Category Archives: Daum Nancy

Results of the Chicago Merchandise Mart International Antiques Show, April 29 – May 2, 2011

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Saturday afternoon in my booth

The Chicago Merchandise Mart International Antiques Show ended on Monday, May 2, 2011. Many of the dealers were pleased with their results, but a few were not. Following is some of the scuttlebutt.

An important Art Nouveau dealer is not returning because he did not do enough business after having exhibited at the show twice. An important dealer of Art Nouveau, 19th century and Asian antiques only had a fair show, mainly because he sold Chinese antiques to Chinese dealers. (The Chinese market is red hot because of the new wealth in China. Chinese buyers are repatriating fine Chinese antiques.) A dealer in Russian antiques only had a decent show. A dealer in French furniture and bronzes did very well, exhibiting for the first time at the show. Another dealer who deals in general, but fine antiques, did very well. An important dealer in general, but fairly unique items, only had a fair show. Another who deals in mainly 19th century fine antiques and art only had a fair show. An English dealer of silver had a very good show. A domestic dealer of silver had a barely passable show. An English dealer of ceramics and other objects barely made expenses. (Last year was much better for them.) Finally several dealers in Asian antiques did well.

One of the fine sold Daum Nancy vases -- "Rain"

Personally, my show was very good. I have to thank all of my loyal clients, who made a point of visiting my booth and purchasing from me. Interest and sales were best for Tiffany lamps and French glass by Gallé and Daum Nancy. I was disappointed that few of my sales were to new people, but thankful for the good show.

Where else but my blog can you get such accurate information about a show? NOWHERE! Most people who write about antiques have an agenda, but I don’t. I’ll tell you like it is. So have you told one of your friends to read my blog? Send them the link. https://blog.chasenantiques.com

So what was the consensus? Many dealers did OK, some did well, and others only had fair shows. I didn’t hear from a single dealer who had a great show. The best I heard was “pretty good”. Business was solid, but not ebullient. Overall, there have been better years, but almost every dealer is returning, with the exception of a few. So that means they think Chicago is a good city to exhibit and the Chicago Merchandise Mart is a good venue to exhibit. The Mart does a really fine job of making the dealers feel like they’re important. Kudos to the staff of the Merchandise Mart.

A Tiffany Studios 7-light lily lamp, similar to the one that I will be getting soon with a fine patina

I’m in the process of acquiring some wonderful Tiffany Studios lamps — a 7-light lily with beautiful shades and a fine patina, a 20″ Dragonfly and a 16″ Poinsettia. I should have them reasonably soon, so email me if you’re interested and I’ll send you photos as soon as they’re in my possession.

Check out my new Tiffany, Daum, and Gallé acquisitions. I just listed a couple of important Tiffany vases, straight from a private home. I also listed about ten Daum and Gallé vases plus about 10 Tiffany Pine Needle and Grapevine desk pieces. I’ll be listing even more Pine and Grapevine pieces within the next few days. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The Chicago Merchandise Mart International Antiques Show preview party, April 28, 2011

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Results of the show Tuesday afternoon, as the show ends Monday, May 2.

My booth during the preview party

I started writing this blog from my booth at the preview party of The Chicago Merchandise Mart International Antiques Show. I’m glad to say that I couldn’t finish writing it there because it was fairly busy later in the evening. At first there were quite a few people, but very few questions and little interest. Things picked up during the latter half of the party, resulting in a couple of sales and one item on hold. Pretty good for a preview party. The preview party in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago was also good. To the credit of the Merchandise Mart, the food and drink were excellent and plentiful, as always.

Some of the unique items in the booth of M.S. Rau of New Orleans

This is really a show you should make the time to visit. There are very few shows in the US with the same quantity and quality of dealers. M.S. Rau of New Orleans has an enormous booth filled with one-of-a-kind rarities. Green River Stone Co. has wall plaques of river animal and plant fossils over a million years old, removed directly from the river. The diversity of dealers in this show is wonderful, from Asian to art to Chanel purses to silver. There are no junk dealers in this show.

Green River Stone Co. fossils

You’ll surely like what I’ve brought, including many items which will be exhibited for the first time; European ceramics by Clement Massier, Dalpayrat, Zsolnay, and Amphora; Daum vases including a very rare and fine mushroom example, Galle vases and Icart etchings. I hope you come and visit. The hours are Friday 11 AM – 7 PM, Saturday 11 AM – 7 PM, Sunday 11 AM – 6 PM and Monday, 11 AM – 3 PM.

