Tag Archives: Original Miami Beach Antiques Show

Setting up at the Miami National Antiques Show, January 25, 2012

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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. Monday’s post will be about the results of the Miami National Antiques Show.

We're just starting the setup

The Miami National Antiques Show started setting up yesterday and continues setting up until 5 PM today. By tomorrow, there will be a dazzling display at the opening of the show, which opens to the public on Friday, January 27th at noon and continues until Sunday, January 29th at 5 PM.

There's plenty left to do, but we'll get it all done on time

Although the show is smaller than it used to be, it still has high-powered exhibitors with spectacular items for sale. Many of the dealers will go on to exhibit at the Miami Beach Convention Center Show next week, but not all. A visit to this show is a great way to get first crack at many of the items that will be for sale next week. You’ll like what you see.

The third show of our Florida circuit starts next Thursday, February 2nd, with the important Miami Beach Convention Center Show. If you decide to visit only one of the Florida shows, make sure it’s this one! You’ll thank me. It’s huge and filled with the best dealers and a fabulous array of merchandise that you won’t find anywhere else. The big bonus is the weather. The temperature has been in the 70s and 80s every day. No more excuses! Make your plans now.

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Wonderful Gallé dragonfly vase, just in

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. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

What recession? There’s no recession in the art and antiques market.

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Recently I’ve had more time to write about the interesting things happening in the antiques world. When there’s no one in my booth at a show, I keep busy by writing blog posts. So for the next few weeks, I will 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 Gustav Klimt painting sold at Sotheby's New York for $40,402,500 on November 2, 2011

If you just listen to the news, you would think that the sky has fallen. The housing market is bad in many parts of the country, with many homeowners underwater. Unemployment is currently 9%. The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread. The financial troubles in Greece, Italy and the rest of Europe make stock market investors shiver.

But I’m looking out of my window and see that not only has the sky not fallen, but the sun is shining. There appear to be some good anecdotal economic signals. Sales of luxury cars are improving. Reservations are difficult to get at top restaurants. The antiques business is solid, with new auction records being set for art and antiques. Sotheby’s New York Impressionist & Modern Art sale realized a strong $199,804,500 just a few days ago.

Marc Chagall painting La Mariée sold for $1,022,500 at Christie's New York on November 2, 2011

Here’s my take on what’s going on– no deep analysis, just my observations. There appears to be a dichotomy between the haves and the have-nots — between two dimensions that exist together, but do not interact. On the one side are all the people in the news who are in trouble. They’re worried about the next mortgage payment, not about purchasing antiques. On the other side is a quiet group, not in the news, of successful entrepreneurs, business people and professionals. They aren’t suffering, rather they’re prospering. They have disposable income and are the ones who are actively involved in supporting the art and antiques markets — and they’re not just Americans. Chinese buyers are paying extraordinary prices to repatriate their treasures and are dabbling in other areas. Russian buyers are still active, but less so than a few years ago. Brazilian buyers are starting to flex their economic muscles.

Tiffany Studios Wisteria lamp sold at Christie's New York for $578,500 on June 16, 2011

The Tiffany Studios glass and lamp market is solid. So is the French cameo glass market. That’s not to say that all areas are doing well. For instance, in markets that I have personal knowledge, art glass shades, Steuben glass, Rookwood pottery, Louis Icart etchings and some others are soft. In the early 1990s, the severe recession in the antiques market caused prices to drop precipitously. In some cases, prices dropped over 50% from their peaks (but recovered smartly in the second half of the decade). Nowadays, prices are increasing in many areas. Some collectors are investing, hoping that fine antiques will be a good addition to a diversified portfolio. I’m frequently asked about investing in antiques, but since I’m not good at predicting, I try to restrict my advice to factual information about quality, rarity and condition.

The Pier Antiques Show will be held on the weekend of November 19-20. Sometimes it helps me gauge the health of the market. December is also a big month for auctions. Every major (and minor) auction house holds a 20th Century sale. Those results should be telling. For me, the best predictor of the year to come are the results of the big Miami Beach Convention Center Antiques Show in early February. Buyers fly in from all over the world, so it’s possible to take the pulse of the international market. Here’s hoping good business will continue.

A fine Martin Bros. grotesque vase from 1903

In the meantime, check the listings on my website, which I will update as often as I can. I’ll be photographing all my new Gallé and Daum purchases and listing them on my website. Recently I listed quite a few Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint lamps and a very rare Louis Icart etching, Mardi Gras. There are also several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. 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

Why do antique shows have preview parties?

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My booth at the April 2010 Los Angeles Antiques Show

My booth at the April 2010 Los Angeles Antiques Show

I don’t understand why fancier antique shows have preview parties. They are an enigma to me. Apparently show promoters feel they’re important. Perhaps if a show has the support of a non-profit organization, it will benefit the show. I just don’t see it. Let me try to analyze the different points of view.

From a dealer’s point of view, I’m totally in the dark. For the most part, preview parties are a waste of a dealer’s time. Almost nobody is there to look at antiques, much less buy antiques, so the evening is spent drinking (that part’s not bad) and scrounging for food. It depends on the show, so sometimes there’s plenty of food and other times not. At some shows, a box with a half sandwich and a couple of cookies is handed out to the dealers for dinner. What??? Give me a break — that’s insulting.

The Los Angeles Antiques Show preview party, April 21, 2010

The Los Angeles Antiques Show preview party, April 21, 2010

From the attendee’s point of view, it’s a fun night out. See and be seen. Eat, drink and be merry. Why not? Attend an elegant social event, get fed, drink and have a great time. This part I understand.

My biggest problem is with the promoter’s point of view. I guess they’re trying to give the show a certain cachet. But is that really what they’re accomplishing? I don’t think so. Whether the show benefits a zoo or a children’s charity doesn’t seem to have any impact whatsoever on the success of the show. A show’s success is measured by other criteria. Is the paid attendance excellent? Are the dealers selling well? Is there a waiting list of dealers who are trying to get into the show? Some of the most successful antique shows in the country do not have preview parties and are doing great — the New York City Pier Show, the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, the Miami Beach Convention Center Antiques Show. So if a preview party doesn’t seem to have much, if any, effect on these criteria, why have them?

Have I ranted enough yet about preview parties? I wish they would go away and promoters would get down to the business of running high quality shows that the public wants to attend.

I’ll post the results of the Los Angeles Antiques Show on Monday or Tuesday.

I’m taking a lot of time to add new items to my website. In the last few days I’ve added to the Gallé glass and Icart etchings listings. Please take a look, as every day I’m adding more. Click on this link chasenantiques.com.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog.

Business is strong at the Original Miami Beach Convention Center Antiques Show

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Saturday, 1/23/10, at the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show

Saturday, 1/23/10, at the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show

I’m writing this post on Sunday, with two days left to the show, but I can already give a basic report on the show results. Attendance was very strong for the first three days and included a good number of foreign buyers, but crowded aisles is not enough. It has to be accompanied by good sales, and sales were excellent. After speaking to quite a few dealers, strong results were almost universal. I personally spoke to only one dealer who said she was having a poor show. Unfortunately, there are always some dealers who don’t do well. It’s part of the normal distribution curve of results. Thankfully, this time the curve was skewed to the good side. So now I’ve exhibited in two shows in 2010 and both results were good. It’s starting to appear that business is returning to normal, a nice change from the relatively soft business of 2009.

Louis Icart oil painting 'Rendezvous dans le Parc'

Louis Icart oil painting 'Rendezvous dans le Parc'

Sales were good in many categories, including R. Lalique glass, Rookwood pottery, Tiffany lily lamps and Icart oil paintings. No one category was especially strong, with sales distributed evenly over many categories. That’s noteworthy as a good indicator of improving business.

