The summer antique show season is about to begin

Posted on July 8, 2013 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.

The summer antiques shows are almost upon us, with Denver first. We gave up on Denver a few years ago, but were convinced to try it again, since the show is under new management. Hopefully it will be better this time around, so we can look forward to returning the following year. The show will be held at the Denver Mart, beginning on Friday, July 19 at 10 AM and ending on Sunday, July 21, at 5 PM. Please visit us in booth 107 and take a look at our spectacular new purchases, accumulated from around the world.

I’ll have this fabulous Tiffany Studios 3-light lily lamp at the Denver show

The following week, we will exhibit locally in the New York area, at the Birchwood Manor in Whippany, NJ. It’s a short, weekend show, July 27-28. The quality is very good for a small show. Some years it’s gone very well and others not. We’ll see what’s in store for us this year.

Just got this very rare Louis Icart etching Happy Birthday

August’s shows have a better track record. First we’ll be in Rosemont, IL, for the Chicago Summer Antiques Show at the Rosemont Convention Center, August 16-18. It’s a small, but good quality show. We always look forward to Chicago, as we have many good friends and clients in the area. We’ll no longer exhibit at Arlington Racetrack, if there is another show there (and that’s in doubt). That increases the importance of our other shows in the greater Chicago area.

This was our Baltimore booth is 2011

The last show of the summer is also the best. The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show has been slowly evolving, first under the stewardship of the former promoter, Frank Farbenbloom, and now under the ownership of the Palm Beach Show Group. Every year, incrementally, the show has gotten better, with higher quality exhibitors, increased attendance, and stronger sales. In my opinion, it’s now one of the two best antiques shows of the year, competing only with the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show in January. Make your travel plans now and join buyers who drive and fly in from all over the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. Then stop by my booth to say hi.

Fabulous B&S mini vase with internally decorated flowers — just in

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps.

U.S. Antique Shows buys three New York City antique shows from Stella Show Management

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Philip Chasen

The Pier show on a recent opening day

Irene Stella of Stella Show Management conceived of the idea of holding an antique show on New York City’s Hudson River, in a passenger ship terminal. The first few shows were so successful that management expanded the show to include two additional adjacent piers, and changed the name to the Triple Pier Antique Show. The demand from dealers to exhibit at the show was so great, that management further expanded the show to two consecutive weeks, twice a year. That went on for quite a while, until it was ultimately scaled back to one weekend, twice a year. Construction to some of the piers forced the show to be moved to the much larger Pier 94, just north of the original three piers, where it’s been successfully held for the last several years.

The line to get in was huge before a recent opening of the Original Miami Beach Antique Show

Fast forward to May 20, 2013, with simultaneous announcements from both Stella Show Management and U.S. Antique Shows, of the sale of three Stella New York antiques shows to U.S. Antique Shows, the promoter of the highly successful Original Miami Beach Antique Show. It marks the end of one era and the beginning of another in New York City antique shows.

A view of a section of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

I’ve got mixed emotions. I’ve enjoyed working with the Stellas over the years, but also look forward to the changes new management will undoubtedly make. New blood is usually good for a show, e.g. the purchase of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show by the Palm Beach Show Group. They bought a good show and made it into one of the best shows in the country. Promotion of the show became job #1, which included a significant increase in the advertising budget. That was the start of a virtuous cycle where new buyers attended and new dealers were attracted. I wish U.S. Antique Shows, and its Director of Business Development, Andrea Canady, the same success with their new New York shows.

We’re back from our vacation/business trip, so that means two things. First, we have some great new French glass, which I’ve started to list on my website. The rest will be up within the next few days, so please check often. Second, I should have enough time to publish my blog twice a week, so check Mondays and Thursdays. We have no shows until late July, but please don’t hesitate to call or write. We’re always interested in buying, selling or trading.

Killer Daum Fall scenic vase, just in

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

Gorgeous Galle fuchsia blownout vase, just in

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps.

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

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Philip Chasen

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

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Philip Chasen

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.

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

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Philip Chasen

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.

Results of the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair, August 25-28, 2011

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Philip Chasen

The Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair ended the summer show season. The fall season will begin with the AVENUE show at the Park Avenue Armory on Thursday, September 22nd. Since I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world, I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. 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.

My new booth at the Baltimore Show

We exhibit at so many shows that most of them blend together. Every once in a while, one becomes memorable. This Baltimore show was that one. Allow me to explain. I can’t name a show that began with an earthquake, ended with a hurricane, and had plenty of business in the middle.

My booth

We started setting up the show on Tuesday. In the middle of a telephone call regarding the purchase of a Tiffany lamp, the ground started shaking. I knew immediately it was an earthquake and told the person on the phone. He couldn’t believe it. Most East Coasters are not familiar with earthquakes, but having experienced two of them in California, I knew what was happening. It was fairly gentle and didn’t seem to last more than 10-15 seconds, so I continued doing my business as if nothing had happened. Ten minutes later, they evacuated the entire building. Thirty minutes later, we were permitted back into the building and continued working.

Saturday afternoon at the show

Attendance at the show seemed lighter than usual, but that’s not what counts. Who shows up is much more important than how many people show up. For us, the right people showed up. Interest and sales were excellent, with most of it coming in, guess what? — Tiffany lamps and French glass. If you follow my blog, that will come as no surprise.

The hurricane hit Baltimore in the middle of the night — great timing. We slept through most of it. I thought no one would show up on Saturday because the hurricane was bearing down on Baltimore. But I was wrong. There were lots of people at the show and sales were best on Saturday. Never would have guessed that. What made it even better was that the sales were all to new clients. In asking around, most dealers had very good shows. I did hear a few complaints, but that was expected. There’s never a show where 100% of the dealers do well.

