Florida - We've covered this story in the past, but it would seem that our friend Keaton Patti is up to his old tricks again when it comes to spoofing the iconic Antiques Roadshow nameplate. As we're sure everyone is aware, the Roadshow has been responsible for handing out informative and on-air appraisals about rare and unusual antique and collectible items for many decades now. The show's incredible popularity has spanned the globe with various clones of itself popping up in Canada, Sweden, Australia, and of course the USA. However, it wasn't until an Internet meme artist started having some fun with the classic "valuation still-shot" at the end of each segment that the show finally hit its full Internet potential back in 2016. Fast-forward to 2019, and photoshop specialist and salient meme humorist, Keaton Patti, is at it again, as he takes legitimate freeze-frame photos from Roadshow appraisals (shown above), and turns them into fake one's for our viewing pleasure (shown below). So, without further ado, here are a few of what we think might be some of the funniest fake appraisals memes of the Antiques Roadshow that we've ever seen... Antiques Roadshow Memes: There are of course many more of these types of memes online (not all "G" rated however), but we thought these eight particularly represented the ethos of the Roadshow quite well, while simultaneously giving a wee chuckle. However, if you've managed to come across a few more you think should also be included, or have one yourself, please let us know, and we'll be happy to take a look for our next go around... - A.I.A. Staff Writer's NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: [email protected] or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. Florida - For many years now, antique dealers and vintage sellers have watched in amazement (and to a certain degree, dismay), as the styles and tastes of the buying public have seemingly turned on a dime. What were once stalwarts of the antique industry; Victorian, rustic, early American, and silver, have all given way to more futuristic constructs, from mid-century modern to the more recent vintage and retro infused themes of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. And yet, while many of these recent trends have sailed past the popularity barriers of niche collectors, and into the mainstream markets of such giants as Wayfair and Amazon, it is these old flavors from yesteryear that are now raising an eyebrow amongst some of the country's top decorative arts specialists - many who worry about the lack of new and original styles being created today, for the potential collectors of tomorrow. Or, as Terrence Henessy, a young furniture designer from Los Angeles put it, "Are we creating any new trends for our own generation, or are we simply rehashing familiar designs from the past?" For many, cultural motifs of the time such as post-war modernism and space-age futurism were once the impetus for change within popular styles of the decorative arts, but today there's a feeling we're simply recycling old ideas - while adding only marginally new twists onto variations of a theme, says Rocko Jacques, an interior designer from London who works both sides of the pond. "We copy the mid-century motif instead of creating a new one." Retailers such as Wayfair are not mirroring fresh new ideas and designs reflected in the social and technological advancements of the day, but instead are simply copying and producing what's popular with those in the vintage and retro marketplace. According to Jacques, websites such as Etsy, along with millions of other entrepreneurs selling their vintage wares online, have become the barometer for what's trending, "They're not just reflecting popular tastes and style, in so much as they're creating them," said Jacques. "This is where the new design trends are coming from - they're not really original - but rather just recast from years gone by." Henessy, who echo's many of Jacques thoughts, also noted that while some of the pieces in his LA design shop utilized the curvy plastic look from the seventies, he tries to keep the "borrowing" to a minimum. "The decorative arts style of the early 70s with it's modular design, egg-shaped chairs, and heavy use of wrap-around white plastic was completely new and based on the futuristic themes inspired by the space race," says Henessy, "To copy it too completely is not paying homage to those great original designers, but instead is really just ripping them off." For some, the trend-setting variance is simply a matter of degree. Where designers once took their cues from large changes in the social and political movements of a time, such as the space race, it seems that today we're left with a far different landscape. iPhones and the like can have an effect, but it's not as transformative in the way it once was. IBM gave way to the notion of real computers in the 1960's, and the public's imagination soon followed - all the way to the silver screen - with films like Space Odyssey 2001 and the nefarious HAL computer, which not only inspired a generation of tech geeks (think Bill Gates), but trickled down to fashion and décor with uniform style pant-suits, and modular spaceship furniture. The seventies became a generation inspired by its own time - not the other way round. For many in the decorative arts field, there's a strong sense of optimism that