Sal Dambra, who has sold more than 20,000 items on eBay, isn’t content to stick with eBay. Like many other sellers, he’s now signed up on Etsy and is enjoying the transparent fee structure and sense of community. Read More +
The art establishment is beginning to recognize children’s book illustration art as art; the market is booming and the prices of works by top artists in the field have been rising steadily. Read More +
Authentic Japanese woodblock prints from the 18th and 19th centuries can be found through reputable dealers starting at as little as $100. The story of the rise and fall of Japanese woodblock printing is a sad one; it is also the story of the decline of artistic freedom and the rise of totalitarian government. Read More +
A decade or two ago, auction houses, antiques dealers and show promoters could get away with non-salesmanship. Anyone with Internet access has access to more antiques inventory than any dealer could ever hope to show — and dealers have to step up their game.
There’s more art than science behind staging and merchandising: Those who do it, do it well. Those who don’t can still learn a few rules and tricks to help the right customers discover collectibles they didn’t know they wanted. Read More +
A Killing in Antiques: A Lucy St. Elmo Antiques Mystery Mary Moody, Penguin Publishing, 320 pages, $6.99, 978-0-451234186 Available in both print and eBook editions The world of antiques and collectibles has always been fertile ground for mystery … Read More +
Dealer after dealer report the same story about this year’s Brimfield antiques shows: All things industrial are hot, and all things traditional are cold. One dealer’s blunt assessment of the antiques business remains unchanged: "If you work twice as hard for half the money, everything is fine," says Gary Moise, owner of Orange Trading Company of Orange, Mass. "It’s a strange business and what you’d expect to not bring very much money brings a lot of money now." Learn more about Brimfield 2011 and why everyone seems to want a vintage electric fan.
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A child prodigy, the Art Deco work of Romain de Tirtoff, aka, Erté, continues to influence art, sculpture and design. This brief history of the famous fashion artist shows how he learned to craft his signature style and how the antiques auction market treats his original work, limited-edition prints and works inspired by his eye.
In 1967, Brooke Bond Foods, the parent company of Red Rose Tea, contracted with George Wade and Son Ltd., a British ceramics maker with roots dating back to 1867, to produce a line of miniatures for specially marked boxes of Red Rose Tea in certain parts of Canada. The original 32 miniatures – known as "Whimsies" – were comprised of an assortment of animals. The move was a stroke of marketing genius for Red Rose Tea and instrumental to the company’s success.
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