Cogels-Osy Lei, an Art Nouveau street in Antwerp, Belgium

Posted on July 28, 2016 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.

Cogels-Osy Lei

A day trip to Antwerp, Belgium, led to a wonderful street, Cogels-Osy Lei. It appears that the entire street was built within a single decade, right at the height of the Art Nouveau movement, approximately 1895-1905.

The beige Art Nouveau home is assymetrical

The street is beautiful, with more than a handful of Art Nouveau homes, characterized by curvilinear lines, especially in the ironwork. Assymmetry is another Art Nouveau characteristic, but only one of the buildings exhibited this.

Another of the fine Art Nouveau homes on the street

Back to New York this weekend with some very fine vases and objects we purchased on our trip. More about that next week.

baltimore-8-2016 Our next show will be the eagerly anticipated Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, August 25-28, 2016. It’s the best show of the summer and maybe now the best of the year (with all the changes coming this winter in Miami). People fly in from all over the world to attend, including from as far away as Japan. If you haven’t yet visited, you should. It’s big, with some of the best national and international dealers. You’ll also enjoy Baltimore. Hope to see you there!

In the meantime, we’re very much in business, as witnessed by the 10 or more new vases I just listed (and more coming every day). Call or email me with your wants or items for sale. If you have what I’m looking for, I’m paying the highest prices. My decisions are quick and my payments just as quick. Just snap a photo and email it to me.

I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. I will continue to list more as often as possible. Please click here to take a look.There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

Only in France! A July walk around Paris

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Part of the huge line at a Monoprix store for a Pokémon GO prize

My wife and I came to Paris on business, but found more than a few amusing things while walking around — things we just don’t see in the USA.

First and foremost was the huge line of about 1,000 people that wound around the block to get into a Monoprix store (food and clothing, kind of like a Target or a small Walmart). The signs in the store window advertised a “10% sale”, so I knew that couldn’t be the reason. After a couple of inquiries, I found out — Pokémon GO. I couldn’t believe it. If you waited two to three hours on line, you would be given a Pokémon GO bag with a few goodies, including a charger wire, some sunscreen, etc. What??? Two to three hours on line for a few Pokémon goodies? Beyond my comprehension (but I’m no longer 25 years old).

A one-person sideways elevator

This next one really tickles me. How about an elevator so narrow that you have to stand sideways? What US elevator regulations does this violate? I grinned the whole time I used it.

paris-100 Clothing by the pound? Here it is. Doesn’t appear to be a sound business plan, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

If I find more in Paris or Amsterdam, you’ll see it here soon.

A London mansion was restored after being unhabited since 1895

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Malplaquet House

By the time you read this, we’ll be in Europe on a buying trip. We’ll have everything back in New York by the beginning of August, in time to add to our important exhibit in Baltimore at the end of August. Everything will be for sale prior to Baltimore, so please inquire if you have any interest.

A view from the side

A huge 18th century mansion in London hasn’t been lived in since 1895. It was restored and is now for sale for £2.95 million ($3,867,274). Click here for the full story and photos of the interior.

The results of the Denver World Wide Antique Show, July 15-17, 2015

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Saturday afternoon in my booth

I’m starting to write this blog on Friday afternoon at 1 PM. (The show closes at 6 PM today.) The show is slow at the moment, with only a few guests walking around. Attendance has been fairly light. We’ve only made sales to two dealers pre-show and none to the public as of this point, but we’re keeping an open mind. Part of the reason we’re still exhibiting in Denver is because we made a stop on the way to a very good client who bought enough to make the trip worthwhile.

We sold this lovely Gallé dragonfly banjo vase at the show

Update: Saturday, 1:50 PM. Business was a little slow yesterday, but not bad — one sale and one good trade. Today started off nicely with two good sales. Hope it continues.

Update: Saturday, 5:30 PM. A client from earlier today came back and made an additional purchase.

Part of the Daum Nancy glass we had for sale at the show

Update: Sunday, 4:00 PM. A dealer on the floor of the show came to my booth and bought several French cameo and Tiffany vases. That was followed by a client buying a red Tiffany Favrile vase. Then after the show closed a dealer on the floor decided to buy a monumental Daum vase that she had been considering. Looks like we’ll be coming back to Denver next summer. 🙂

baltimore-8-2016 Our next show will be the eagerly anticipated Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, August 25-28, 2016. It’s the best show of the summer and maybe now the best of the year (with all the changes coming this winter in Miami). People fly in from all over the world to attend, including from as far away as Japan. If you haven’t yet visited, you should. It’s big with some of the best national and international dealers. You’ll also enjoy Baltimore. Hope to see you there!

