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Vintage Fun to Last Through Fall

11/2/2021

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Appraisal Fairs are returning in November, as people get comfortable with up close reviews of their antique and vintage goods again. I’m visiting Harlan, Kentucky for an appraisal fair downtown at "Moonbow Tipple Coffee & Sweets" at 119 S Main St from 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Saturday, November 6. The small town of Havana, Florida is the location for an afternoon appraisal fair Sunday, November 14; the specific address will be announced and posted on the Community Tab of my YouTube channel. I know several viewers are already planning to come see me in real life with their real questions about real collectibles! I look forward to helping people interpret and better understand their family heirlooms and cherished keepsakes.

Florida Antique Shows also return in November, with the first of three giant Renninger’s Antique Market Extravaganzas the weekend before Thanksgiving (Fri–Sun, November 19–21)! A thousand dealers in antiques and vintage greet thousands of collectors in this exciting open air market, bringing a huge variety wares from as far as Canada and the border states. I’ll be in booth #4079/4090, alongside my friend Susan, who brings a ton of vintage Christmas items; I am also accumulating a host of newly acquired items, so we’ll have a lot of fun!

Estate Sales Coast to Coast! Halloween weekend was a first for us, with estate sales happening in both Saint Petersburg, Florida and Seattle, Washington simultaneously. The Florida sale was our first for the fall/winter seasons, and was a surprising near sellout, despite heavy and traditional furniture…a YouTube video showing the process will come out shortly. The Seattle sale featured Asian decor and furnishings, and was the first onsite sale we’ve been able to hold in two years there. It’s nice to be back!

Do Antiques like inflation? While I personally eschew the notion of buying antiques and vintage for investment purposes, it is a part of the market we see grow during times of economic change. The specter of inflation driving up prices on consumer products is starting to push people towards investing in real goods, already reflected in precious metal and coin prices. The 1970s boom in antique collecting started in part because people were seeking a store of value, so it’s possible that the current low prices on many traditional true antiques and period furniture will attract people who see that as an avenue to protect their wealth.

Is older always better? I personally prefer old/vintage items over new, both for preservation purposes and the delight of their design. “Better” is subjective to the beholder, but one consideration is how things were made in the old days. Lead in crystal and painted furniture, formaldehyde in 1980s pressboard and bakelite, radium in the glaze of 1920s water coolers…we do change our mind about what is acceptable over time, so collectors should give a bit of thought to how and whether they plan to use their vintage goods before they buy! (On the other hand, plastics with phthalates are in currently made toys, vinyl flooring and many other goods, so older may be better in many instances!)

Spotting a new decorating trend and applying it to old merchandise can help steer your buying and make your vintage goods turn over faster! The hard textures and monochrome popular in decor over the last five years seems to be giving way to soft goods (e.g. textiles) as wall art, wood furniture (instead of metal), layered colors in rooms and more coziness with more objects and collectibles on display (instead of sparse and stark decoration). Those are all good trends for the antique/vintage industry, where lots of objects and varieties of soft looking items can help make a stark modern interior more homey.
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Shifting from Summer Shows to Fall Reopenings and Holiday Prep

10/3/2021

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Antique Shows and meets are back in operation in most of the country now, with successful shows in Portland, Spokane and the San Francisco-Sacramento area over the last month! We are noticing that the outdoor shows are posting record crowds and sales, while indoor meets are down about 20% while people adjust to circumstances. Show promoters and dealers seem encouraged by the return of business and are committed to rebuilding their markets, so look for a full slate of real world antique events in 2022!

Rose City Vintage Market marked the resumption of shows in the Portland, Oregon market, and we were heartened to see a lot of serious collectors return to shop, as well as a new, younger clientele who were fascinated to see what a vintage market is like! Custer’s Antique Show in Spokane similarly seemed to attract a different mix of dealers and customers than pre-2020 shows, and both buying and selling were good.

Surprising what sells, and to whom! My first sale at the Custer’s show was a machinist’s chest, which went to an older woman who needed one for her farm and wanted something with a cool old label. Meanwhile, a native American gentleman put on a real fox collar with full heads, originally meant for a glamorous 1950s woman—and it looked fantastic and somehow just right on him! It’s fun to see people learning and thinking outside the box where collectibles that were traditionally "gender specific" are concerned.

Online sales were surprisingly brisk for us last month! September is typically a slower time online, with people focused on final outdoor fun and duties before the chill of fall settles in on them, but our eBay listing videos seemed to drive interest to our offerings there. We appreciate our Level Two members for their sponsorship that allows them early access to this bonus video!

Live sales were great too, particularly the one where I was able to visit Misty at "Thrifter, Junker, Vintage Hunter" and sell live in her shop! I was really pleased at the response to what I was able to bring, with the parasol-handled magnifying glass and a set of purple lucite candlesticks in purple resin ball holders selling for three digits. The ability to really showcase and explain items gives the live sales an element of help that I’m used to having in real world shows, so look for me to do more of them on my new YouTube channel "The Antique Nomad LIVE!"

