Collector Chats With Peter S. Seibert

This Week: So Where Are We With The Market?

I am often wary about prognosticating about the antiques market, as, frankly, it is akin to trying to guess the lottery or predict the weather on a given hour a week away. But venturing into the lion’s den is something that I am not afraid to do, and so here it goes.

By Peter Seibert

While the economists are predicting a recession at some point, I think a lot of dealers would say that it is here.

Despite lots of lookers, it seems as though the market is softer than it was a year ago at this time. Some shows, especially the small and well-managed and promoted ones, are solid, but I think others are really struggling. In the Midatlantic, the old adage was that you hoped for Republicans in D.C. because they would day trip to Lancaster and York to buy antiques. With a split Congress, I had hopes that we would see some impact, but not yet.

The items that seem to be selling, based on what I hear from dealers, are jewelry, jewelry and jewelry. Not surprising for a host of reasons. First, people are driven to valuable metals when thinking about tough economic times. While I doubt most would consign their collections to the furnaces to extract the gold or silver, it is still comforting to buy. Second, we are in a jewelry season, as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are big jewelry events.

I was surprised recently to be at an antiques mall waiting in a long line for payment (and I love lines in malls cause it means merch is moving). The people in front of me all had 1960-80s vintage ceramics. Not my taste, but clearly a hot item.

Watching the auctions, they seem soft as well. Items, especially esoteric material, that have high reserves are just crashing and burning. The comment always was that items from a dead collector will always get higher bids at sale than items from a living collector. So items that are coming from old collections seem to be doing well, although I note a dead pool fascination of sorts with the prices on items sold now compared to what they brought back in the 1990s. I confess to playing that game and digging out old catalogs to see what something brought in the day vs. what it is bringing at a sale now.

I will also say, with tears in my eyes, that brown furniture seems to have taken a bit of downward spin. I have seen solid prices on great clocks and the like, but I also have witnessed really good 18th century furniture bringing a fraction of what a repro example would do sold by a big box store. Up at Adamstown, I have watched serpentine card tables go wanting for buyers at $200. My mania for clocks could easily get out of hand when a brass dial eight-day tall clock in a nice case goes for only $5,000.

It’s a buyer’s market, so let’s all be buyers!

“Born to collect” should be the motto of Peter Seibert’s family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seibert’s writings include books on photography,

American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years’ worth of antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.

19711 Newark 302-454-8007

AUNT MARGARET’S ANTIQUE MALL, 294 E. Main St. Mon- Sat. 10-5, Sun 12-5. 2 floors. Antiques, collectibles, vintage, primitives, much more! www.auntmargaretsantiquemall.com

19711 Newark 302-733-7677

MAIN STREET ANTIQUES, 23 Possum Park Mall. Summer Hrs.: Mon.-Sat. 128, Sun. 12 - 5. Over 45 Showcase/ Room Dealers selling quality antiques & collectibles. mainstreetantiques.com

20758 Friendship410-286-5932

FRIENDSHIP ANTIQUES 3 W. Friendship Rd. In an 1806 Parsonage offering a wide range of Antiques, Art, Jewelry, Glassware, Collectibles, Fossils and Minerals. Thurs.-Sun. 11-5. 21901 North East410-287-8318 5 & 10 ANTIQUE MARKET, 115 S. Main St. Daily 10am-6pm. Cecil County’s largest! Approx. 65 dealers, variety & nostalgia. Buying/ selling antiques & collectibles. Local honey available.

07901 Summit 908-273-9373 SUMMIT ANTIQUES CENTER,

To place your classified ad Call 1-800-428-4211

Gold Rush

Continued from page 1 many to be a priceless national treasure. It is the single largest gold artifact in existence from the California Gold Rush and the most famous and desirable artifact from what Life magazine called ‘The Greatest Treasure Ever Found,’” furthered Crum.

“The Eureka Bar weighs 933.94 Troy ounces, a little over 64 pounds. The ingot’s value in 1857 was stamped by San Francisco assayers Kellogg & Humbert as $17,433.57, but today it’s insured for $10 million,” explained Crum.