Sunday afternoon at the show

Didn’t think anyone would show up on Sunday, but as the weather cleared, quite a few people showed up. No sales on Sunday, but you won’t hear any complaints from me. That’s two fabulous shows in a row.

Fantastic Burgun & Schverer internally decorated vase

Check out my new acquisitions. I recently listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps. I also listed some very rare Louis Icart etchings including Melody Hour and Mardi Gras; several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Also coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

The Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair opens today, August 25, 2011

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Philip Chasen

The Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair ends the summer show season. The fall season will begin with the AVENUE show at the Park Avenue Armory on Thursday, September 22nd. Since I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world, I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. 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.

Some of the fabulous paintings in the booth of M.S. Rau of New Orleans

This is one of the rare times in the summer that I have the time to write a Thursday blog. Next Monday’s blog will be about the results of the Baltimore show. The results might be skewed by the hurricane that is roaring up the East Coast. It could head east and be no problem or it could head west and affect the whole East Coast. Not to mention the earthquake that hit the East Coast. I just exhibited at two shows in California. The entire time, I was thinking to myself that an earthquake could hit at any moment and do extensive damage to my inventory. When we left with no earthquake, I was relieved. It was surreal to come to Baltimore and experience a once-in-a-century earthquake. I knew instantly that it was an earthquake, since I’ve been through two of them in California. But it was so gentle in Baltimore that I wasn’t the least bit worried.

Super rare Le Verre Francais vase with bonsai trees

Back to the Baltimore show. It’s such an amazing show — only equaled or exceeded by the amazing Miami Beach Antiques Show. The Baltimore show is huge, with great dealers, some of whom exhibit at very few shows. If you make the trip to Baltimore you’ll see a vast selection of antiques that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Where else can you find dealers from all over the United States and some foreign dealers, all under one roof, at the same time. It’s really incredible. There’s almost nothing that you can think of that isn’t here for sale.

Breathtaking B&S internally decorated 6" diameter vase

If you’re concerned about the possible hurricane, come early. Right now, the hurricane isn’t due until Sunday, if at all. The show opens today, Thursday, August 25, at noon, and continues until Sunday at 6 PM. The scope and breadth of the displays is truly astonishing. You will not regret your decision to come.

Very rare set of fabulous signed Quezal shades

Personally, I’ve got a really great selection of items, most of which you haven’t seen before. I bought a few new extraordinary items, including a really fantastic B&S internally decorated vase, an ultra rare Le Verre Francais vase with Bonsai trees, and a fantastic Quezal set of decorated shades. Make sure you visit my booth. I’ve moved to a very big booth in the corner of the building. As you enter, make a right turn, and go into the corner. That’s the location of my new booth.

Killer Tiffany Studios 7-light lily lamp with great shades and patina

The Chicago Summer Antiques Show starts this week and the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair starts next week

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Philip Chasen

The summer show season is in full gear. In July and early August, we exhibited at the Redondo Beach Antiques Show and the Pasadena Antique Show in California. In mid to late August, we’ll be in Rosemont, Illinois, for the Chicago Summer Antiques Show and then Baltimore for the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair. Since I have less time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world, I am posting new blog entries once or twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. 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 wonderful Martin Brothers face jug. One of the many new items I am bringing to the shows.

This week we’ll be exhibiting at the Chicago Summer Antiques Fair, which takes place at the Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. It’s adjacent to O’Hare Airport, so it’s quite convenient if you want to fly in to visit the show. It’s not a big show, but it’s very nice quality, so it’s surely worth a visit if you live anywhere in the Greater Chicago area. The show opens this Friday, August 19, at noon and continues until Sunday, August 21, at 5 PM. I’m bringing the largest and best selection of Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps that I’ve brought to any show in many years, including a gorgeous Tiffany Studios 7-light lily and a super Tiffany Studios 20″ diameter Arrowroot. Additionally, I’m bringing a deep selection of the finest in French cameo glass by Daum Nancy and Emile Galle, and American glass by Tiffany Studios, Quezal, and Steuben. I will also have a great selection of American ceramics by Rookwood, Grueby, Van Briggle and others, as well as an amazing collection of Louis Icart etchings, including some extremely rare ones, including Mardi Gras, Melody Hour, Miss America and others.

A very rare Tiffany Studios 7-inch diameter blue Favrile counterbalance table lamp

The following week, the whole antiques world moves to Baltimore for the biggest and best show of the summer. The Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair is not only huge, but super high quality, with some of the best antique dealers in the country, some of whom exhibit at very few shows during the entire year. Thousands of buyers travel to this show from all over the world, including many from Europe and Japan. If they can travel to Baltimore from Japan, you can travel to the show from anywhere.

A view of a small portion of the exhibitors at the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

Not only is the show exciting, but the downtown area of Baltimore has undergone an a complete revival in the twenty years since I’ve been doing the show. It’s almost unrecognizable from what it used to be. There’s lots to do at the Inner Harbor, the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, Harborplace and the Gallery, cruises on the Inner Harbor, Little Italy, etc., etc. And don’t forget to eat crabs at world-famous Obrycki’s of Baltimore.

The Baltimore Aquarium at night in the Inner Harbor

Very rare Louis Icart etching entitled Mardi Gras

Check out my new acquisitions. I just listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps. I also listed some very rare Louis Icart etchings including Miss America and Mardi Gras; a gorgeous Daum Nancy pink floral vase; several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Soon I’ll be listing a wonderful Tiffany Studios 7-light lily lamp with beautiful shades and a fine patina. Also coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Tag Archives: Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair