Closing Bell: Pier Antiques Show

Pier Antiques Show

The aisles were full at the Pier Antique Show in Manhattan this weekend. The crowd seemed generally in a good (and buying mood) after a week of gains on Wall Street. We saw one significant painting sell before we could get a good look at it. Dave Smernoff, From Here to Antiquity in Guilford, Connecticut brought items of interest including a pair of mahogany carved dolphins made into lamps. Spending some time in the booth of Pottery Dealer Barbara Gerr and Arnie Small, we learned a bit more about Rookwood and its artisans and were directed to the American Pottery Show and Auction April 24-26th outside of Philadelphia (look for information in our calendar).

It was also a nice feature that Samuel T. Freeman & Co. Auctions was on hand to provide appraisals. I’ve had good experiences with Freeman and see now that Chris Jussel was supposed to be on hand to appraise items. You may remember Jussel from the early days of the Antiques Road Show. I have always wondered why he didn’t continue with the show, I though he was perfect for the role.

The next Pier Show is November 14-15, 2009.

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Response

Jeff Gold

March 17, 2009

I was at the Pier Show on Saturday afternoon. A good number of people seemed to be carrying small packages. Unlike in past years, I did not see a significant number of “great” or even “good” paintings. There were but a handful.

I did see lots, and in my opinion, way to many jewelery dealers. Even my wife, who stops at every one, commented on the number. A few of the jewelery dealers had truly exceptional items. Despite the competition and the economy, jewelery prices seemed high. One dealer brought old penny arcades, and store displays including a great Colonel Sanders holding a bucket of chicken. I witnessed the same dealer negotiating the sale of architectural details (monkeys) in the eighteen hundred dollar range. He should be commended – His booth stood out. Another dealer, I didn’t get his name, brought a huge quantity of West German pottery. I thought it interesting that in this economy, he was attempting to create a market for an item that is not widely collected in the U.S. The prices for the West German pottery were a fraction (a tenth) of similar U>S prices.

By and large, every time, we looked at an item (whether we asked the price or not) the dealers were quick to say that there was room or they would entertain an offer. In one instance, where a painting by Gino Hollander was priced at least 3 times what a strong retail price should have been, I declined the dealer’s request to make an offer. The dealer exclaimed that I shouldn’t be afraid to insult her with an offer as I walked away.

I thought the show lightly attended, at least when we were there. Plenty of room to walk without banging out of people. Both the Dealers and the crowd seemed subdued. It wasn’t quite like being at a funeral —more like being at a baseball game with your team down 14-0 in the eighth inning. I like the appraisal idea, but as a practical matter, people don’t want to carry things INTO a large Antique show, and then have to schlepp the items around. The parking situation at the pier makes it impossible to bring an item in for an appraisal, and then back to the car.

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