“The S.S. Central America was a 280-foot-long, threemasted side-wheel steamship carrying tons of California Gold Rush treasures from Panama to New York City that sank in the Atlantic Ocean 150 miles off the North Carolina coast during a hurricane on September 12, 1857. It was discovered about 7,200 feet below the ocean’s surface in 1988 by a

07052 West Orange973-323-1711

VALLEY VINTAGE, 168 South Valley Rd.

Open Mon-Sat. 11-6, Sun. 12-5. 2100 sq.ft., 25+ dealers. Antiques, vintage, collectibles, furniture, decor, kitchenware, jewelry, books, LPs, ephemera.

08005 Barnegat609-698-3020

BAY AVENUE ANTIQUES, 349 S. Main.

Open Wed.- Sun., Noon - 6 PM. Book Seller, Pottery, Glass, Furniture, Holiday, Decoys, Antiques & UniquesPLUS Chalkpaint & Iron Orchid Design.

08016 Burlington609-747-8333

HISTORIC BURLINGTON ANTIQUES & ART EMPORIUM, 424 High Street. Open 6 Days, Tues.-Sun.: T,

10-5, Sun. 11-5. We have 38 Dealers. www.tomatofactoryantiques.com

16801 State College814-238-2980

APPLE HILL ANTIQUES, 2221 East College Ave. Distinctive antiques in a gallery setting. Over 60 dealers. Open daily 10 to 6. Wide variety.

17062 Millerstown717-589-7810

STITCH IN TIME ANTIQUE & GIFT

MALL, 43 N. Market St. Antiques, Collectibles, Furniture, Quality Handmade Crafts & Gifts. Open 7 days 10-5, Fri. til 8. Millerstown exit off RT 322.

17307 Biglerville717-503-4264

THIELEMANN’S ANTIQUES, 1 N. Main St. Wholesale & Retail. 4,500 sq. ft. furn. & smalls. See our Thielemann’s Antqs. Facebook page for photos & info. Open Sat. 10-4 & Sun. 12-4.

Hill 856-478-9810 OLD MILL ANTIQUE MALL, 1 S. Main Street. Open Daily, 11-5; Sat. 10-5. Antiques, glassware, records, coins, stamps, military items, collectible toys, trains, linens, books & ephemera.

08081 Sicklerville856-545-3187 CARNIVAL OF COLLECTABLES, 368 Cross Keys Rd. Open Wed.- Sat. 10am6pm, Sun. 10am-5pm. 12,000 sq.ft Antique & Arts Mall, over 100 dlrs. www.carnivalofcollectables.com scientific expedition using a six-ton remote-controlled submersible vehicle,” explained Bob Evans, the chief scientist and historian on the recovery missions.

08096 Woodbury856-848-0002 ANTIQUES ON EVERGREEN, 429 S. Evergreen Ave. Multi-dealer Co-op, 50+ dealers. 20,000 sq. ft., 1 floor ADA Compliant. Quality antiques & collectibles. Huge, free parking. Mon.-Sun.10 am-6 pm.

“The tragedy of the S.S. Central America sinking took the lives of 425 of the ship’s 578 passengers and crew members, and the loss of the gold cargo was a major factor in the economically devastating financial Panic of 1857 in the United States,” said Evans, who will be at the Long Beach Expo to meet with visitors and answer questions about the S.S. Central America.

The exhibit also includes a prospector’s recovered saddle bag that contained gold coins, nuggets and gold dust. Visitors can see the only known complete treasure shipment box from the 1850s California Gold Rush period. An embossed wax seal on the box is still easily readable as “Alsop & Co.,” renowned merchants and gold treasure shippers of the era.

Other sunken treasure artifacts in the exhibit include a gold pocket watch cover

17350 NewOxford717-624-3800

ZELMA’S EMPORIUM (Formerly Golden Lane) 11 N. Water Street. Antiques, Americana, Art, Asian, Primitives, etc. Closed Mon., Tues.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 12-5 or by appt. ZelmasAntiques.com

17361 Shrewsbury717-235-6637

SHREWSBURY ANTIQUE CENTER 65 N. Highland Dr. “A True Antique Mall”

Over 10,000 sq.ft. with over 60 dealers. Open 7 days, 10-5. Ample parking. Close to other shops in historic village.

