items came my way and a few items went their way. The best of the lot coming my way was a Tiffany Studios 20″ diameter Acorn chandelier. Yes, that’s not a typo. The lamp had all the original hardware from the day it was made into a chandelier.

It was filthy, but you could see the color was great and the condition was excellent. The sky blue at the top was dramatic and the rust-red at the bottom was gorgeous, as was the transitional glass in the middle. It would have been difficult to sell as a chandelier, so I had my restorer remove the hanging hardware and I put it on a proper, original base with a great patina, original cap, etc. Now it’s a stunning table lamp. I have no doubt that Mr. Tiffany himself would have approved.

I debated and debated whether to keep it for my private collection or sell it. Selling won out, but I definitely have my regrets. It sold to the first client I offered it to. My wife is not happy with my decision. I’ll never get another one like it, but now it’s water under the bridge.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.