The antique industry has been evolving with new the use of technology. Now dealers spend more time scouring the internet rather than at antique shows. Some shows, like the Philadelphia Antique Show in April struggled with significantly lower attendance. Fortunately there was still some outstanding pieces and sales made. Some memorable pieces include a doll-size English William and Mary armchair made in the early 1700s and a Philadelphia mahogany dressing table from the shop of Benjamin Randloph.
It seems strange that collectors who spend so many lonely hours on the Internet checking dealers’ postings, searching auction catalogs, e-mailing, texting, and Tweeting do not go to antiques shows to carefully examine objects of desire. At a show, they could engage in conversation and good fellowship and get a personal tutorial on the fine points of connoisseurship from passionate dealers who have plunked down hard cash to buy something of merit. Are the patterns of modern living so packed with events that attendance at antiques shows cannot fit into normal schedules?
Take, for example, the venerable Philadelphia Antiques Show, held April 12 through 15 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where it moved to a year ago. The show was not very well attended this year. It is not that the hall is so large that crowds get absorbed. Dealers noticed that many regular buyers, including members of the Folk Art Society of America (which got the ADA Award of Merit last year), were missing, and there were not a lot of new faces. That is not to say no business was done. Sales were made—a few dealers said they had their best shows ever in Philadelphia—but buying was not brisk for most of them.
The dealers say that they have become used to the new venue, but collectors, many of whom used to spend freely, complained about expensive parking and inconvenient weekend train schedules, and reminisced about the old venue where there was free valet parking for the preview and $10 valet parking the following days. . . Continue Reading
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