One of the fine new Daum Nancy vases I will be exhibiting for the first time.

Check out my new Tiffany, Daum, and Gallé acquisitions. I just listed a couple of important Tiffany vases, straight from a private home. I also listed about ten Daum and Gallé vases plus about 10 Tiffany Pine Needle and Grapevine desk pieces. I’ll be listing even more Pine and Grapevine pieces within the next few days. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The Chicago Merchandise Mart International Antiques Show will be open from April 29 – May 2, 2011

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The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Show, April 29 - May 2, 2011

The Chicago Merchandise Mart International Antiques Show will open to the public on Friday, April 29 and remain open until Monday, May 2, 2011. If you only attend one antique show a year, this is the one you were waiting for.

The show is everything you would want from an antique show — it’s elegant, it’s moderately large, it has world-class exhibitors. What else? It’s in downtown Chicago, conveniently located a few blocks west of Michigan Ave, right on the river. It’s spring, so the weather will be near perfect, with fabulous floral displays around the city, especially the tulips on Michigan Ave. You can eat at some of the best restaurants in the world and shop in some of the best stores.

A superb Daum winter ewer that I'll be showing for the first time

Convinced yet? Some of the exhibitors exhibit at very few shows, so you’ll have one of the rare chances to see them. For example, M.S. Rau of New Orleans exhibits at this show and usually bring incredible items, including paintings by Norman Rockwell and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Many of the exhibitors are international, from England, France, Italy and Turkey.

Fantastic bronze grouping in the booth of Greenwald Antiques

Greenwald Antiques has one of the most fantastic items I’ve ever seen at a show. It’s an amazing 6 feet long, gilded bronze grouping of horses and a chariot by the French sculptor E. Picault, given as a gift by the citizens of a town to the local sheriff in England in 1880, with the original presentation plaque, marble base and hand-carved furniture base. It’s a show-stopper.

The show begins on Thursday evening with a preview party. I’m not a fan of preview parties, but the last one in LA was good. Maybe one day I’ll change my mind about preview parties. In the meantime, I’ll appreciate the good food and drink.

Another of the fabulous Daum vases from my buying trip

Personally, I’m bringing some of the finest items I’ve ever shown. We will have an incredible 18″ Tiffany Studios Peony table lamp with superb red flowers plus another dozen Tiffany lamps, including four floor lamps. We’re just back from a European buying trip, so we’ll have some great Daum & Gallé glass that will exhibited for the first time.

I’ll post results on Tuesday, because the show ends on Monday.

Check out my new Tiffany, Daum, and Gallé acquisitions. I just listed a couple of important Tiffany vases, straight from a private home. I also listed about ten Daum and Gallé vases plus about 10 Tiffany Pine Needle and Grapevine desk pieces. I’ll be listing even more Pine and Grapevine pieces within the next few days. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The Los Angeles Antiques Show will run from April 14-17, 2011

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The post on the results of the Los Angeles Antiques Show will be posted during the day on Tuesday as I was traveling all day Monday.

The Los Angeles Antiques Show, April 14-17, 2011

The best antique show in Los Angeles will be opening this week — The Los Angeles Antiques Show. The preview party will be held on Wednesday evening from 6-10 PM, to benefit PS Arts, an organization dedicated to restoring arts education to public schools in Central and Southern California. It will be held at the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Air Center and will run Thursday: 11 AM to 7 PM, Friday: 11 AM to 9 PM, Saturday: 11 AM to 7 PM and Sunday: 11 AM to 5 PM.

My booth at a recent show

The show will have 60 outstanding dealers from around the United States and Europe, including one from Italy and six from England. The categories will be very diverse and will include silver, glass, lamps, art and Asian. All of the objects will be vetted by experts. Only the very best shows in the country are vetted, so you can shop with assurance.

A Tiffany 10-light lily, almost identical to the one I'm bringing to the show

I’m bringing some really great items this time. I just picked up a Tiffany 18″ Peony lamp, to die for. Also a Tiffany 18″ Oak Leaf & Acorn table lamp. Oh, and a Tiffany 10-light lily table lamp. LA will be the first show for them. Don’t forget that I have an incredible selection of French cameo glass, including Daum Nancy and Gallé, and American glass, including Tiffany Studios, Quezal, and Steuben.

