Dealer Edmondo Crimi stands
next to a bronze garden sculpture. Best of France, Inc.,
Lambertville, N.J.
Story and photos by Nancy J. Vozar
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- It was apropos on the weekend of the
Academy Awards (March 22-23) that the Atlantique City special
exhibition displayed Dorothy's dress from The Wizard of
Oz. With almost 1,000 dealers selling everything from
monumental French bronzes to marbles, shoppers instinctively
paraphrased the immortal cinematic words of Dorothy, "."
Dealers, too, who were happy with the crowds, their sales, or
just how smoothly everything ran under the management of Ted
Jones and his staff, also echoed this phrase throughout the
course of the weekend. Quite an accomplishment considering the
fact that as the dealers were moving into more than 101/2 acres
of exhibition space, our troops were moving into Iraq.
As Ted Jones said, "To be able to fill this place with dealers
when we are in the midst of a war is a good thing. I was thrilled
with the crowds. The show's attendance was equal to, or better
than, last March. Sunday was strong, too. And most importantly,
the people were spending the money!"
With a degree in both communications and political science,
dealer Mark Block of Blockglass, Ltd, Trumbull, Conn., may have
been right-on-the-money when he commented on why his sales were
strong despite the onset of the war. "The certainty of the war
has made it much less unstable. The fact that the country took
some action this week may have actually helped the show and
sales."
A champion of studio glass artisans, Block explained the detailed
process that American artisan Mark Matthews used in developing
his art glass spheres that are exact replicas of 13 endangered
animal species. Modeled from Smithsonian Institution photographs
of pelts from animals shot by Teddy Roosevelt, these spheres were
so precise that even the spine of the animal was visible in the
glass. Recognized as a true American art, examples are housed in
the Victoria and Albert Museum, Corning Glass Museum and the
Toledo Museum of Glass.
Almost all of Matthews's major pieces sold during the show
including a giraffe skin sphere that wandered out the door and a
Vermont landscape sphere that will add a little New England charm
to a West Coast collection. The major sale, located front and
center in Block's booth, was a sphere made by Mark Matthews in
1985. Entitled "Population Portrait V," it was a grouping of 44
spheres arranged to highlight the diversity of color, design and
studio art glass technique, to express the diversity of our
population. Only one of two made, this signed and dated work sold
for $33,000.
With the show's motion picture theme firmly in mind, the
Convention Center's weekend address could have been Hollywood and
Vine. Indeed, admiring many of the items, one could immediately
draw a connection between antiques and cinema. For example, the
immortal Casablanca -- with its love triangle and WW II
French patriots -- is based on a play entitled Everybody Comes
to Rick's. At each Atlantique City show people flock to
Edmondo Crimi's booth for his monumental French bronzes,
fountains and furniture. His booth (Best of France, Lambertville,
N.J.) was fraught with eye-popping bright red sold tags. One
could imagine hearing the French national anthem, "La
Marseillaise," with Bogart and Bergman in the background.
Palmer Cox ten-pin game at Boggs Boynton, Clarksboro, N.J.
Crimi, a ten-year show participant, has a number of regular
customers who attend the show. He reported sales of a Nineteenth
Century French oak Gothic buffet, a Nineteenth Century French
Louis XVI-style buffet, a Louis XV 18-foot-long dining table, a
sculpture of a bucking bronco approximately ten feet high, a few
large French fountains and a number of sculptures including one
of a heron done by Moignez. Commenting on the show management
Crimi noted, "They do an excellent job of promoting the show."
An image of Marie Antionette on a circa 1890-1906 Belleek loving
cup seen in the booth of B&B Antiques, Springfield, Mass.,
could trigger an association with the movie industry's version of
Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best
of times, it was the worst of times." It was certainly the "best
of antiques" in the booth. Framing B&B's space was a highly
ornamental French Baroque-style table and two matching chairs,
made of bronze with silver plate.
