The Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair opens next Thursday, August 21, 2014

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Philip Chasen

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.

This was our booth at the Baltimore show

The important Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair opens next Thursday, August 21, 2014 at noon and continues until Sunday, August 24, 2014 at 6 PM. This is one of the two most important and exciting shows of the year, together with the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show in the winter. The show is really big, so the selection is vast. Some of the dealers exhibit at very few shows, so it’s an opportunity to see some very exciting, high-quality merchandise. Think of something you want to see and chances are good you’ll find it at the show.

We’ll have this important Gallé Lake Como vase at the show

We’ve been shopping and shopping since late spring, so we’re going to have a fresh selection of merchandise, including some real rarities in Tiffany Favrile glass and lamps, as well as French cameo glass by Gallé and Daum. I’ve got an appointment this week to buy some Tiffany glass and lamps from an important private collection. I’ll bring those items to the show.

Billy Rau of M.S. Rau is one of the important dealers at the show

There’s still plenty of time to make arrangements to visit the show. I like to use Hotwire for the best deals on hotels. I just checked for a 4-day stay in the Baltimore Inner Harbor area (right by the show), starting on Wednesday and departing on Sunday. Here’s what I found. A 3½-star hotel is $87/night (my guess is the Sheraton next door) and a 4-star boutique hotel for $122/night (my guess is the Kimpton Hotel Monaco) and a 3-star hotel for $75/night (my guess is the Holiday Inn).

Inside the National Aquarium

I promise you, you’ll enjoy the show and the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Are you a foodie? There are lots of great restaurants. Like the water? There are ferries, street performers, and lots of stores at the Inner Harbor, plus the National Aquarium. Come to the show and let me know what you think. Monday I’ll post the results, which I trust will be good.

Click here to view our new website and look around. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps.

The results of the Kansas City Antiques Expo, August 1-2, 2014

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Philip Chasen

Monday’s post will be up by 10 AM.

Saturday afternoon in my booth

The Kansas City Antiques Expo began on Friday at 10 AM and continued until 6 PM Saturday. This was my first time at the new exhibition facility at the Holiday Inn KCI. Last year, the show was in Overland Park, KS. Our show was going poorly until we made a couple of sales on Saturday afternoon, including a Tiffany Favrile floor lamp to clients who drove all the way from Dallas (500 miles) to see us. (Thank you!!)

This Tiffany lamp is similar to the one we sold at the show

Attendance was very light the entire two days, making it difficult to make sales. Chris Miller, the promoter, is a nice guy who’s trying hard to build the show back up, but is obviously having a tough time of it. I think part of the problem is that it was the summer edition of the show. Colder weather is almost always better for attendance, interest and sales. We’ll probably try the show again in November, as the dates coordinate with our shows in Winnetka, IL and New York, NY.

In asking around, I mostly heard grumbling about the attendance. A few people did well enough to come back, including a dealer from Minnesota who especially wanted to support Chris Miller. Some people told me they won’t be returning.

Now we’re off for a couple of weeks before the big, important Baltimore Summer Antiques Show. It’s the biggest and best show of the summer, and one of the best of the year. It’s to the summer what the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show is to the winter. Buyers fly in from all over the world, including as far away as Japan. There are still great rooms available on Hotwire.com. Here are some hints. A 4-star hotel is available for $101/night. It’s probably the Hilton next door. A 4-star boutique hotel is available @ $114/night. That’s probably the Monaco Baltimore Hotel, a Kimpton hotel. A 3½-star hotel is available for $80/night. That’s probably the Sheraton, also next door. (I make no guarantees, just educated guesses.) Make your plans now to come to the show. You’ll love the show and you’ll love Baltimore.

This fine Handel 18″ diameter Black Bird lamp is a recent purchase

Setting up at the Kansas City Antiques Expo, July, 2014

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Philip Chasen

Monday’s post will be up by noon.

My booth is a long way from finished

Setup for the Kansas City Antiques Expo began yesterday at noon and will continue until 5 PM today. This is my first time at the new exhibition facility at the Holiday Inn KCI, near the airport. It’s a modern exhibition hall that nicely accommodates all the dealers. It’s an interesting mix, with several dealers from last week’s Denver Antiques Show, together with many new Midwest dealers and even lamp and glass dealers from Florida, Alan & Adele Grodsky.

Alan and Adele Grodsky have a booth full of Handel and Pairpoint lamps

I’ve got a gigantic booth, 40′ long. It’s very nice to work and display in a large booth. We’re not stepping all over each other during the setup and the final display won’t look crowded. I’m very pleased the way the booth is setting up.

One of the fine furniture dealers at the show

It’s surely worth a trip to the show from anywhere in the greater Kansas City area. Many of the dealers are strong with high-quality displays. Remember, it’s only a 2-day show that starts tomorrow, Friday, at 10 AM and ends at 6 PM on Saturday. Don’t come on Sunday, as the show will already be closed and we’ll be on our way back home. I’ll post the results on Monday.

We’re off for a couple of weeks and then on to the big, important Baltimore Summer Antiques Show. It’s the biggest and best show of the summer, and one of the best of the year. Consider it to be the summer version of the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show in February. Buyers fly in from all over the world, including as far away as Japan. No matter where you live, you should come. It’s that great and important. You’ll love the show and you’ll love Baltimore.

This fine Handel 18″ diameter Black Bird lamp is a recent purchase

The results of the Denver Antiques Show, July 25-27, 2014

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Philip Chasen

Saturday morning looking down the aisle from my booth

It’s Saturday afternoon at the Denver Antiques Show as I begin to write Monday’s post. The show opened to the public yesterday, Friday, July 25th, and will finish tomorrow, Sunday, July 27th, at 5 PM. It’s been slow to this point, with fairly light attendance, but we only need the right people to show up.

One of several Tiffany Favrile vases sold at the show

It’s been interesting to this point. I made a major sale to one of the exhibitors during the setup of the show, so I already sold enough to cover expenses and make the trip worthwhile. Business with the public has been quite slow since the show opened, with only two sales, which don’t come close to adding up to the pre-show sale. So is this a good show? Hard question to answer. Just looking at the numbers, it’s been good, but if I don’t sell much to the public, what does that mean? There’s still plenty of show left, so we’ll see what happens.

Sunday afternoon in my booth

UPDATE: SUNDAY, 5PM. The show is over. It’s been quite slow, with only three sales to the public. The third sale, which was quite decent, took place on Saturday, a short while after writing the first part of this blog. Nothing doing on Sunday, although several dealers I spoke to had their best day on Sunday. It wasn’t my turn.

We’ll be back next summer. The show was good enough if I include the sale to another dealer. Attendance was light throughout the show, with only fair interest and sales — far from a barn-burner, but still worth doing.

In asking around, I received the following, almost all positive, comments from other dealers. “I had a very good show, but not out of this world”, from a Midwest glass dealer. “Good, not great”, from a Midwest glass and watch dealer. “It was my best of the three shows I’ve done in Denver”, from a California dealer in glass and ceramics. An Iowa dealer in general merchandise told me “I did well”. “Fabulous” from a Minnesota dealer in dishes. A Midwest pottery dealer also said “Fabulous” and finally an Oklahoma dealer in silver and glass told me “I did OK”.

This week we’ll be at the KCI Expo Center at the airport Holiday Inn for the Kansas City Antiques Expo. It will open to the public this Friday, August 1st, at 10 AM. The show will only be open for two days, closing on Saturday, August 2nd, at 6 PM, and not open on Sunday — very unusual, so please make a note of it. Come and visit if you’re in the area and see a strong selection of fine exhibitors with high-quality displays that cover the range from silver, to paintings, to art, to bronze, to furniture, and finally to glass and lamps (me!).

This fine Handel 18″ diameter Black Bird lamp is a recent purchase

Setting up at the Denver Antiques Show, July, 2014

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Philip Chasen

July 25-27, 2014

Setup at the Denver Antiques Show was a 2-day affair, starting on Wednesday, July 23rd and finishing today, Thursday, July 24th. It’s gone smoothly, with easy access to the show floor. This time we have an unusual through-booth that is open on two sides, to two different aisles. We’ve had to change our setup to accommodate this new space, but it seems to work nicely.

The booth will look great when we’re finished setting up

The show opens to the public tomorrow, Friday, July 25th, at 10 AM and runs until Sunday, July 27th, at 5 PM. Hopefully attendance, interest and sales will be good so we can return. Tune in on Monday for the results of the show.

Last year, Saturday afternoon, in front of my booth

We’ve got lots of new items, so our display is substantially different. It includes a great assortment of Tiffany glass and lamps, Tiffany and French cameo glass, and assorted paintings, bronzes, etchings and other treasures.

We’ll have this killer Favrile lamp at the show

If you’re anywhere in the greater Denver area, come and visit the show! There are plenty of fine exhibitors with high-quality displays that cover the range from silver, to paintings, to art, to glass and lamps (me!).

Next week we’ll be in Kansas City for the Kansas City Antiques Expo at the KCI Expo Center, which will open to the public on Friday, August 1st. The show will only be two days, so it will close on Saturday, August 2nd at 6 PM and not be open on Sunday — very unusual, so mark it on your calendar. Make sure to come and visit if you’re in the area.

This rare R. Lalique Douze Figurines bottle just arrived

The Denver Antiques Show opens this Friday, July 25, 2014

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Philip Chasen

Thursday’s post will be up some time this afternoon.

July 25-27, 2014

The Denver Antiques Show opens to the public this Friday, July 25th, at 10 AM and runs until Sunday, July 27th, at 5 PM. It will be our third time there and hopefully will be the charm. It it goes poorly, we won’t return to Denver. It’s quite a trip from New York and will only be worthwhile if we can turn a decent profit. If you want the show to continue, please visit and consider making a purchase from anyone. Shows fail if they don’t attract enough dealers and exhibitors. The Chicago Summer Antique Show in Rosemont, IL, just failed and closed.

Last year, Saturday afternoon, in front of my booth

We’ve been quite successful buying recently, so our Denver display will have many items that are new to our inventory. That includes a great assortment of Tiffany glass and lamps, Tiffany and French cameo glass, and assorted paintings, etchings and other treasures.

We’ll have this killer Favrile lamp at the show

If you’re anywhere in the greater Denver area, I suggest you visit the show. There are plenty of fine exhibitors with high-quality displays that cover the range from silver, to paintings, to art, to glass and lamps (me!).

The following week we’ll be in Kansas City for the Kansas City Antiques Expo at the KCI Expo Center, which will open to the public on Friday, August 1st. The show will only be two days, so it will close on Saturday, August 2nd at 6 PM and not be open on Sunday — very unusual, so mark it on your calendar. Make sure to come and visit if you’re in the area.

This rare R. Lalique Douze Figurines bottle just arrived

The August 7-9, 2014 Chicago Summer Antiques Show in Rosemont, IL may close

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Philip Chasen

The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on River Road, in Rosemont, IL

The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, used to be the location of a three-times-a-year antique show sponsored by Dolphin Promotions. At one point the show was huge, with a really outstanding group of dealers. But as the years have gone by, the show got smaller and smaller. It was reduced to twice a year and now maybe once a year.

Saturday afternoon in my booth, last year

There’s a general problem in the industry, which I believe started with eBay. Some dealers dropped out of shows to devote themselves to selling full-time on eBay. Then the problem was compounded by the graying of the dealers, with very few younger dealers coming up to take the places of the older ones as they retired or died. Additionally younger buyers don’t seem very interested in antiques — they’d rather buy electronics. The results are fewer and smaller antique shows, in general. Dealers have to work harder to do the same business, but it’s there. Send postcards and emails to your clients. Call them and encourage them to visit the shows.