I’m taking a lot of time to add new items to my website. I’ve already listed new items under Gallé glass (including a blownout vase), Daum Nancy glass and Tiffany Studios glass. Soon I’ll be adding many Tiffany Studios desk pieces. Please take a look, as every day I’m adding more. Click on this link chasenantiques.com.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail.com or
516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

Setting up at the Original Miami Beach Antiques Show, January 19, 2010

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The Original Miami Beach Antique Show, January 21-25, 2010

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show, January 21-25, 2010

The Original Miami Beach Antique, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, opens to the public this Thursday at noon and will continue until Monday, January 25, 2010. It’s a huge show that attracts both exhibitors and attendees from all over the world. There’s always a lot of action, with millions of dollars of merchandise changing hands. Many dealers save their best items just for this show. Give yourself at least two days to see everything.

It’s nice to be able to exhibit at two shows in the same city, back to back. In Miami, it’s almost like exhibiting in two different cities. First comes the Miami National Antiques Show at the Miami Merchandise Mart near the airport. This year the show went well, even with light attendance. That show mostly attracts locals, with a few travelers arriving early to shop the show, before the big show the following week at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The Convention Center show is much bigger, with many more exhibitors and attendees. The merchandise is all fresh to the new arrivals and that’s very important. It’s also a big advantage to be able to divide the travel costs over two shows. And what’s better than being in Miami for two weeks in the middle of the winter?

The level of competition amongst dealers buying from each other during setup is a good indication of business in general. This year the dealers seemed more restrained than in recent years. Plenty of items changed hands, but not with the usual level of intensity. I personally walked the entire show several times and didn’t buy as much as I usually do. However, I do expect that the show will be good this year, based on the level of interest from the attendees at the Miami National Antiques Show.

News of the results early next week.

I’m taking a lot of time to add new items to my website. I’ve already listed new items under Gallé glass (including a blownout vase), Daum Nancy glass and Tiffany Studios glass. Soon I’ll be adding many Tiffany Studios desk pieces. Please take a look, as every day I’m adding more. Click on this link chasenantiques.com.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail.com or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

The Miami National Antiques Show results

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2:30 PM on Sunday, 1/17/2010, at the Miami National Antiques Show

2:30 PM on Sunday, 1/17/2010, at the Miami National Antiques Show

I’m writing this blog at 2:30 PM on Sunday, so the final results are not yet in, but I have the preliminary results — the show is in trouble. Attendance was very light for most of the show, especially when I remember back 15-20 years, when the aisles were so crowded that it was difficult to move. Attendance at most shows in the US is down, but this one seemed down more than most. On a personal note, sales were good for me because the right people showed up. Almost all of my sales were to established clients (thank you to each and every one of you), with a couple to new clients. New clients are essential because established clients don’t remain clients forever.

Some shows enter what I will term a “death spiral”. It’s hard to say which comes first, but here’s the gist of it. Fewer clients show up to buy, so sales are disappointing. Disappointing sales lead some dealers not to return the following year. The following year the show is smaller and lower quality, so attendance goes down because of word-of-mouth. You get the point — one bad thing leads to another until eventually, the show collapses. So what can a show promoter do? Take the patient to the ICU and treat aggressively. That means NO business as usual. Give the right medication and treatment and save the patient. Take the Palm Beach Show Group as an example. They purchased the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show from Frank Farbenbloom. The show was OK when they bought it, but going nowhere. The new promoters were very aggressive in signing new, high quality exhibitors to the show, glamming up the look of the show and most importantly, advertising strongly. Now the Baltimore Show is on firm footing with high quality exhibitors, excellent attendance and good sales.

The Atlantique City Antiques Show entered a death spiral that wasn’t fun to watch. Each year the show got smaller and business got worse until finally the show collapsed. Allison Kohler of JMK Shows is reviving the show March 27-28, 2010 with many changes and hopefully a very large advertising budget. One big change is that the show will only be held once a year. Good move, Allison. I wish her the best of luck (and me too since I’ll be exhibiting there).

Rosemary Krieger is the very capable owner of Dolphin Promotions, the promoters of the Miami National Antiques Show. Rosemary, I know you read my blog, so take heed. This used to be a great show, so now you have to take dramatic action to renew and restore it and thereby break the cycle. Shorten the show to two days, Friday and Saturday, like the NYC Pier Show, so there will be bigger crowds and more energy. Greatly increase your advertising budget to include radio and TV. Increase free passes for the dealers to give out to their best clients. Make the parking free to the public. Sign new quality exhibitors with the promise of greatly increased advertising and a shorter show. Otherwise, my friend, the news is not good.

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show, January 21-25, 2010

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show, January 21-25, 2010

This week the eagerly anticipated Original Miami Beach Antique Show, opens to the public. It will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Thursday, January 21, to Monday, January 25, 2010. It’s a huge show that attracts both exhibitors and attendees from all over the world. I’ve done business at this show with people from almost every continent. There’s always a lot of action, with millions and millions of dollars of merchandise changing hands. Many dealers save their best items just for this show. Give yourself at least two days to see everything.

I’m taking a lot of time to add new items to my website. I’ve already listed new items under Gallé glass (including a blownout vase), Daum Nancy glass and Tiffany Studios glass. Soon I’ll be adding many Tiffany Studios desk pieces. Please take a look, as every day I’m adding more. Click on this link chasenantiques.com.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail.com or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

Make your plans for the two big antique shows coming to Miami in January, 2010

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The Miami National Antiques Show, January 15-17, 2010

The Miami National Antiques Show, January 15-17, 2010

Now is the time to start making your plans to come to Miami for the two big antique shows in January. The first show is the Miami National Antiques Show, held at the Doubletree Expo Centre (near the airport), January 15-17, 2010. This show has a long history, back to the time about 30 years ago when Marty Ellis was the show promoter. I remember one January when there were so many people on line that the fire marshalls were only permitting people into the show as other visitors were leaving. I’ve exhibited at some busy shows since then, but that was the high-water mark for show attendance. Although the show has gotten a little smaller (there’s no second floor any more), the quality has managed to stay extraordinarily high. Many of the best dealers exhibit at this show, so it’s a good way to start the new year’s antique season. There’s a concentration of the best dealers in glass and lamps, so that’s an especially good reason to visit.

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show, January 21-25, 2010

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show, January 21-25, 2010

Immediately following that show will be the eagerly anticipated Original Miami Beach Antique Show, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, January 21-25, 2010. This is a huge show that attracts both exhibitors and attendees from all over the world. I’ve done business at this show with people from almost every continent. There’s always a lot of action, with millions and millions of dollars of merchandise changing hands. Many dealers save their best items just for this show. Give yourself at least two days to see everything.

Have you tried Hotwire.com or Priceline.com to book your hotel or car? Take my advice from a very experienced traveler. Hotwire is great most of the time. You won’t know the name of the hotel until you’ve paid with a credit card, but you will know the location and the star rating. You can be pretty sure that a 3 or 4-star rating will be a nationally-known brand-name hotel. I like to stay in Miami, not Miami Beach, for the duration of the two shows. Parking and eating is much less of a hassle and the hotels are better and cheaper. The least expensive 3½-star hotels on Hotwire were $89/night, so I tried Priceline and bid $69/night. To my amazement, I got the Embassy Suites near the airport. Embassy Suites are great and $69/night??? What a deal!

The Miami shows are wonderful. First of all, you can escape winter for as long as you’re there. Then you’re at the heart of the antiques world for a couple of weeks. What a combination. Make your plans now, while good hotels are still available and airfares are cheap. I’ll see you there!!!

I’m taking a lot of time to add new items to my website. I’ve already listed new items under Gallé glass (including a blownout vase), Daum Nancy glass and Tiffany Studios glass. Soon I’ll be adding many Tiffany Studios desk pieces. Many are priced right for great holiday gift-giving. Who wouldn’t like to receive a genuine Tiffany desk set accessory as a Christmas or Chanukah gift? I’ll soon be starting a big sale on Icart etchings. Please take a look, as every day I’m adding more. Click on this link chasenantiques.com.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail.com or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com