The seated gentleman looks directly into the camera, his arm resting on a posing table in this rare stereo daguerreotype by Broadbent, Philadelphia, in the original Mascher viewing thermoplastic case, dated 1853. It was sold by dealer David Thompson.
Review by W.A. Demers; Photos Courtesy Show Dealers
ONLINE — Returning for its fourth year, the 49th annual Fall Fox Valley Antiques Show, an online-only venue, was conducted the weekend of October 21-22. It’s hosted by the Chicago Suburban Antiques Dealers Association (CSADA). The show featured 32 dealers (a bit down in count from last year), who collectively offered a total of 793 items. A total of 150 items were marked as “Sold” or “Reserved” for a sell-through rate of 18.9 percent (prior shows have ranged from 14.7 percent to 23.3 percent). There were 3,511 visitors to the website over the two days the show was open. The top five countries were the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France and Australia, while the top 15 states were Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana and Connecticut.
Overall sales totaled $72,974, with an average sale of $480, median sale of $350 and highest sale of $2,000.
These statistics are provided by Marvin Getman, who as most remember, designed the platform for online shows in response to Covid shutdowns after March 2020. Said show co-chair and CSADA president Debbie McArdle, the owner of Iron Horse Antiques, “After Covid was under control and in-person shows reopened, we realized many of our dealers actually preferred the ease of online selling — no loading, unpacking, repacking, reloading, driving, hotel expense, etc. Therefore, we decided to continue with two online shows and one in-person show per year and it has proved to be a winning combination.”
Holden Antiques offered this detailed pair of cast iron Native American figural andirons from the mid-Nineteenth Century, finely detailed cast figures in excellent original condition.
McArdle added, “Our most recent online show featured our dedicated dealers, all who had participated in one or more of our online shows in the past with the exception of Wendy Hamilton of Wendy B. Hamilton Antiques of Ontario, Canada. Wendy sold very well and afterwards wrote, ‘What a well-rounded online show. The setup and show were made easy by the program that you use. I appreciated the quick assistance whenever I asked for it. I followed all of the directions given and so did not run into any snags setting up or during the show. I sold well and met my goal of the show costing less than 10 percent of my sales. I appreciated the statistics that you put on my dashboard showing the number of visits per item.’”
Said Getman, “We have added in a counter so that dealers know how many people visit their booth and how many clicks each item gets. The totals for this show were booth visits: 45,159 (1,411 per dealer); item clicks: 15,565 (20 per item listed).
McArdle looked back at the past seven shows and discovered a progression of improving photography and writing skills, “all of which surely contributed to our 35 percent jump in gross sales over those of spring 2023,” she said. “Along with improved skills, our dealers have learned what sells best and they choose their merchandise accordingly.”
Getman’s platform is exceedingly easy to use — both for shoppers and dealers. Each dealer is allowed to upload up to 30 items on the platform and replenish the “shelves” as items sell. These are clearly marked as “new” and “sold” labels are added to those that have found buyers. Navigation is enhanced by links that denote categories, or if one is looking for a particular dealer, there are links for those as well. He encourages sellers to provide multiple photos of each item so that shoppers can see it from a variety of angles and coaches them to photograph their merchandise with clean, uncluttered backgrounds. There are multiple ways – email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses — for buyers to reach sellers, even a button that provides a quick connection.
This Nineteenth Century copper rooster weathervane with wrought iron feet on a later stand, circa 1850, was cock of the walk in the virtual booth of Leatherwood antiques. It was priced $850.
Categories ranged from country to formal, folk art to fine art, Seventeenth Century to Modernism, garden to holiday, textiles, jewelry, toys and more.
John and Jan Maggs, known for their selection of early English oak furniture and jewelry, were back for their fourth year. Among their offerings was a large, heavy, Seventeenth Century boarded oak coffer or “sword chest,” circa 1680, which they priced $750. It was described as an attractive and functional piece for the storage of blankets or bedding. Formed of six wide and heavy oak planks, four long ones running horizontally form the side and two vertical ones forming both the ends and the legs, the piece featured “V” cutouts on the ends to provide decorative details while serving as the coffer’s feet.
Jane Langol said, “I find the Fox Valley Online Antiques Show to be a great venue to present great antiques in the relaxed setting of my home!” She presented a grey growler Teddy Bear and the surprise sale of the show — four camp chairs. “Who would have thought that camp chairs would sell at the end of summer at an online show! They did! And they will be on their way to Vermont for a cabin setting. The Teddy Bear was just too sweet to leave alone in the show, so it found a welcome home in Illinois. The ease of using the platform to sell makes this a great experience for a somewhat ‘non-techy’ person. I am ready for the 2024 version of the show.”
How about a sweet, stenciled child’s chair? Virginia Larson sold one. Circa late 1800s, it was stenciled with the alphabet and “A Good Child” featuring gold on black paint with a lyre decoration stenciled on the back splat. All original., it was 17-1/8 inches tall. ”As for me, one-third of my items found a new home with more than 1,300 booth visits. The stenciled child’s chair sold within 15 minutes of the show opening. It was from Pennsylvania, dating from the last quarter of the 1800s.”
This sweet, stenciled child’s chair, circa late 1800s, was stenciled with the alphabet and “A Good Child” featuring gold on black paint with a lyre decoration stenciled on the back splat. “[It] sold within 15 minutes of the show opening. It was from Pennsylvania, dating from the last quarter of the 1800s,” said dealer Virginia Larsen.
Bookseller Sandra Hoekstra sold a miniature Holy Bible printed in Glasgow in 1901. First published in 1896, the small, complete Bible was illustrated with line drawings of Biblical scenes. Verso the title page was the licensure statement to reproduce the Oxford Bible by permission of the Queen [Victoria].
Reproduced on thin paper by a photographic method, it was produced in the thousands. Said Hoekstra, “My seventh and best-ever Fox Valley Virtual Antiques Show! They are always fun to do — and always fun to shop. I’m already looking forward to the spring show!”
Of course, not everyone is able to count on having a sunny day. Ed and Anita Holden sold only six items despite having some great merchandise on offer, like a mid-Nineteenth Century cast iron pair of figural andirons depicting Native Americans priced $495. “Unfortunately, it [the show] was quite disappointing,” he said. “In the past, we would sell 14-16 items, and I thought we had a better chance this time but I was wrong. I have again examined and analyzed the individual dealers sales in the show to try to get a better handle on the market served by Fox Valley. It is hard to do just from numbers. I like to see the customers and how they look and react to the offerings. Well, it is obvious I have not cracked the code for selling here.”
Nevertheless, CSADA’s McArdle remains sanguine about the show going forward. “Fox Valley’s long history of loyal customers was established decades before the internet was invented, and we are glad to be part of that great tradition, carrying on into the future with both online and in-person shows. The 67th Annual Spring Fox Valley Antiques Show Online will take place March 9-10, 2024.” For information, www.foxvalleyantiques.getmansvirtual.com for updates.