Among the high-end porcelain and glassware items seen at B&B
was an American Belleek circa 1890 teardrop vase. Made by Ott
& Brewer, it was a sizable 181/2 inches tall. Dealers Robert
Holbrook and Robert Louder also displayed an 1879 Worcester
pierced vase and cover with decorative handles, and an early
enamel on glass Moser vase with a bird in relief and a Lalique
desk set (with its original paper seal) comprised of a letter
opener, blotter and tray.
Show-stopper porcelain and glass were also seen at the booth of
Dogwood Antiques, Lexington, Ky. Among Dan Marquette's showcased
items was a pair of hand blown (circa 1850) Sandwich Nailsea
vases. Extremely rare -- the only other known pair is in the
Sandwich Museum -- it had everything going for it -- age, size
and condition. Other pieces spotlighted were two Royal Bonn wall
hangings artist signed and dated 1903, a Limoges unique shaped
urn with lid by William Gurin, a sizable Webb rainbow jardiniere,
a Moser aquatic designed enamel pitcher, a Moser wedding chalice
in the Islamic style, a Heckert decanter set with a Sixteenth
Century medieval look and a Bohemian cranberry handled decanter
with a heavily enameled rooster on the front.
Someone with a good perspective on the show was William Biggar
from Chamblee, Ga., who has been part of this show since he was a
child. Taking a quick trip down memory lane Biggar said, "As a
child I remember sleeping under the tables." There was no time
for him to catnap this year. He said, "It was a surprisingly good
show. People are trying to get things going and start buying
again. Unlike some other shows, this is a show that you can sell
strong on Sunday, too." Flagging the entrance to his booth was a
Bob's Big Boy store display appropriately draped in the patriotic
red, white and blue. Among a collection of early advertising
signs and calendars was a rare 1940s porcelain die-cut neon
Howard Johnson Restaurant sign that originally welcomed travelers
in West Palm Beach, Fla.
James Kennedy Antiques, Durham, N.C.
Robert Lloyd of Albertson, N.Y., showed off some special smalls.
A Tiffany & Co. (Paris, circa 1890) carved tortoise shell fan
set with rubies, sapphires and diamonds mounted in 18K gold even
had a miniature painting on ivory set in the corner of the
tortoise. Undoubtedly a commission piece, the ivory is thought to
be of the original owner. With an eye for the unique, Robert also
pointed out a snuffbox with the maker's mark of Nathaniel Mills
(Birmingham, 1848). It was presented by P.T. Barnum and was
engraved with his cathedral from Bridgeport, Conn. Even on a
small Seventeenth Century spice holder, the maker's attention to
detail was apparent. It was elaborately designed with a coat of
arms on the grill and mythological figures along the sides.
Reels and creels decorated several booths. Male Antique Decor,
Roxbury, Conn., proudly exhibited a "crown" of a creel. It was a
rare salmon fisher's basket (circa 1890) that was engraved with
the former owner's name, Viscount Arbuthnott of Fordoun Station,
Aberdeen. Other conversation pieces filling out the booth were a
display board of Nineteenth Century binoculars (which included a
rare triocular model), a four-foot- long Nineteenth Century blow
gun with scrimshaw and a Nineteenth Century Black Forest antlered
four-slot gun rack.
Another cinematic image came to mind in the booth of first-time
exhibitor Joe Bennett from Greenville, S.C. Some of his fishing
tackle could have been used by Spencer Tracy in the Hemingway
adaptation of The Old Man and the Sea. His struggle with
that legendary marlin might have gone much more "swimmingly."
Bennett had a rare fly reel manufactured by Vom Hofe (circa 1899)
that was in mint condition. Reporting that he had a good show,
some of his sales included creels, bamboo fly rods, fishing reels
and antique pipes.
Similarly Captain Bligh from any of the three major screen
versions of Mutiny on the Bounty, or Jimmy Stewart's
character from Hitchcock's Rear Window, could have used
any of the vintage brass telescopes seen in the booth of James
Kennedy Antiques, Durham, N.C. Explorers of the land, sea and sky
could find a collection of 1950s binoculars with one being a
German military example, 1920s brass telescopes on tripods, an
Eighteenth Century theodolite by the well-known instrument maker
John Cuff (London, 1731-1770), and a rare Czech-oslovakian
Victorian orrery.