Preparing for Holiday Shopping already is on our minds in the antique/vintage reselling business! What does that mean when there’s still nearly three months left? Along with hoarding all newly found vintage Christmas decor until closer to the date, we also focus on gift-appropriate wares (costume jewelry, pop culture memorabilia, dolls, toys, cookie jars, etc.) and think about table settings that will require red and green glass, seasonal dinnerware and special silver serving pieces. Smart sellers online and in the real world will tailor their inventory to these categories in anticipation of many happy sales (and minimal returns).
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Is It Back to Normal in Real World Antiques & Vintage?

9/2/2021

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Labor Day Weekend is near, and the real world of antiques and vintage is buzzing with anticipation! Shows that haven’t taken place over the last 18 months are reopening, from the Packwood, Washington flea market to the Louisville, Kentucky convention center show. Antique shows are reopening or being reborn in Portland, Spokane and other Pacific Coast venues.

Does this herald a return to normalcy, and what are the implications for real and online sellers? While there’s no way to predict the ebb and flow of other concerns, more gatherings of like-minded antique dealers and collectors across the country have shows reporting large to record-sized crowds at outdoor shows!

At the same time, the cessation of shows pushed some older dealers into retirement, with some shows now reporting difficulty in filling venues. This could ultimately mean a leaner real world market, reducing buying opportunities for online resellers and raising prices for collectors.

My hope is that the new online reselling phenomenon will spur more interest in taking up real world reselling. There is much antique and vintage inventory that is most appropriate (and fun!) for an in-person exchange, and the relative hours of work per sale are not necessarily greater.

Allegan Antiques Market was a fun (and new to me) show I did just this last weekend, located near the Lake Michigan tourist resorts that draw from Detroit and Chicago. I got to meet several viewers I hadn’t previously seen, and your enthusiasm was wonderful to feel! Sales were brisk, with 100 items sold in just a day. Here were some trends we saw at the show…

Ethnic collectibles did well, from pre-Columbian pottery fragments to African beadwork (which sold out completely!). People seemed to be interested in color and texture that was less typical of western design. A Kilim camel bag and a Chinese barber’s stool also sold first thing.

Costume jewelry and dresser decor fared well also, and seemed to attract cross-generational interest among families shopping together.

Online live sales and appearances seem to be captivating the online vintage community these days, and I have a few coming soon! I’ll be joining The Nurse Flipper YouTube channel Tue. Sep. 7, 8pm Eastern for chat and commentary, she had a recent encounter with a familiar auction house that I’m sure will be a topic. "Thrifter, Junker, VintageHunter" has a surprise in store the next day at 1pm Eastern; and I plan to sell live with "Yvon • Thrifty Rich" mid-month.

Record antique mall sales and a string of really successful shows have me searching for higher-end vintage and antique stock again! I plan a surprise trip through flea markets as I travel to appointments to restock for the fall show and furniture season (more on that below). Sales at 2/3 of my antique mall booths hit record levels last month, and shows also exceeded expectations.

The seasons are changing soon, and it won’t be long until antique decorating season begins in earnest! School, weather and safety considerations will refocus buyers on items to feather their nests. A review of current color preferences in the mainstream will help predict what accessories will sell, and dealers who handle furniture in their online or real world venues will want to freshen stock and display with the decorator buyer in mind.
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summer antique & vintage adventure

7/31/2021

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July was an exciting month! The real world of antique and vintage seems to be back at full steam this summer, with a lot of outdoor shows, expanded hours at antique malls that had cut back last year and reopening of museums and historic sites. Sales were brisk and crowds are big!

The online antique world also seemed to remain strong for many sellers, defying the usual mid-summer slowdown we expect when people are on vacation. YouTube live sales continue to proliferate, and our eBay sales were very good, with a 95% selling rate in our most recent batch.

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Such a nice crowd and nice people at the Utica, Michigan Antiques Market earlier this month! It was great fun to get to meet new viewers and sell a ton at this show outside of Detroit, a place I’d never been before as either a shopper or a seller. 120 dealers under tents give them claim to being the state’s largest outdoor-only antique venue, and shoppers came from surrounding states. Here were some trends we saw at the show…

Roseville Pottery sold better than it has in years, with larger pieces and well regarded patterns (e.g. Pinecone) doing particularly well. American art pottery in particular seems to be making a comeback, as a new generation of collectors is finding pieces well priced after several years of declining values. We see in general that antique and vintage objects that used to be hot are coming back into favor at today’s prices; whether it’s green depression glass or Hummel figurines, they are selling again if priced properly for the current market.