Setting up at the Denver World Wide Antique Show, July 13, 2016

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Philip Chasen

We got a good start yesterday

Yesterday was the first day of setup for the Denver World Wide Antique Show. Everything went very smoothly. We finished about 60% of the work, which will make for an easy day today. Since we exhibit in Denver only once a year, our booth changes each time. This time we have the first booth in the first aisle to the left, as you enter the show.

I didn’t buy anything from other dealers yesterday, but I did sell one vase. Other dealers have expressed interest in purchasing other items, so that will be a nice start to the show.

This is 1 of 9 Gallé blownout vases we’ll have at the show

I’ve been buying great glass and lamps since our last show at the Chicago Botanic Gardens in April. It will all be on display. Come to the show and take a look. The show opens to the public this Friday at 10 AM and continues until Sunday at 4 PM. Hope to see you there.

baltimore-8-2016 Our next show will be the eagerly anticipated Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, August 25-28, 2016. It’s the best show of the summer and maybe now the best of the year (with all the changes coming this winter in Miami). People fly in from all over the world to attend, including from as far away as Japan. If you haven’t yet visited, you should. It’s big with some of the best national and international dealers. You’ll also enjoy Baltimore. Hope to see you there!

In the meantime, we’re very much in business, so call or email me with your wants or items for sale. If you have what I’m looking for, I’m paying the highest prices. My decisions are quick and my payments just as quick. Just snap a photo and email it to me.

The Denver World Wide Antique Show opens this Friday, July 15, 2016

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Our booth last year

The Denver World Wide Antique Show opens to the public this Friday, July 15th, at 10 AM, and continues until Sunday, at 4 PM. The show is held three times per year, but we only exhibit in Denver in the summer.

Very rare Daum vase with wheel-carved roses and butterflies

The show is medium-size — just right for the Denver market. The quality is better than you might expect for a local show. Don’t expect a flea market with a lot of junk. If you’re anywhere in greater Denver area, you should visit, as you won’t be disappointed. My display will be top-notch and many others will be too.

Wonderful Tiffany Studios 18-inch Peony table lamp

Wonderful Tiffany Studios 18″ Peony table lamp

We’ll have a large selection of Tiffany Studios lamps, including an 18″ Peony. We’ll also have a fine selection of Handel reverse-painted and Pairpoint puffy lamps. Our French glass collection will be second to none and will include extensive examples of Daum Nancy’s and Gallé’s works. Our American glass collection will include superior examples of Tiffany Favrile glass. In addition, we’ll have great bronzes, American and European art pottery and many miscellaneous examples, too numerous to mention.

Thursday’s blog will be from the floor of the show and Monday’s blog will have the results.

baltimore-8-2016 Our next show will be the eagerly anticipated Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, August 25-28, 2016. It’s the best show of the summer and maybe now the best of the year (with all the changes coming this winter in Miami). People fly in from all over the world to attend, including from as far away as Japan. If you haven’t yet visited, you should. It’s big with some of the best national and international dealers. You’ll also enjoy Baltimore. Hope to see you there!

The FBI needs help recovering a stolen Norman Rockwell painting

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Stolen Norman Rockwell painting Taking a Break

On the 40th anniversary of the theft of a Norman Rockwell painting from a New Jersey home, the FBI has asked the public for help in locating it. Click here for the ABC Philadelphia story. Click here for the CBS Philadelphia story.

Denver, July 15-17, 2016

The Denver World Wide Antique Show is close at hand, July 15-17, 2016. If you’re in the area, please make the time to come and visit. In the meantime, we’re very much in business, so call or email me with your wants or items for sale. If you have what I’m looking for, I’m paying the highest prices. My decisions are quick and my payments just as quick. Just snap a photo and email it to me.

What’s new at Philip Chasen Antiques?

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Killer Tiffany Favrile red Tel el Amarna vase

Spring is an unusual time for my business because of various opposing forces. First the weather gets nice and summer vacation approaches. People spend less time indoors, so they spend less time at their computers searching for antiques and more time planning for the summer. Opposing that is the glut of merchandise that comes onto the market in June. Every auction house, major and minor, in the US and in Europe, has a June Decorative Arts sale.

