Yesterday I spent the day at the Houston Antique Dealers Associations (HADA) show and sale.  It was a lovely Saturday, and the crowds were pretty good.

Some of the dealers said they had done well, and that the number of people who turned out for the opening preview party (this was the first year for preview parties) had brought out a good crowd.  It seemed like a somewhat positive start to this three day show.

Other dealers said the show had been quiet.  They were wondering if the buyers come out on Sunday’s looking for deals or if this was as good as it gets.

The HADA show is in its 46^th year.  This is certainly an established show that has a long standing, well- to- do Houston crowd.  There is over 150 dealers from all over the country that setup at this show, and most of them carry a very traditional line of antiques such as high brow 18-19^th century furniture, grandfather clocks, expensive English porcelain, silver, and 19^th Century paintings.

To me, the market for this style of antique collecting has become very quiet.  The “buyer” has changed to the 30-40s crowds that do not appreciate “grandma’s” antiques.

When speaking with several dealers about what collecting trends they are seeing, the answer was often the same. The hot ticket in collecting:  Chinese antiques.

Not just porcelain, but art, sculpture, furniture, etc.  It would seem that the Chinese have become greatly interested in acquiring all things Chinese and have loads of money to do so.

Numerous dealers commented on seeing Chinese buyers at the local shows, shopping at local malls and even in line at estate sales looking to acquire things to bring back home.  One dealer mentioned knowing numerous American dealers that were acquiring items for buyers in China.  They would fill containers and ship them overseas.

The interest in Chinese antiques is not limited to a certain time period. They are apparently buying everything from 17^th century to 20^th.  However, I was told the items of strongest interest are items that were made for the domestic market, not the export market.

I can’t say I know much about the Asian antiques market. I can barely tell Japanese porcelain from Chinese porcelain.  I also don’t know new from old, but I would greatly recommend anyone looking for a hot collectible to scoop up to grab some reference books and keep your eyes open in your picking adventures.

Happy Hunting!

Reyne