The Big Dance Part 1

Andrew here, just having returned from Americana Week in New York. Four days that included previewing four auctions, attending two, and going to three big shows. So how'd it go?

At Christie's, the offerings were a bit sparse, but some quality stuff. Best thing was that the estimates were notably conservative. Unfortunately, the sale felt a bit off...a number of passes and objects selling below estimate. A notable exception was the wonderful double portrait by Ammi Phillips (pictured here) that exceeded its estimate, selling for just about three-quarters of a million dollars. As one might have expected, the Skull and Bones ballot box, made from a real skull, was withdrawn, and is probably already back in New Haven by now.

At Sotheby's, a stronger offering with more variety (including more and better silver and the Elinor Gordon collection of Chinese export porcelain). The sale proved a good one, including a mind-blowing new world record for a piece of American silver that brought nearly $6 million.

I also previewed the Bonham's and the Keno sales, which included some good Americana and marine art...we'll have to wait to see the results.

My thoughts on the auctions? It's tough to get the top-shelf consignments in this economy. Many collectors are holding on to their treasures in the hopes that the market will return to pre-recession levels. I don't know that the market will get back there anytime soon, and even if prices to get back in that general ballpark, I am not sure that the market can absorb all that will be thrown at it without some prices suffering. But I suppose we'll find out over the coming years.

Up next time--the shows....

Fun things we've encounted...just by looking.

In our upcoming column, we talk about how important it is to just look and pay attention. If you spend any time in an antiques shop, show, or auction, and you're paying attention, you will find all kinds of nifty things. And it's this sense of wonder that makes this business so much fun.

So, without further ado...here are some of our favorite curiosities:

1. Andrew Clemens sand bottles. If you haven't heard of Andrew Clemens, then Google him. He was a deaf-mute in late 19th-century Iowa that created phenomenal pictures from colored sand. Look closely folks...these things were created grain by grain, with NO glue.


2. The Pugilistic Sheep of Ferdinand Brader. Brader was a German immigrant who roamed the Ohio and Pennsylvania countryside drawing "portraits" of farms. Immensely detailed and oh-so-charming. And if you look closely (really closely in this example, in the upper right corner), you'll find a couple of sheep, up on their hind legs, duking it out.

3. Mouseman furniture. A quirky British furniture maker who included a teeny tiny mouse carved on his work. Can you find it here?

What have you found just by looking? What nifty things have your sharp and observant eyes discovered?

We need to inject this kind of whimsy and fun back into this business. Let's move past the dollars and cents and just have some fun.

After all, collecting is suppose to be a hobby.

Some sad news...

If you've bought or sold at Garth's in the past 4o years, then you probably know Tom Porter. Sadly, Tom passed away this past weekend after a brief battle with cancer. Tom was a bright light in the antiques industry for decades...he will be missed.

A Must-See in New England

A while back, early October to be exact, we visited a friend who is curator at the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont. Like most, you probably think of pottery when you think of Bennington...bird-decorated stoneware by Norton, or flint enamel glazes on molded pitchers and the like. And if these things are what floats your boat, then you'll have a ball at the Bennington Museum. But there is also a stellar collection of regional furniture and art (including the most phenomenal triptych portraits by Ralph Earl). Of course, you'll also see the famed Bennington Flag (do a Google search and you'll know what we're talking about) and some other historical objects. Add to that the largest collection of Grandma Moses works and you have one heck of a museum.

But wait...there's more...you won't just see a bunch of static galleries filled with dusty artifacts. Along with rotating galleries (that regularly host traveling exhibits), the permanent galleries offer an interactive experience with an audio tour available via cell phone - you call the number on the label and, presto, there's a voice discussing the work upon which you are gazing. Our favorite part is that they're integrating this audio tour with projects at the local high school - what a great way to get kids involved in art and history and get them interested in connecting with a museum!

Plan on spending the entire day if you really want to take it all in. For more information: www.benningtonmuseum.org.

It's the holidays...

Hence the embarrassingly long time since our last post.

A big part of what we have talked about for the past couple of years has been value. Seriously, beyond just about anything else, antiques offer solid value. For a very reasonable price, you can purchase a well-designed, well-made, American-made, sturdy, useful antique that will offer you years of beauty and use and still be worth something when you are ready to let it go. In America's current consumer environment, you just can't find that very easily. Ultimately, we firmly believe that it's this value and this quality that have the most potential to revitalize the antiques business.

To that end, you should read Ellen Ruppel Shell's Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. Beyond being simply a diatribe against WalMart's treatment of its employees, it's an enlightening expose' of the dark side of America's bargain-priced consumer culture--from Woolworth's and the dawn of discount pricing to the sweatshops of 21st-century China. What's most revealing are the studies she discusses that point to an innate desire that we humans have for "a good deal," but that most of the purchases we make thinking they are good deals really aren't (but we all know that already, don't we?).

As those of us in the business look towards a new, and hopefully prosperous, year, let's focus some of our sales talk on quality and value. Let's face it, conspicuous consumption is so 1990s, and in today's economy, we NEED to be talking value and about getting the most for your money. This is the kind of attitude that will allow us to reach beyond our normal market (e.g. collectors) and connect with folks who just want stylish and affordable stuff to live with.

It's all about quality...

As you'll read in our next column, we like antiques because of their quality. Today's economy is all about low prices, but if you think about it, you'll quickly realize that low prices are not really a good thing. Don't believe us? Check out THIS.

Time to be Thankful...

It's 2 days until Thanksgiving, which means that the stores have had their Christmas displays up for about a month. It's also auction week for me (Andrew). Friday and Saturday Garth's is having its 49th Annual Thanksgiving Weekend Auction. It's a good sale, lots of fun things, from painted furniture to ship's binnacles. Certainly the auction and the non-turkey dinner (we are vegetarians) are occupying our time, but we still always take a little time to be thankful. We are thankful that, in this economy, we still have jobs in a business that relies largely on discretionary income. In fact, we are especially thankful because it's a darn great business. We get to interact with fascinating objects and equally fascinating people each and every day.

So...have a great Thanksgiving. And since you have some time off, spend it looking at your favorite dealer's or auctioneer's website. Perhaps there will be something nifty that you just can't live without!