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.
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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