Other items included a steam driven model speed boat, a circa
1890 pond yacht hull, a brass wedding box and a medicine bowl
cover that were both from the Ivory Coast, a very rare Yoruba
currency that was used as dowry and a rare, large Kuba cloth.
Diane and Doug McElwain, Sport & Spool Antiques, traveled
from Goldsboro, N.C., with antique sports equipment. A standout
in their booth was an early Twentieth Century catcher's uniform
complete with a period chest protector. Noting how creative her
customers can be, she described how some of their 1920s pole
vaults are now being used as curtain rods! Pointing out a pair of
early Twentieth Century Spalding Gold Medal Indian clubs, Diane
mentioned how they were actually used as exercise weights.
Are you more of an observer of sporting events than a
participant? Then the leather Joe DiMaggio baseball glove chair,
seen in the booth of Boggs Boynton, Clarksboro N.J., was just the
item for you. Circa 1972, this conversation piece was made by
Poltronova/ Stending. A large terra-cotta platter that was
exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, was
appropriate for the Jersey shore since it was painted with a
Greek mythological scene of what appeared to be Neptune, the god
of the sea. Receiving a lot of attention was an excellent
condition Palmer & Cox (patented 1892) ten-pin game with
verses on the back of each pin. Given the current world climate,
we found the words on the back of the Uncle Sam pin to be
fitting: "I represent the Nation grand, that ever will for
freedom stand."
Clara Johnson, Point Pleasant Antique Emporium, Point Pleasant
Beach, N.J., also commented that she had a good show. Among the
items sold were an American Impressionist oil on board landscape,
a watercolor by Cameron of the Eddy Stone lighthouse, dolls,
jewelry, furniture, some china and decoys. Johnson applauded
management's "Let me think about it" notepads as a clever
marketing tool. On each slip of paper the customers could write
the booth number and a description of the item that they are
thinking of purchasing. Given the size of the show, Johnson felt
it was a good way of having customers return and buy.
Linda LaBonte and Irene Finch, Aged to Perfection Antiques,
arrived from Harrison, Maine, with a 1940s Columbia tabletop slot
machine with interchangeable denominations from nickels to
quarters. Commenting on attendance, LaBonte said, "The American
people did not let us down. They were out in force and out to
buy." Their sales included pottery, yellowware, games, marbles
and garden signs.
Poster Treasures, Paris, France.
Nancy Kasting, N.A.N. Antiques, Kutztown, Penn., echoed similar
remarks noting, "It's always a good show, even when the times are
tough." Among her fine offerings was a French enamel dresser box,
a mid-Nineteenth Century Meissen figure, a Gesland French fashion
doll and a rococo miniature pier table. With good sales, Nancy
highlighted two choice items that will beautify new homes. One
was a rare Pierrot powder puff stand made by Dressel & Kister
and the other was a Heubach piano baby with a rare removable
head.
The Sword & Pen, North Wales, Penn., decorated the wall of
its booth with autographs on letters, checks and Whitehouse cards
from Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Queen
Victoria, Napoleon I, Charles Lindbergh, Jack London, Andrew
Wyeth and Buffalo Bill, just to name a few. There was even a
grouping of dishes, framed in a shadow box, from Czar Nicholas
II. A second arrangement consisted of the Czar's silverware.
Show participants for 15 years, Alan and Adele Grodsky, Fort
Lauderdale, Fla., noted sales that included a Pairpoint puffy
lamp, several Tiffany art glass items and some Rookwood pottery.
Adele also said that it was a well-attended show.
And so with these sales, it goes without saying many antiques
were Gone with the Wind.
The next Atlantique City show is scheduled for October 18-19. For
information or tickets, call 800-526-2724.