something fresh and new might be looming just over the horizon - a renaissance of spirit and original design. Whether this generation can salvage its own unique and iconic trend-setting style remains to be seen. "I wouldn't necessarily bet against it," said Jacques. However, when presented with a recent article from a top design school that showed seven out of ten students chose mid-century modern as the most influential trend of the time, Jacques responded, "Well, I guess we've got a way to go then..." - AIA Staff Writers NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: [email protected] or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. Florida - eBay is arguably one of the best known brands in existence. From their "mythical" start as a Pez dispensary and listing site for the founder's wife, to their position as one of the world's largest online sellers of antiques and vintage items, this company has managed to solidify its global reputation as the auction site that simply sells "everything." Over the decades, countless millions of people have sold antique and vintage items across eBay's online platform, and in the process, have provided eBay with a veritable treasure trove (or so it would seem), of data regarding the sale of such items as they've passed under the company's online hammer. Realizing the value of this information, eBay was quick to offer its buyers & sellers free access to the data as an enticement to return and put more items up for auction. As eBay's stature grew over the years, the notion of determining the value of one's antique and vintage items by comparing them to eBay's online listings became commonplace. The refrain, "Oh, I saw one on eBay for exactly the same price..." became the standard definition for evaluating literally anything. Unfortunately, as many people found out, this criteria simply didn't hold up when it came to bricks and mortar businesses, nor did eBay's "realized" prices necessarily reflect regional and geographic differences in taste, or the fact that clicking a mouse at an online auction didn't always mirror real world auctions or their prices. Over time, it became clear to many dealers and collectors that you'd not only have to take eBay prices with a grain of salt - but you might need the whole shaker too. Fast-forward to 2019, and dealers and collectors are once again questioning the value of some of eBay's public data sharing's. One such example, a recent listing showing the "most watched items" under eBay's heading of Popular Antiques, is of particular concern since many of the actual items aren't even antiques at all, or vintage for that matter - they're new. Now while most dealers and collectors and even astute punters can figure this out by simply reading the title, what's distressing is the rest of the buying public may not be as savvy to this clever wording as the pros. However, leaving the semantics aside, what's even more of a concern is that the listing is factually incorrect. If you use the example of the snapshot from the picture cited in Ilus. 1, it turns out that six of the top ten antique items reportedly "being watched" on eBay from that particular day, were in fact not even antique, nor were they vintage. Now we realize that you can probably refine the search on eBay, using filters to gain more accurate listings based on what you're searching for, but when the sites overall heading related to antiques, and the type of items people are "most watching" are not antiques, it should give one reason to pause - or at the very least - reconsider the information being presented. There are of course plenty of reliable stats that can likely be gleaned from using eBay's free data collection offerings, but the aforementioned case raises the spectre of exactly how much one should completely trust this information when it comes to making antique purchases of your own. If getting solid intel on what to buy for your business is paramount, then one should not only consider the source before making any sizable investments, but how that information was arrived at. As with literally all things in life, the proof is often in the pudding. So when it comes to the reliability of "free" information being listed by one of the biggest online retailers of antiques and collectibles in the world, perhaps a modified quote from Edgar Allen Poe might sum it up best, “Believe nothing you hear, and only half (or less) of what you read..." - Annie Smith, A.I.A., PACC (*Ms. Smith is a guest writer for the school, and syndicated antique & appraisal columnist who has been covering the decorative arts beat for over thirty years. Ms. Smith's views and opinions are her own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Asheford Institute). NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: [email protected] or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. |
A.I.A. Staff
We're providing our students and reader's with the latest breaking news on events and happenings that we think might be of interest to both collectors and dealers alike. Including changes within the world of antiques, vintage, collectibles and appraising that might just have an effect on your bottom line. We're also interested in hearing from you - so if you've got a great newsworthy story, let us know, and you just might find it here! Archives
December 2019
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