I can’t wait to see you at New England Antique Show‘s much anticipated Spring Fever Antiques and Design Show and Sale! This event – truly a breath of fresh air –  is April 24th from 10am to 5pm and April 25th from 11am to 4 pm.  It will be held at the historic Concord Amory, located at 91 Everett Street, Concord, Massachusetts. There is plenty of free parking.  And speaking of a good deal, click here for your two-for-one admission coupon, just for VIPs! (Val’s Important Pals!) Otherwise, a weekend pass is $7; Sunday only is $5. Children 16 and under are admitted free with the purchase of an adult ticket.

It goes without saying that this show is a “can’t miss” for anybody interested in antiques, collectibles, and decorative items for homes and gardens of any size. Over 40 dealers from 10 states will showcase outstanding items just in time for the spring wedding, graduation, and Mother’s Day season. Expect to find treasures including estate jewelry, fine art and pottery, toys and games, rare books and maps, tabletop settings, furniture, rugs, silver, china, glass, and crystal.  Here on the left you see a wonderful garden antiques display by Debra Queen of South Dartmouth,  MA, who will be bringing her delightful wares to Concord. Personally, I hope to find some Fenton glass for my Grandmother, Blue Willow china for my Mom, and mohair Teddies and animals for me at the show!

And what’s an event without a special guest? In addition to high quality, exceptional merchandise, the show also features a valuation clinic lead by industry veteran Linda Roberts, an accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers (ISA). Linda has vast experience identifying and valuing the full spectrum of vintage and antique collectibles.  Linda looks forward to speaking with you about your special treasures you bring from home.  Who knows…maybe that vintage vase you picked up at a tag sale for $0.50 a few years ago really is worth something?  It’s certainly worth finding out!  Each of Linda’s valuations is $5 with a show admission ticket, with a maximum of three items per person. All proceeds from the clinic will go to the Family Readiness Group of the 182nd Medical Company of the Concord Armory.

Val had the pleasure of speaking with Linda recently about her experience and the world of identifying and valuing antiques and vintage collectibles. Here’s some interesting highlights from the conversation…

Linda: Sure. An appraisal is a written, bound document with extensive research, photos and opinion of value usually done for a specific purpose such as estate taxes, insurance etc. A verbal approximation of value, which is what is given at events, fairs, shows, etc., is just that, a verbal approximation with very little or no research. Nothing is in writing.

Val: Can you tell us about the most unusual item brought to you at an event?

Linda: Let’s see.  I think the most unusual item was a dress worn by Judy Garland. The woman who brought it to me owned a costume store and would buy clothing from a dealer that purchased items from sales at movie studios.  This dress had a label stating that it was Judy Garland’s costume. It dated from around the 1940’s. It was very difficult to assign a final value to it without more research; for example, the movie in which it was worn would contribute to its value.  In a case like this, the owner was told to do some detective work and identify the movie in which the dress appeared. I suggested calling the archives at the studio or simply watching old movies! I eventually valued the dress in $1,800 to $2,300 range.

Val: Wow, that’s so cool!  Can you tell us about the highest valued item you have assessed?

Linda: Sure!  I was examining items in a home for an estate tax appraisal. I was crawling around a small storage area and found a few old paintings. One in particular was interesting to me because I recognized the artist immediately, even though it was in terrible condition.  I discussed the painting with my client and told him it was painted by one of the “Philadelphia Ten” by the name of Fern Coppedge.  Fern was an American artist who lived from 1883 through 1951. I was able to broker the painting and it sold for $250,000! The client was very happy and told me that if I were not there he would have sold the painting for $25 at a house sale!

Linda: Of course. No appraiser knows everything. It is important for the appraiser to know their limitations. It is not unusual for an appraiser to give a referral instead of a value especially at an appraisal fair. Sometimes the referral is to another expert or to do some detective work on their own. Part of our expertise is to have extensive contacts in all fields. A good appraiser will reveal their specialties.

Linda: Yes, I am a collector!  I love books with great illustrators such as those done by Margaret Tarrant. I love hand-painted porcelain as well as Lalique glass. My favorite is a rare large cockatoo that stands approx 12″ tall and has a 12″ wing span.  He was made by Rene Lalique in the early 20th century. To the left is a picture of my collectible cockatoo for your readers!

The Spring Fever Antiques and Design Show and Sale is produced by Marvin Getman of New England Antique Shows. For more information please call (781) 862-4039 or visit NEAS’ website at www.neantiqueshows.com.

Before I share the story of these delightful delfts and what makes them so special, let’s take a brief look at the history of ceramic tiles. Functional and decorative tiles have been around since around 4000 BC; the oldest known tiles were discovered in Egypt. Over the centuries, they were used extensively to decorate places of religious worship and later the homes and businesses of affluent individuals. Fast forward to 1584; expert potters from the Dutch city of Delft begin creating the area’s now iconic blue and white ceramics that are now known all over the world. The designs behind these blue and white classics were in part based on imported Chinese porcelain of the 17th century. The city of Delft was a homeport of the Dutch East India Company, so these early potters clearly had a world of inspiration right in their own backyards.  (This picture here on the left shows a delightful variety of colorful American and European tiles from the mid 1600’s through the 1930’s.)

Having a personal passion for all things from the arts and crafts movement (1870 – 1920), I was intrigued to learn that these tiles were not only from that amazing design period, but were actually designed by William Morris himself! William Morris was the founder of the arts and crafts era, a design and philosophical movement which started as a backlash to the industrial mechanized production of goods which separated craftsman from craft.  Morris and his colleagues advocated for a return to all things simple and handmade to make life more authentic. This movement started in England and quickly spread throughout Europe and then to the United States.  (This picture is a close up of the single William Morris blue and white hand painted delft tile I found on my adventure.)

These remarkable tiles, perfect examples of the artisan work of the arts and crafts movement, were created in 1870 in Morris’ own “scroll” pattern. They were manufactured by hand for him by three different Dutch factories.  They are tin glazed, meaning they are finished with a glaze made by adding tin to a lead glaze, which when fired becomes an opaque white.  These tiles were originally designed to decorate Morris’ own “arts and crafts” style home in Bexleyheath, London, known as The Red House.   In addition to tiles, Morris and his group of like minded artistic friends collaboratively produced arts and crafts style wallpaper, fabric, rugs, furniture, and other decorative objects.  (This picture is of two William Morris blue and white hand painted delft tiles in a wooden frame that I found on my adventure.)

I would like to thank Wendy Harvey and Sandy Fowler, owners of Antique Articles of Dunstable, Massachusetts for sharing these breathtaking arts and crafts tiles with me. Antique Articles, in business for over 20 years, specializes in tiles made during the English arts and crafts era through the American arts and crafts era.  In addition to individual tiles they have panels, tables, fireplace surrounds, and art tiles.

Learn more about New England Antique Shows and their upcoming events by clicking here!