Page 36 - 2020 March JOA

Does the impact of shows like American that are out of style are out of style! Nobody
Pickers, Flea Market Flip also affect this? wants them so give them to a charity. (But even
many charity shops are more particular these
Well, they’re crazy, too! I try to warn people days!)
that they might see them buy something for
$20 and sell it for $100 and they’ve made $80 Over the past 20 years, the Kovels’ Price
But there are costs of running a shop and Guide has changed its format to include
having someone tell you “this is where you’re more pictures and more diverse categories.
scheduled for the day” and then spending two With the new website where information
days hunting. You can’t say that “doesn’t cost can be accessed online (kovels.com), what
anything,” but it actually does, and people need are you planning for the next edition of
to be aware about that. the Guide?

In the February issue of the Journal, we Right now we’re still collecting prices for
shared the results of the “2019 Survey for the 2021 issue and we don’t stop doing this
the Antiques and Decorative Arts” done by until around March. There’s still a lot more
the Asheford Institute of Antiques. One that needs to be added to it.
trend they noticed was that Depression When we were listing 40,000 entries we
Glass, which has been out of favor for a while, is now being bought used to list all the glass patterns, but now we only select some because
up by dealers for a cheap price hoping the values will go back up. there are so many other sales results out there to be included. We will
also have 2500 pictures in this book.
The first collector I knew that said he was
collecting depression glass said he was going to What trends are you noticing as you continue to
pay for college for his daughter with it – and gather information for the 2021 edition?
he did! Now the prices are probably back
down to where it was when he first bought it. We have tons of furniture this round – I’m asking for
It’s not that it is “coming back” as much as fewer furniture prices because everyone has discovered
companies are starting to make it again. It is in people are buying it again, so dealers are selling and there
the catalogs for several glassmakers. The “new” are so many sales! Last year you could go to a flea market
Fiestaware is popular because it’s very modern and not find a single piece of furniture and this year it is
looking, but Depression glass is not. It’s a selling briskly (well, they figured out Ikea falls apart so
continuation of old styles. they’re buying older pieces and painting it – but that’s a
whole other story).
There is a lot of concern about dealing with We’re also going crazy on Asian
inherited collections as the Baby Boomer items, and African collectibles are com-
generation enters its old age. What are your ing out in a big way as is Black memora-
thoughts on this? bilia. Another thing is that tastes are
changing. Just look at Hummels – we
I must admit that I have a lot of things here used to do practically a whole book
that will have to be gone through – like the on Hummels, and now no one is
20,000 books in my house (That’s going to be buying them. It’s hard for some
a good one!). I have my files and used to be people to believe, especially those who
very good at cataloging – this is what I paid for love Hummels.
it, where I got it – well, that stopped about 15 I will tell you that any any painting by a woman
years ago and I’m just putting things in a file painter or things made by women are going up – every-
drawer and I am now sorting through things one’s going crazy! All the museums are doing exhibits of
and finding things that I desperately needed an works by women. I don’t know if the artwork is any bet-
appraisal for that I want to sell. ter now than it was 20 years ago but that’s what they’re
The new kovels.com has sections on The change in how glass sales (and other doing. And I’m delighted. There is no question women
items that have fewer and fewer sales) are
Downsizing, Settling an Estate and 60-plus represented can be illustrated by looking at were ignored for a long, long time.
topical Buy and Sell Guides that are very help- the number of listings above for Venetian I went to Wellesley, a woman’s college. I offered them
ful when considering what to do when glass vases in the 2000 edition (left) and the pictures by Rosa Bonheur and they didn’t want them. I
you have to get rid of things. I’m advising total listings in 2020 (right). In Kovels’ The
received a letter recently asking “Do you still have those
people to decide which of the kids (or relatives) Complete Antiques Price List sixth edition pictures? Did you get rid of them? We would love to have
is going to be responsible, and then put extra from 1973/1974 (below), there were almost them.” So I am sending them. They’re small sketches of
money or gifts aside in your will that covers the three pages of Custard Glass alone, and over animals, but even a sketch is a good thing for a college art
cost of the time that it will take them. nine full pages of Depression Glass compared museum. It’s embarrassing to think that at one time, a
And not everybody is going to to one page in the 2020 Price List woman’s college rarely hung artwork by a 19th or 20th
value your collection for all the century woman in their museum.
money you paid for it because You want to know what I
people’s tastes change and what can’t believe is selling now?
was worth a lot back then has a Purses. We even have a buyer’s
different story now. guide with prices.
My brother recently passed This is a “new” antique that
away and my sister-in-law said, was invented by an auction
“What do you mean I can’t sell house. One auction house hired
my silver-plated trays?! There people who knew about the
must be someone who wants costs of vintage and designer
them—they’re beautiful!” And I purses and started selling. Then
had to tell her, “I don’t care how another one hired experts and
beautiful they are, you’re not started selling them against the
going to find a buyer!” first auction house. I never would
Please, whatever you write to have imagined!
collectors, warn them that things
34 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles