This crewelwork potholder, circa 1770, was offered by Curious Works Antiques, Greenville, S.C.
Review by Andrea Valluzzo
ONLINE — Buyers queued up the morning of March 7 for the Fox Valley Antiques Show but not outside a Chicago convention hall waiting in the freezing temperatures. Instead, they stayed in the warmth of their homes, probably with a coffee cup in hand, as they sat at computers or with phone in hand.
The Chicago Suburban Antiques Dealers Associates (CSADA) debuted this online model for conducting antiques shows in 2020, and it has become a favorite for dealers as they can forego the physical logistics of load in and load out at shows while also saving mileage and travel costs. The association retains in-person shows, but it presents this online edition twice a year.
Participation in the show fluctuates, but this spring edition, March 7-8, saw nearly 20 dealers exhibiting their items, and many sales were recorded.
Among dealers making their Fox Valley Online debut was Bodenheimer-Mayer House Antiques & Art, Lancaster, Ohio. Dealer Deward Watts had seen the show before and purchased from vendors so he decided to see what it was like to exhibit. “I went into the show thinking that it would be a learning experience; I had no idea what merchandise would sell or what price points I should target,” he said. “I also knew nothing about the number or type of customers who were likely to view the show. In short, I was flying blind. In that context, the show went very well. I was pleased with the underlying technology. It was easy to use and presented the merchandise well. I was also pleased with the promoters’ advertising and communication. And, in the context of a learning experience, I was pleased with my sales, particularly since I offered items ranging from $100 smalls to $5,000 pieces of art.”
Bonsell Americana offered a 48-star antique parade flag having a handwritten Fourth of July baseball game inscription, circa 1903. Hillsdale, Ill.
Heather Bonsell of Bonsell Americana, Hillsdale, Ill., was also a first-time dealer and said she had a great experience. “From the start, we were impressed when working with the team and especially with the ease of using the website that hosts the show. The team has developed a great platform and provided great insight on how to optimize our listings. We had an excellent weekend with results going beyond the sales over the course of the weekend,” she shared, adding that they have seen increased traffic on their website and social media platforms as a result.
Among the items garnering the most interest in their booth was a 48-star antique flag salesman sample having striking stacked construction, circa 1912-30; and a 1776-1876 American Centennial Flag, where the stars in the canton formed numbers for the years the flag celebrated.
Folky items proved very popular, as evidenced by a wall box in its original mustard paint sold by Virginia Larsen Antiques, Glen Ellyn, Ill., which notched seven sales by 11 pm on the show’s opening day, including a circa 1900 prancing horse weathervane in zinc, a circa 1864 paint decorated document box and a small, counter-height barber pole from the early 1900s in original paint decoration with red, white and blue stripes and a gold star.
This pair of Georgian buckles in their original case, with an early note from the Trumbull family of Massachusetts, sold to a New England institution from the booth of David Thompson Antiques & Art, South Dennis, Mass.
Having a great showing was David Thompson Antiques & Art, South Dennis, Mass., who made 14 sales on the show’s opening day. “The Fox Valley Antiques Show is one of our favorite antiques events. We have done it in person in Illinois for years and have also been doing the online version since it started,” wrote David and Jane Thompson in an email after the show. “We really enjoy it because the customers are so interested and so appreciative. The online show is a great way to connect with old friends and ‘meet’ people in far-away places we would probably never cross paths with on the regular show circuit. We sold a wide variety of material to private collectors, dealers, as well as institutions, in Utah, Texas, West Virginia, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Canada.”
Among their sales were a pair of Georgian buckles in original case with an early note from the Trumbull family of Massachusetts, which sold to a New England institution; an antique folk art hand-forged wrought iron food chopper with a heart cut-out that went to an Illinois private collector; a folk art hand-carved and painted swordfish weathervane from South Coast, Mass., which was bought by a Midwest collector; and a carte de visite photograph of Civil War soldier amputee Forrest Spofford, which went to a Midwest buyer.
Jim and Debbie McArdle of Iron Horse Antiques & Art, Manitowish Waters, Wisc., also reported a number of sales. Debbie is president of the Chicago Suburban Antiques Dealers Association so they have participated in all 12 of its semi-annual online shows. Along with Barb Lemme, David and Jane Thompson and Ginny Larsen, she is a co-chair of the production team. “During Covid, we had greater dealer participation because nearly all in-person shows were cancelled. Our recent shows have narrowed the field to showcase a dedicated group of antiques professionals who have mastered the art of online selling,” she said. Online visits were up at this show from last fall’s version, which was impacted by Canadian tariffs and East Coast storms, with most sellers having 25 to 155 more viewers in this spring edition.
Iron Horse Antiques & Art sold this Boston College bald eagle carving, 41½ inches long, with its talons clutching a football. Manitowish Waters, Wisc.
She continued, “Our business had ten of our 18 items sold by the end of the show. Eight of those items are being shipped to buyers who have previously purchased online from us. The remaining two items were purchased by new-to-us customers. Thanks to our online venue, we can now find homes all over the world for our merchandise.”