Now to the Chicago Summer Antiques Show, in particular. The future of the show has been put in jeopardy because not enough dealers have signed to exhibit this summer, August 7-9, 2014. Rosemary Krieger, the owner of Dolphin Promotions, told me that unless more dealers sign up for the show, she’ll have no choice but to shut it down. That would be a great shame. There are solid, bona fide clients in the greater Chicago area that visit the show and buy. Rosemary changed the days of the show to 1. coincide with the powerful ANA World’s Fair of Money show (in an adjacent hall) and 2. end on Saturday, instead of Sunday, to give the dealers extra time to get to Baltimore for the big Baltimore Summer Antiques Show. Many coin dealers are wealthy and collect antiques. Additionally, many clients of the coin show also collect antiques. These same coin dealers and collectors visit the antiques show and buy. I know. I’ve sold to them. Rosemary has also arranged for the public to park free at the lot across the street. That used to be a complaint, but is no longer valid.

Call or write to Rosemary and tell her you want to exhibit at the show and call your fellow dealers and encourage them to exhibit. rosemary@dolphinfairs.com. 708-366-2710. Do it now, before it’s too late.

This wonderful Daum Nancy fall scenic vase is just in

It’s spring, so there are no shows, but we’re still very much in business. Click here to view my new website and look around. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps.

The results of the Chicago International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show, April 25 – April 28, 2014

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Philip Chasen

1:45 PM Saturday afternoon in my aisle

The Chicago International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show was held this past weekend, April 25 – April 28, 2014. Following is a log of the events.

It’s 1:30 PM on Saturday, as I start to write this blog. There’s plenty of show left, but as of this moment, it’s not going well. The show started with a preview party on Thursday night. I managed to make one sale and answer a few intelligent questions, but basically the preview party was a bust, as most of them are. What made it worse was the lack of food and drink. The only thing included was hors d’oeuvres and a poor champagne. Drinks were for purchase. The promoters don’t realize (or care) that the dealers are their most important asset and should be treated accordingly. Plenty of food and drink would go a long way to creating needed good will. It’s the wrong time and place to try and save a few bucks. We were expected to be at the show from 4:30 PM – 10 PM with little food. It’s a far cry from the delicious, unlimited food and drink at the Merchandise Mart show. (Scott, are you reading this?) Dealers, let management know your opinion.

Attendance has been light to moderate, which I didn’t expect. The bigger problem is that many of the attendees seem unknowledgeable, uninterested or unqualified to make a purchase. I rely on my loyal clients year after year, and truly thank them, but it’s really important to develop new clients. None so far, but that could change in a flash.

One of the fine Daum vases sold at the show

Update. Sunday, 5 PM. The show is almost over. Tomorrow, Monday, is likely to be a bust, as most Mondays are. We’ve done a reasonable amount of business, but only a tad more than we did at the Chicago Botanic Garden a couple of weeks ago, but at twice the expense. All of our business has been from our existing clients, except for one sale. The goal of doing a major show in a major city is to find important new clients and that hasn’t been the case. I don’t think our booth helped either. We were in the first row to the left of the entrance. Most of the clients visited us first and left quickly to see the rest of the show. The middle of the show was where the action was.

Late Monday afternoon

Update. Monday, 4 PM. The show is now over. Attendance was quite light on Monday, but a couple of dealers reported some business. We did OK. We made a few bucks, but nothing to write home about. In asking around, I found out the following. A NY dealer had an excellent show, in large part because an important client flew in from the West. Another East Coast dealer also had an excellent show. A major Southern dealer did not do well. An art dealer had a poor show, and two dealers from France had bad shows. All in all, a mixed bag. I did hear good things about show promotion. People told me about ads in the Chicago Tribune and on TV. Someone told me they received an email from the promoters offering a $25 voucher for cab fare to come to the show. It was a good effort, but the Navy Pier is not the ideal facility. I hope the promoters can come to an agreement with the Merchandise Mart to move the show back there. That would be the best of both worlds.

This wonderful Daum Nancy fall scenic vase is just in

The show season is now over. We’ll spend the next couple of months preparing for the summer antique shows that start in Denver and culminate with the wonderful Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, August 21-24, 2014. (BTW, it’s not too early to make your plans. Hotel rooms go quickly for the show, so make your reservations now.)

Spring in New York is a lovely time of year, so Lia and I will make sure we plan some playtime. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. But there’s still plenty of time for business, so feel free to call or write. Let us know what you’re interested in buying or selling!

Click here to view my new website and look around. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps.

Setting up at the Chicago International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show, April 23, 2014

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Philip Chasen

The show is starting to get set up

This is what our booth looks like when we start setting up

The Palm Beach Show Group will hold their first-ever Chicago International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show at Chicago’s Navy Pier, starting tomorrow, April 25th, at 11 AM, and ending on Monday, April 28th, at 4 PM. They were able to attract some of the country’s top exhibitors, so the public should get their money’s worth. This is a show that is important enough to warrant travel from any distance. It takes the place of the now defunct Merchandise Mart Antiques Show.

And what it looks like at the preview party

We haven’t exhibited at the Navy Pier in many years. It’s not as comfortable as the Merchandise Mart, but it’s fine, just like other modern convention centers. Setup was smooth, without any of the all-too-frequent annoyances that can slow us down. It will all be worth the effort if business is good. I expect attendance to be good, but that doesn’t always translate to sales. Tune in on Tuesday for the results of the show, as the show ends on Monday.

We’ll have this wonderful, rare Daum Blackbird vase for sale at the show.

The Chicago International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show opens to the public this Friday, April 25, 2014

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Philip Chasen

An aerial view of Chicago’s Navy Pier

The Palm Beach Show Group will hold their first-ever Chicago show, The Chicago International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show, this coming weekend, April 25-28, 2014, at Chicago’s Navy Pier. It will begin with the preview party on Thursday night, and follow with the show opening on Friday at 11 AM and continuing until Monday at 4 PM.

The aisles were jammed at the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antiques Show. Hopefully we’ll see the same crowds in Chicago.

The Palm Beach Show Group is good at promotion, so look for a lot of advertising, including radio, TV, and print, plus free tickets in the mail. The promoters bring in lots of people to their existing shows, especially Palm Beach. However, it’s a double-edged sword, as many of the attendees are there just to have a good time or appraise their own collections. They have no interest in buying, but take up a lot of time and effort on the part of the exhibitors. On the other hand, there’s a chance of making a sale to someone who attends and no chance if they’re not there. A big crowd creates excitement and there are always serious buyers mixed in.

We’ll have this wonderful, rare Daum Blackbird vase for sale at the show.

I promise you the trip to visit this show will be worth it, even if you have to drive a big distance or take a plane. Many of the country’s top exhibitors will be there. You’ll get a chance to see (and purchase) some of the finest antiques and jewelry available anywhere in the country. Additionally, the weather is usually great at the end of April. Thousands and thousands of tulips should be in bloom on Michigan Ave.! Come to the show, introduce yourself to me, consider purchasing something at the show, then go to a great restaurant and enjoy Chicago!

Can I tell you about one of my pet peeves? Someone will come into the booth and inquire about the price of an item. THEN they tell me they have the same thing at home. Ugh! I feel tricked and used. I charge $125 for appraisals and now someone sneakily got the information for free. What they should have done is FIRST tell me they have the same item at home. Then I have the option to answer a question or not. I have the price of every object marked on a sticker underneath. If you’re just looking for a free appraisal, look at the sticker underneath and leave me alone. OK, now that I have that off my chest, I’m feeling better. Thank you very much.

Thursday’s blog will be from the floor of the Navy Pier and next Monday’s blog, with the results, will be postponed until Tuesday, as the show ends on Monday.

This rare R. Lalique blue Piriac vase is a recent purchase

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Category Archives: Antique shows

The Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair opens next Thursday, August 21, 2014

The results of the Kansas City Antiques Expo, August 1-2, 2014

Setting up at the Kansas City Antiques Expo, July, 2014

The results of the Denver Antiques Show, July 25-27, 2014

Setting up at the Denver Antiques Show, July, 2014

The Denver Antiques Show opens this Friday, July 25, 2014

The August 7-9, 2014 Chicago Summer Antiques Show in Rosemont, IL may close

The results of the Chicago International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show, April 25 – April 28, 2014

Setting up at the Chicago International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show, April 23, 2014

The Chicago International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show opens to the public this Friday, April 25, 2014