Last year’s show was interesting. It didn’t appear that I was doing very well, but then a flurry of activity on the last day convinced me I should try the show again. If you’re in LA and would like for me to continue to exhibit there, come to show and consider making a purchase. At least come to the show and have a look!

Check out my new Tiffany, Daum, and Gallé acquisitions. I just listed a couple of important Tiffany vases, straight from a private home. I also listed about ten Daum and Gallé vases plus about 10 Tiffany Pine Needle and Grapevine desk pieces. I’ll be listing even more Pine and Grapevine pieces within the next few days. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The Pier Show is coming! The Pier Show is coming!

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The NYC Pier Show, Saturday-Sunday, March 12-13, 2011

I don’t have a horse to help me get the message out, but I do have the Internet. Now there’s a thought. Paul Revere would have tweeted about the British. My son tells me I have to get with it and start using Twitter, so soon I’ll figure it out and get with the program.

There were two lines for the opening of the November, 2011 Pier Show

In the meantime, at least I write a blog and can tell you that the NYC Pier Show is coming this weekend, Saturday-Sunday, March 12-13, 2011. The show is a big deal, even by NY standards. There’s nothing quite like it, with very diverse offerings that are difficult to find in today’s shows. This is the way shows used to be, with the antique show in the Madison Square Garden Exposition Rotunda, coming closest. That show was held once a year and the anticipation was amazing. There was always an enormous line that formed when the show began. The lines at this show are huge too.

So what’s so good about the show? First is the diversity. You can buy vintage clothing (there are quite a few exhibitors), famous autographs (there’s a new section), costume jewelry, furniture, every conceivable type of decoration from vintage to modern, art, art glass (think me), Tiffany lamps (think me, too). More decorators visit this show with their clients than many other shows. Next is quality, with superb offerings from many of the exhibitors. Last is quantity. It’s a big show, with many exhibitors, so you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for.

Monumental 19" Gallé vase with two dragonflies

I’m bringing many new items that are new to my inventory. I’ve bought very well since the last time I exhibited at the Pier Show in the fall. I’m bringing great new Daum and Gallé items, Tiffany glass from a private collection, a super Tiffany Studios green Linenfold counterbalance floor lamp and lots more.

Travelers come from all over the world to shop this show, so make the time to come and visit. You surely won’t regret it. And what’s more fun than playing in New York City for the weekend, with its great restaurants and shows? I can think of worse things to do.

If you like my blog, please let your friends know by sending them a link. Then check out my new Tiffany, Daum, Gallé, Webb and R. Lalique acquisitions. I just listed some important Tiffany vases, straight from a private home. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The results of the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show, February 3-7, 2011

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My booth at the show

There were definitely more smiles than frowns after the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show ended on Monday evening. Attendance was fairly good, but definitely affected by the horrible weather up north. Several people I spoke to said they were delayed by a day or two in arriving because of airport closings and canceled flights. Regardless, business was generally good. I asked many dealers how they did and very few said fair or poor. Most replied good, excellent, or even better. One dealer brought approximately $1 million dollars in jewelry to the show. He told me he sold out. That’s right, nothing left. He sold well to the public and then a dealer who specializes in buying complete booths bought whatever remained. Not bad for a few days work. Another dealer, who specializes in Tiffany lamps, sold so many lamps that he had his best show ever.

An important, huge 19 inch Gallé vase with two dragonflies

Personally the show went well, with sales strongest for French cameo glass (which remains strong), Tiffany Studios glass, lamps and frames (which also remain strong), and Icart etchings (a pleasant surprise). The buying also was good. Last week I bought some wonderful French cameo glass at the Miami National Antiques Show. This week I bought an important Galle dragonfly vase and some fine Tiffany Studios objects.

The results of the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show are usually a barometer for the antiques business for the rest of the year. Right now, things are looking up.

Packup on Monday evening at the show

This week we’re off to Sarasota to try another show. We haven’t had the best luck there, but the timing was right, coming the week after the Miami Beach show and before the West Palm Beach show. Last year we had a scary, unwelcome Noreaster adventure on the way to West Palm Beach for the show. This year we decided it’s best to play safe, stay in Florida, exhibit in Sarasota, and avoid the unfortunate weather in the Northeast. If you live on the west coast of Florida, I hope you’ll take the time to visit the show. The dates are Friday to Sunday, February 11-13. I’m bringing the same top-notch objects I will be bringing to West Palm Beach the following week.