Wonderful Daum Nancy vitrified floral vase

Then there is the business of antique shows. Historically there have been very few shows in the spring. The result is lots of merchandise to buy and very few people to sell it to. Dealers with the deepest pockets have the easiest time smoothing out spring’s rough ride. Business gets better in the summer, with a couple of antique shows (there used to be more), including the important Baltimore Summer Antiques Show at the end of August (which I always eagerly look forward to).

Superb mini Daum Nancy Fall scenic vase

What does it all mean? I’ve been buying like crazy, all over the world, both at auction and privately. The new merchandise is mostly fine French cameo glass by Daum Nancy, Gallé, A. Walter and Argy-Rousseau, but also includes Tiffany Favrile glass and several fine lamps by Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint. The new items have all been hand-selected by me and meet my high standards. You know you can buy from me with confidence.

Rare Gallé blownout Fig vase

I’m trying to list many new items but it’s been difficult because we’re packing for our Denver show (where it will all be on display). I did list a few items and will continue to list more as time permits. Please check my site often or email me with your requests.

Denver, July 15-17, 2016

This is why you buy from me

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Daum vase with applied snail

I was offered an important Daum vase by a gentleman who found me through my website. The decoration of applied grapes and snail was just what I was looking for — important, desirable and priced right. I agreed to buy the vase. We met in Manhattan, where we were to consummate the deal. I really wanted this to go well because there would have been a good payday as a result.

Another view. Looks great in the photo. Doesn’t it?

The first thing I did was to closely inspect the applied snail. If there was going to be a problem, that’s where it was likely to be. The two usual problems are either damage to the antennae or regluing of the entire snail. This was a different problem. The head of the snail looked odd, misshapen and rough. I knew there was a problem from the get-go and was determined to figure it out. On close inspection, I found a seam between the head and the body. (Original snails do not have seams.) Apparently a restorer along the way had removed the entire head (almost certainly due to damage) and replaced it with another, carved to resemble the original. It would easily have passed muster with most people, but I’m not most people. Do you think you would have known if you had purchased this vase? I doubt it. I venture to guess that most people would not have discovered a professional restoration, nor even thought to look for one (and been stuck with the vase as a result).

I felt this individual had been duped and wasn’t trying to fool me, as he seemed genuinely surprised at my finding. It was very disappointing to both of us. The good part is you’re not going to buy it. I act like a filter, filtering out fake, repaired, ugly, unimportant, and common items. If I’m offering it for sale, it’s passed my inspection. And that’s why you buy from me.

Denver, July 15-17, 2016

Poor results at Heritage Auction’s 20th Century Decorative Arts Featuring Art Glass sale, June 24, 2016

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Heritage Auction held a 20th Century Decorative Arts Featuring Art Glass auction on June 24, 2016. I didn’t participate because the quality was quite low overall and the few lots that interested me had condition problems or excessively aggressive estimates. A fairly low percentage of the lots met their reserves and sold. Collectors and dealers today are more discriminating and found little to get excited about in this sale. Besides, June sales are historically weak.

Edgar Brandt and Daum floor lamp La Tentation, Heritage lot #63120

The top lot of this section of the sale was #63120, an Edgar Brandt and Daum serpent floor lamp entitled La Tentation (The Temptation). It sold below its pre-sale estimate of $30,000 – $50,000, realizing $25,000, including buyer’s premium.

R. Lalique Los Angeles vase, Heritage lot #63277

Top lot of the R. Lalique section of the sale was #63277, a rare 1936 vase entitled Los Angeles. It too sold below its low estimate of $10,000, realizing $10,000, including buyer’s premium.

For the complete results of the sale, click here. You will have to sign in (free) to see the prices.

Denver, July 15-17, 2016

No shows until next month, when we’ll be in Denver for the Denver World Wide Antique Show, July 15-17, 2016. In the meantime, we’re very much in business, so call or email me with your wants or items for sale. If you have what I’m looking for, I’m paying the highest prices. My decisions are quick and my payments just as quick. Just snap a photo and email it to me.

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Tag Archives: Philip Chasen

Cogels-Osy Lei, an Art Nouveau street in Antwerp, Belgium

Only in France! A July walk around Paris

A London mansion was restored after being unhabited since 1895

The results of the Denver World Wide Antique Show, July 15-17, 2015

Setting up at the Denver World Wide Antique Show, July 13, 2016

The Denver World Wide Antique Show opens this Friday, July 15, 2016

The FBI needs help recovering a stolen Norman Rockwell painting

What’s new at Philip Chasen Antiques?

This is why you buy from me

Poor results at Heritage Auction’s 20th Century Decorative Arts Featuring Art Glass sale, June 24, 2016