18460 SouthSterling570-594-7316 with intricately engraved scenes of early San Francisco, a Madonna with child figurine, and a rare medal presented by the Order of Saint Maurice and Saint Lazarus, the world’s second oldest order of knighthood, recovered from the sunken ship’s seabed debris field.

SWANANTIQUES 424 So. Sterling Rd on Rte.191.American, Oriental, French and English furniture, objects and art. Mon.-Fri. 10am-5pm (Lunch 12-1); Sat./Sun. 12-5pm. Many shops in area.

The record-setting miner’s pants and cigars in the display were discovered in the submerged trunk of first-class passenger John Dement of Oregon, a merchant and military veteran. The ship stopped in Havana, Cuba, on its ill-fated voyage from Aspinwall (now Colón), Panama, to New York, where Dement presumably obtained cigars.

The display will also have items found in the trunk of first-class San Francisco “royalty” passengers, Ansel and Adeline Easton, who were on their honeymoon trip to New York. His ornately embroidered, fashionable smoking jacket is one of those items in the exhibition.

“After the steamship was overwhelmed and crippled by a hurricane, the captain, Commander William Lewis Herndon, ordered the lifeboats to be launched and the women and children, including Adeline, evacuated to a ship passing nearby. Ansel clung to debris in the water for hours after the ship sank until the crew from another vessel rescued him. Captain Herndon went down with the ship,” said Evans. The Eastons were reunited eight days later when the rescue ships reached port at Norfolk, Va.

“We are delighted to present these historic California Gold Rush sunken treasure artifacts for people to see in person,” stated Crum. “After this debut exhibition, we will be announcing future locations and dates in the United States and other countries for a ‘Treasures From the Deep’ touring display,” explained Crum.

For additional information about treasure from the S.S. Central America, visit www.FinestKnown.com.

Auctions

06/17/23, FREDERICK, SAT. AT 9AM, 2,500+ lots & 3 Auctioneers!

Gas-pwr. golf cart, antq. furn., sterling, Paul Wegner bronze sculp., mus. instru., 100's Hot Wheels, antq. toys, fine art/ prints, jewelry, typewriter tins, nice early dry sink, heavy ship's hatch table w/solid anchor chain legs, early hand-blt. boat w/elec. motor, stained glass, gfthr./mantel clocks, movie cameras, etc., Frederick Fairgrounds, 797 E. Patrick St., Bldg. 12, www.parzowauctions.com

06/08-10/23, PORTVILLE, THURS. 10AM; FRI. 9AM; SAT. 9AM, Hundreds of Catalogued & Uncatalogued Lots - 1,500+ pc. collec. pottery incl. rare pcs., extens. cookie jar collec., 100's tea pots, Shawnee, Hull, Hall, Fenton, etc. Antqs. & collec., antq. country store adv. & displays, collec., furn., tobacco ctrs+ adv., glasswr., scales, primitives, RR collec., tool collections, many fine/ rare pcs., 200+ levels, etc., Live & Online (catalogued sessions): 334 Pleasant Acres Dr.; AuctionZip & LiveAuctioneers.com, Chupp

Auctions & United Auctions

06/10-11/23, WILLOUGHBY, SAT& SUN AT10:00 AM, Twoday premier collectable firearms auction includes the finest collection of sporting rifles & shotguns we have ever offered. Military weapons from Civil War through Vietnam, desirable handguns, almost every model Winchester, holsters and rigs, early flintlock weapons including European rarities. Also selling large offerings of pre 1940 cardboard advertising. Full catalog available on website., 39198 Willoughby Parkway, Miletone Auctions

PENNSYLVANIA

06/10/23, EPHRATA, SAT. AT 9AM, Variety Sale incl. antqs., collec., toys, model trains, dolls, hh goods, tools, hit & miss engines, farm primitives, N. Amer. collec., cameras/ access., cast iron, copper & brass, silver, Longaberger baskets/ access., pottery, linens/ textiles, books, ephem., sports cards/ mem., box lots & more!, 50 Durlach Rd., Horst Auctioneers

06/10/23, HARRISBURG, SAT.