If you like my blog, please let your friends know by sending them a link. Then check out my new Tiffany, Daum, Gallé, Webb and R. Lalique acquisitions. I’ve recently listed many of them on my website, including Daum swans and rain — more each day, including a Tiffany Favrile millifiori vase. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show is open until Monday, February 7, 2011

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One of two identical lines to enter the show yesterday

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show opened yesterday, February 3, 2011, and will remain open until Monday, February 7. Buyers from all over the world descended on the show, with good reason — the enormous show has many high quality exhibitors, some of whom saved their best items for the show. Name another place where you have the opportunity to choose from approximately $1 billion worth of high quality antiques and jewelry. There are other large shows, like Roundtop, TX, or Brimfield, MA, but they lack the overall quality and consistency. And let’s not forget the show is in Miami, in a modern air-conditioned exhibition facility. I can think of worse places to be in the middle of winter.

Opening day, 2 PM

Attendance was good yesterday, building slowly. The show is so large, it takes quite a few people to make it look busy. Anecdotally, business seemed to be quite good. Overheard at one of the packers “What is the value of your shipment?” Answer “$100,000”. Another booth I visited with furniture and paintings had sold stickers on over 50% of the items. Another dealer had sold a fantastic and very expensive Tiffany Studios inkwell.

A fantastic Daum Nancy mushroom vase, one of the many new items I have at the show

I suspect that many buyers were unable to get to Miami with all of the disruptions caused by the massive storm. Hopefully they’ll make their way here in the next day or two. There’s lots of show left until Monday afternoon, when I’m confident there will be many smiles.

My booth, #4012, in Hall D

I moved to Hall D, booth 4012, in order to get a corner. Please come and visit me in my new location.

Not sure yet whether I’ll post results on Monday, or wait until Tuesday, when the show will officially be over. Right now, I’m leaning towards posting on Tuesday.

If you like my blog, please let your friends know by sending them a link. Then check out my new Tiffany, Daum, Gallé, Webb and R. Lalique acquisitions. I’ve recently listed many of them on my website, including Daum swans, rain, a Gallé monumental red vase — more each day, including a Tiffany Favrile millifiori vase. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The Miami National Antiques Show is this weekend, January 28-30, 2011

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The Miami National Antiques Show is open January 28-30, 2011

The Miami National Antiques Show will open to the public tomorrow, January 28, 2011. Lots of changes for the good are happening, so hopefully the show will enter a virtuous circle and get back to its former glory. Credit needs to go to Rosemary Krieger, the show’s promoter.

The first changes are to the building itself, done by Turner Construction. Most the changes are cosmetic, but quite nice — new lobby, new bathrooms, new lighting, etc. The exhibition looks better because of the changes.

Secondly, and more importantly, is the quality of the show. This is no local 25-dealer show with McDonald’s glass collectibles. It’s a 100+ dealer show with top-notch exhibitors who exhibit at important shows. The quality throughout is very high. Additionally, the show is growing again. The first floor is full and the second floor was supposed to have 20 dealers. They couldn’t exhibit, as the construction to the second floor isn’t complete. Hopefully the show will have a second floor next year.

Setting up at the Miami National Antiques Show

My advice? Visit this show and get first crack at many of the fine items that will be exhibited at next week’s huge Original Miami Beach Antiques Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center, February 3-7, 2011. I guarantee you’ll be pleased with what you see. Personally, I’ve just added over 15 great Daum and Gallé vases that are not listed on my website, including Daum rain miniatures, a Daum mushroom vase with two handles, a Daum vase with wheat, a second Daum rain vase, etc. You’ll just have to visit me at the show to see these beauties.

If you like my blog, please let your friends know by sending them a link. Then check out my new Tiffany, Daum, Gallé, Webb and R. Lalique acquisitions. I’ve recently listed many of them on my website, including Daum swans, rain, a Gallé monumental red vase — more each day, plus a killer red Tiffany Favrile vase and a millifiori vase. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The changing market in French Cameo Glass

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A fine Gallé Japanese Peach Blossom table lamp

Tastes in French cameo glass have changed considerably over the last 35 years as the buyers have changed. At first, American buyers were more interested in Gallé than other makers. In retrospect, it appears that it was just naivete. They didn’t yet know much about other makers. When the Japanese started buying heavily in the late 1980s, their tastes changed the market. They were willing to pay a premium for sophistication – techniques beyond the basic of acid-etching, like wheel-carving, or applications. The market changed once again in 1990, when the Japanese dropped out suddenly, as their real estate bubble burst. American taste moved to the forefront again. But now, there was more knowledge available from multiple resources, including new books, more dealers and of course, the Internet.

A rare Daum Nancy blackbird vase

So what is modern American taste? The keyword now is pretty. Americans appreciate pretty more than sophisticated. That fundamental shift has caused the value of many Daum Nancy acid-etched and enameled items to go up in value while wheel-carved and applied items have either stagnated or gone down in value. As a result, the balance of interest has shifted 55/45 to Daum. The same characteristics apply to Gallé. The item has to be pretty, which usually means a nice shape, together with brighter colors, like red, blue, purple, pink and yellow. Brown seems to be one of the worst colors. Gallé produced many vases in the green and brown family, which have moved down the totem pole and are difficult to sell.

Daum Nancy vase with padded and wheel-carved berries

The change in American taste has created an interesting anomaly – vases that took much longer to produce from highly skilled workers are priced lower than simpler, but prettier vases. It’s similar to the stock market – there is currently an opportunity to buy a segment of the market that is out of favor. Will it come back into favor? Who knows? All is takes is a determined few to start collecting these items and the market will reverse. I recommend the purchase of these items for their beauty and importance. If they also happen to go up in value, that would be a nice bonus.

Fine Muller roses chandelier

I haven’t mentioned any of the other French cameo glass makers as there isn’t much interest from Americans. To be fair, there is a decent amount of interest in Muller, the number three maker of French cameo glass. Then in order, there are D’Argental, deVez, Legras, Richard, and a few others. I rarely offer their works for sale as there are so few collectors. The quality of some of these makers, like D’Argental, is quite good, but often the colors are not appealing.

Most weeks I will now be posting a new blog on Mondays only. Occasionally I will add a second one, usually on Thursday. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to post more often. I might try posting a video blog on youtube, but I just have to get over the inertia of doing the first one.

If you like my blog, please let your friends know by sending them a link. Then check out my new Tiffany, Daum, Gallé, Webb and R. Lalique acquisitions. I’ve recently listed many of them on my website, including Daum swans, rain, a Gallé lamp and a monumental red vase — more each day, plus a killer red Tiffany Favrile vase and a millifiori vase. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Solid results at Julia’s Lamp & Glass Auction, December 1-2, 2010

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James D. Julia, Inc. held their semi-annual Lamp & Glass auction on December 1 & 2, 2010, with excellent results. Dudley Browne, the head of the department, told me he was very pleased with total sales of $1.9 million, against expectations of $1.3 million. He attributed the improved results to several reasons — new collectors, old collectors getting involved again, and realistic estimates and reserves. The sell-through rate improved to 85% — a significant increase over the previous couple of years.

Tiffany Studios Peony border floor lamp, Julia's lot #2276

It was no surprise that the top lot of the sale was #2276, an estate-fresh Tiffany Studios Peony Border floor lamp with excellent color and in near mint condition. It was consigned by the children of the buyers who purchased it at an auction in the Midwest in the early 1960s. Estimated at $125,000-175,000, it sold for $172,500, including buyer’s premium.

Tiffany Studios Aquamarine vase, Julia's lot #2257

The top Tiffany Favrile glass lot of the sale was #2257, a rare aquamarine vase. Aquamarine vases are heavy as they’re nearly solid glass, with internal decoration, usually flowers or fish. This example was very nice, with yellow daffodils. The pre-sale estimate was $15,000-20,000 and sold for $34,500.

Rare Daum Nancy gourd vase, Julia's lot #2012

French glass sold well, with a unique Daum gourd vase with applied insect selling best. It’s final price was $19,550 against a pre-sale estimate of $10,000-15,000.

Painted lamps by both Handel and Pairpoint were weak. Prices appear to have regressed to levels not seen since the 1980s.

For the complete sale results, click on the following link. Julia Lamp & Glass results. You will need to register first (free).

If you like my blog, please let your friends know by sending them a link. Then check out my new Daum, Gallé and R. Lalique acquisitions. I’ve listed them all on my website. I just listed another fifteen incredible Daum items, including swans, rain, and more in the last few days. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com