(*As part of our lead-up to the school's annual Survey/Poll Listings of top selling antiques & collectibles for 2017, we're letting the cat out of the bag a little early by revealing this year's number one spot. **Complete survey listings of the year's best sellers will be released in January 2018). Florida - It would seem like the so-called experts have been making this pronouncement for years now, but the truth does appears to be in the numbers, with costume jewelry ringing-up impressive stats amongst decorative arts collectors and buyers - even when stacked against the overall popularity of today's mid-century modern genre. Sites such as Kovel's (and this one), along with other information based online knowledge forums that track searches and research requests, all seem to be in general agreement that costume jewelry is taking the lead when it comes to the decorative arts popularity contest. Vintage costume pieces that were once thrift-store specials a decade or two ago, have escalated quickly in price over recent years, with those displaying the makers name, like Alice Caviness, Hattie Carnegie, Trifari or Haskell now bringing in top dollar. Some companies such as Ciner, which was founded in New York City in 1892, are still producing costume jewelry to this day. Marked with various insignias or the company's name, this jewelry is also experiencing a boom in market value and online interest currently. Not to be left out, the mid-century modern craze also makes its presence felt in this category with early designers of the movement, such as William Spratling, whose Mexican inspired silver pieces, which became a staple in such stores as Montgomery Ward during the late 1940's, now commanding many thousands of dollars at shows and galleries. In general though, most costume jewelry from this period is not as popular as that of other mid-century modern objects. Pieces of costume jewelry that are racking up impressive search results, and seem particularly popular on the larger discussion boards and forums, range from long chains, large colored stones, cocktail rings, broach-pins, bangle-bracelets and pearls. Deb Smith, owner of a vintiques (antiques & vintage store) in Portland Oregon, noted that her online sales of vintage costume jewelry began to skyrocket earlier in the year. "By September I was having a hard time sourcing inventory for my listings," said Smith. While fads seem to come and go more frequently now in the decorative arts scene than they did before, it appears that costume jewelry may be experiencing a longer shelf life than many other items found in online search archives. Whether this is simply due to the tremendous availability and volume of styles produced over the years is hard to say. However, one thing that does seem certain is the price and popularity - both of which are continuing to rise. A.I.A. Writer's Staff 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 - Over the past few years a somewhat disturbing trend has begun to emerge within the antiques and collectibles community - the disappearance of the local country/estate auction. At first glance this may seem like a rather generalized and somewhat sweeping statement, but upon closer inspection, it becomes patently clear that this vanishing act has been happening now in almost every corner of mainstream North America for a number of years now, and can no longer be attributable merely to online listings taking the place of local Saturday morning auctions. Most in the decorative arts business freely acknowledge the turn-of-the-century dip that occurred in seasonal outdoor auctions, as buyers moved into the newly created world of online bidding, but that initial Internet euphoria eventually settled, as local auctioneers soon returned to the business of offering in-person sales of goods and chattels to the highest bidder. However, within a few short years this same decline had begun once again. So what's caused this change over the past few years? In reality, it may not be that anything has changed as much as it's simply moved sideways and been replaced by what some perceive as a higher performing revenue model - the estate sale. The correlation between the arrival and almost instant popularity of the estate sale, and the corresponding simultaneous decline of the country estate auction cannot be overstated. Local newspapers that once bristled with ads for upcoming auctions are virtually empty now; replaced instead by listings for estate and large multi-family garage sales. Small estate companies that began offering clients what appeared to be a better opportunity for selling their goods at a higher price over a longer period, made the choice obvious for most who were liquidating their estates or relocating. These considerations (along with others), eventually forced many to ask the question of whether or not there was still a need for local estate style auctions?" For many the answer was yes. Kent Holloway, an antiques dealer from Ohio, said that there were times he could pick up a half year's inventory at an auction sale. "It was a huge time saver because I could buy everything in one go." Now he says he spends more time trolling from one estate sale to the next, often having to wait till the end of the weekend to see if his bids have been accepted. Similarly, other dealers, including Juan Gomez from Nashville, were found echoing the same sentiment, and often pointed to the fact that picking at auctions was not only a great and fast source for building stock, but there was also the camaraderie of those in the business who would gather and share information in between bidding. "If an item came up and someone was unsure about it's history or value," said Gomez, "...there was always another dealer or picker there to offer advice." Aside from those in the trade, many of the buying public have also lamented the dwindling number of estate auctions, as it was often the go-to event to participate in - especially if it happened to occur on a rainy day. However, despite the apparent demise of such auctions, it is clearly not just a matter of one format being more fiscally viable than another, as Sotheby's and Christie's, along with most other major auction houses have demonstrated by posting record profits in recent years. As one auction spokesperson noted, "It's still one of the most profitable methods for selling used items ever to be invented!" For those interested in reading further on this topic, Cary Hooper of Magna Trada (https://medium.com/magna-trada/the-disappearance-of-the-local-auction-9af63cb9266f) has written an interesting article that delves further into some of these issues and why he thinks there's a good reason to bring back the local auction. - A.I.A. Writing Staff 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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