AT10AM, Sohmer & Co. Cupid model piano, antq.+mod. furn., BR sets, spindle bed, wool winder, cradles, antq. dry sinks, antq. French doors, Ferguson Bros. pie crust table, child's rockers, bookcases, Klaussner reclining chairs, antq.+mod. prints/ paintings, collec., carn. glass, 150+ cased images/tin type photos, oil lamps, cameras, hh, lawn+gdn., etc., Online Only: www.CordierAuction.com, Cordier Auctions & Appraisals

“Under Cover: J.C. Leyendecker

And American Masculinity” On

06/12/23, HALLAM, MON. AT 4PM, 2010 H. Davidson Heritage Classic Softail cycle- 29K mi., F&S 12' stake side util. trailer, 1914 Bull Run Flood photos (Craley), 14K gold jewelry, Thorens disc music box, Gordon Sitler (Craley) duck decoys, collec., tools, vtg. gambling wheel, fire items: bell, hat, helmet, etc., beer signs, baseball cards, furn., books, cast iron, collec. toys & more!, Hellam Fire Co. Social Hall, 163 E. Market St., Gilbert & Gilbert Auctioneers, Inc.

06/15/23, EPHRATA, THURS.

AT12 NOON, 334 Lots of Coins & Currency. Many better grade coins in vty. of series incl. lg. cents, 3 cent silvers & nickels, shield & Liberty nickels, approx. 100 silver dollars cc dates in '78, '80, '89, '92, silver bars, value bags of W.L. halves, & more!, 50 Durlach Rd., Horst Auctioneers

06/15/23, KINZERS, THURS. AT 10AM, Petroliana, Harley manuals & memorabilia, mechanics tools & toolboxes, adv. signs incl. metal 1940's Coca-Cola, Railway Express, 2 lg. wall-sz. UniRoyal, 2sided porcelain Lincoln Telephone & Telegraph Local & Long Dist. feat. stick telephone. Yard equip. incl. 4 lg. snow blowers, Stihl Magnum backpack leaf blower, & much more., Live & Online: 5336 Mine Rd.; embassyauctionsinternational.com; liveauctioneers & invaluable.com, Embassy Auctions International

06/17/23, COLLEGEVILLE, SATURDAYAT9:00 AM, On-site Auction featuring antiques, railroad/aviation/farm collectibles, glassware, pottery, ephemera, furniture, toys, tools & more. See details and photos on website., 1275 N. Grange Ave, JR's Auctioneering

06/17/23, TELFORD, SAT. AT 9AM, Antqs., Fretz/Souder fraktur, 1800's Tauffsheins, early deeds, Elgin watches, Souderton clock, local prints, quilts/ wall hangings, 14 hanging leaded glass lamps by local artists, newer crocks. Restaurant equip.: Manitowe ice machines, Garland deep fryers, ovens & grills, refrig., freezer, stainless, pots/ pans, 6 shadow box lighted displays & much more!, R&S Keystone Diner, 4714 Bethlehem Pk., Gary Fluck Auctions

SHOW & FLEA MARKET CALENDAR

GEORGIA ILLINOIS

View At The New-York Historical Society Exhibition Open Through Aug. 13

“Under Cover” examines the work and influence of J.C. Leyendecker (1874–1951), a preeminent illustrator and commercial artist who helped shape American visual culture in the first three decades of the 20th century through captivating advertisements including the legendary “Arrow Collar Man” and countless covers for the Saturday Evening Post. Leyendecker’s illustrations for a mainstream audience often had unspoken undertones; his work is especially revealing for what it says about the cultural attitudes of the period.

The exhibition showcases 19 of the artist’s original oil paintings and a wealth of related ephemera and features both Leyendecker’s editorial work, such as magazine covers, as well as commercial illustrations that appeared in the pages of popular publications, on roadside billboards, in store windows, and on mass transit. Laying the groundwork of Leyendecker’s narratives, these ads starred fashionable men in stylish settings engaged in activities such as boating, golfing, or reading in men’s clubs.

“Under Cover” delves into the early politics of gender while simultaneously examining how Leyendecker helped