“Folk art and patriotic are always top sellers for us but we also sold from other fields of collecting,” McArdle added. “The most important points for selling successfully online are fair prices, clear photos showing all angles and a very detailed description. We always have to remind ourselves that an online customer cannot hold our antique in their hands.”
“We have learned it is very economical to sell in an online show — no hotel, food and gas expense added to booth rent so we are able to keep our prices lower than we would for an in-person show.”
Back for his fifth or sixth edition was Michael Weinberg of West Pelham Antiques, Pelham, Mass., who noted his success “has been consistently moderate, and by that I mean I sold two items this year [and each year].” This year’s sales were a circa 1870 Staffordshire child’s plate about baseball and an Augustin Edouart silhouette of two children playing. “I find it a fun show to do, and it gives my inventory exposure in a market that otherwise might be lost to me,” he reported. “Marvin Getman and the people running the show have simplified the listing process, and dealers are allowed to post up to 12 photos per item, which for me is very important!”
This cut silhouette of four women (detail) was a highlight from West Pelham Antiques, Pelham, Mass.
For David and Cheryl Craig Antiques of Mansfield, Ohio, the third time was indeed the charm, bringing very good results. “Everything we listed was looked at a lot. We will do the show again — it’s a good way for people to buy good things without the competition of a national auction and the putative buyer’s premium,” the dealers shared.
Two Sides of a River Antiques from New London, N.H., is another veteran dealer of the show. “I have been doing Fox Valley since its inception and participated in all of the shows, both spring and fall,” shared Michael Pheffer. “Although the business has changed in many ways, I have been a firm believer in the online and virtual show aspect of the business. I certainly understand the want and need to ‘hold the item’ in your hand, and obviously I feel the same myself at times. However as I’ve ‘matured,’ the thought of packing, driving, loading and unloading have become more of an issue, not to mention that I’ve grown more fond of great smalls, and paintings versus large furniture.”
At this show, Pheffer mostly offered country, primitive and Americana smalls. “I was glad to see a wide variety of interest in them, as was shown in the ‘booth visits tracker,’ and noticed that the burl pieces, a rare and colorful rainbow Spatterware pitcher and a WWI prisoner of war trench art watch fob had some of the highest individual visits.”
Lemme, who deals as Liberty Tree Antiques, Glen Ellyn, Ill., reported, “I had a very strong opening with seven sales within the first few minutes. There was interest in textiles, early tin items, velvet fruit, baskets and painted smalls. I could have sold some of these items several times — sadly there were disappointed buyers who missed them.”
Two Sides of a River Antiques featured a five-color rainbow spatterware pitcher, Nineteenth Century. New London, N.H.
“One of the great advantages of an online show is that we can reach buyers all over the country as well as internationally,” she said. “This spring we had dealers representing ten states who were able to reach customers who would never be in proximity to Fox Valley’s home location in northern Illinois. Participating dealers can also market their shops and websites through the show by including links to their websites in each of their show listings. Potential buyers can then browse through additional items not included in the dealer’s show booth,” which she said often results in additional sales not included in the show totals. “This time I sold a piece of furniture off my website. I also bought an additional item not included in the show that one of our dealers had hanging in their kitchen,” Lemme said, adding that she also had three follow-up sales of items in her booth: a Hannah Davis wallpaper bandbox, a painted trencher and an early bear’s paw quilt.
Jane Langol Antiques of Medina, Ohio, said the good thing about the show is the variety of items available. While only selling two quilts from the 15 she presented, she said all categories have an opportunity to be listed when dealers organize their online booth. “Generally, not a lot of quilts were submitted for the show, so perhaps that worked in my favor. I sold a star pattern crib quilt and a Mennonite pieced quilt that was quite early, native to Ohio, and was, apologetically, not in good condition…but it was early (1890-1920) and had a wonderful color scheme of black, lime green, lacquer red and purple.”
On the eve of the country’s 250th anniversary, many dealers are making sure to offer patriotic antiques. Home Farm Antiques, of Bolton Landing, N.Y., did just that and sold a circa 1900 George Washington papier-mâché candy container made in Germany.
Other notable sales included a 1946 Lisa Larson Africa lion from the Gustavsberg Art Pottery in Sweden, that was offered by Modern Design Antiques, Waitsfield, Vt. Garvey Rita Art & Antiques, Orleans, Mass., sold a hooked rug with a horse motif, circa 1950, from a Cape Cod collection, and a gameboard with provenance to Ricco Maresca. Tom’s Curiosity Shop, Goshen, N.Y., sold an early 1865 Honolulu newspaper, The Friend, with news of the Civil War ending and treason talks, while a grouping of five antique and vintage silver thimbles offered by Kay’s Attic Finds, Newburgh, N.Y., also found a new home.
The fall edition of the show will run October 17-18.
For information, www.foxvalleyantiquesshow.com.