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One-day shows are reporting gangbuster sales as well. Our own experience at the Burlington Antique Show outside Cincinnati was amazing, where we did the sales volume of a typical three-day antique show in a 9 hour period! While we were fortunate to have good quality items from a great estate sale we hit in Kentucky, the sheer number of buyers guaranteed a good result (and a good time) for all. We’re hearing similar reports from other one-day shows. Special thanks to Tina from YouTube’s "A Vision in Vintage Co", who came to shop and then stayed to help me sell and pack items for an hour during the peak crush time of the show!

More Appraisal Fair videos will be coming soon, thanks to our collaboration with YouTube’s "AntiquesFromKaren - Janet," who invited us to help them evaluate the large collection left by their mother. Their channel features their quest to find new homes for her antiques and vintage, and will feature regular appraisal updates. We plan to use footage from this, an upcoming event in Centralia, Washington and a recent appearance at an appraisal fair in St. Petersburg, Florida to show you a variety of ways we work in the antique and vintage appraisal field. Stay tuned!

Our next event is Centralia Antique Fest, where I’ll be manning the appraisal table at this long-running antique vintage street fair, August 7-8, 2021. We look forward to seeing some of our Northwest viewers! Bring an item (or several) to be appraised, the sponsoring Downtown Centralia group will collect a small donation for the services.

Look for a museum video soon on our channel! We rarely get to film in these sorts of places, but a major midwest museum allowed us to show much of their rather incredible collection, including items of great American historical import. We look forward to seeing you (and it) on YouTube soon!

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WELCOME TO THE ANTIQUE NOMAD!

6/16/2021

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Hello to my viewers and fellow antique and vintage enthusiasts! I’m excited to present my first monthly blog, an informal look back at events, sales and collecting trends, fun finds and happenings in the antique and vintage community.

I’ve been so thrilled and pleasantly surprised at the response to The Antique Nomad channel on YouTube and my postings on other social media! It’s become so overwhelming, I can no longer always keep up with all the comments and response I get. I want to use this blog (at least monthly) to review and answer some of the broader questions and respond to topics suggested in the comments I receive.

I plant my feet in both sides of the antique and vintage world, both online and real world. Sometimes we’ll talk here about YouTube, eBay and other aspects of the e-vintage universe; other times, we’ll talk about the ins and outs of brick and mortar antique venues, shows, appraisals and estate sales.
Had a blast doing the appraisal fair at the New Harmony, Indiana antique show last week! It felt great to be able to meet people one-on-one and help evaluate their items once more. People brought in some great things; a woman who saved a stack of prints from going into a hospital incinerator years ago found out that her 19th century French surgical prints should bring $4000-5000. Another brought a late Edo Period Japanese sword that valued for a similar amount. Dealers and collectors came from as far as Alabama to sell and shop!
The Highway 41 Yard Sale is 150 miles of yard sales, garage sales, flea markets and the like, happening Fri–Sat, June 25–26 between Evansville, IN and the Kentucky-Tennessee border! We will hold an Estate Sale near the mid-point of the route in Earlington, KY that weekend, liquidating a large variety of antique and vintage wares, from cameras and clothing to a retro bike and a Japanese slot machine! We hope to see you there.
A reseller viewer recently complained that their sales were slowing sales online in June. What can be done about that?

June is an exciting month of transition each year in the antique and vintage business! Antique shows, flea markets and highway sales start to proliferate across the northern and central tiers of the US (and particularly this year now that things are reopening again). A lot of the business moves from indoors to outside, and traveling collectors flock to tourist destinations, where antique shops and malls often thrive and experience their peak seasons!

All this merriment can have the opposite effect on the online antique and vintage world. Sales on places like Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Etsy may slow with people being outdoors, on vacation and otherwise distracted. What can an online seller do to keep momentum in Summertime? Here’s a few hints that may be helpful:

Keep listing new things in your online stores! It’s tempting in slower times to focus on other things and wait for another season; but serious collectors look for things year round. If you have fun things that people haven’t seen, they’ll keep coming back to you regardless of season.

Cultivate your serious collectors. Keep track of your buyers and how to reach them again with their favorite things. Direct contact through e-mail to repeat buyers of specific items you carry is a great way to maintain sales in the off-season (and avoid listing and selling fees).

Tailor your stock for the season. June brides, Father’s Day, July 4th decor and back-to-school (think vintage apparel) are used by traditional retailers to focus attention on certain products. You can use this to your advantage as a seller by doing the same!
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​Think beyond borders! it’s not summer in half of the world! The new global antique & vintage market makes it possible to sell year-round. It’s possible (using eBay completed sales, for example) to see what people in the other hemisphere like to buy while they’re cooped up inside.
Happy hunting! We hope you find something fun to add to your collections this month. If you’re seeking anything you’re having trouble finding, send us an email with your requests, and we’ll keep our eyes out for you.
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    GEORGE A. HIGBY

    I wander across North America—buying, selling, appraising and collecting antiques and vintage items.

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