By Don Johnson It’s one thing that those of us who write for AntiqueWeek don’t cover well enough. And, it’s the one thing that auctioneers probably don’t stress enough. Low prices. True bargains. Great deals. The nature of the beast, when it comes to reporting on the antiques trade, is to glorify the best of the best. The record-setting prices. The top lots. That’s both good and necessary. After all, no one watches American Idol late in the season to hear some second-rate, karaoke performance. We want to see Taylor Hicks doing his signature. But admit it, if you’re a fan of Idol, you also tune in to the early episodes to see the wannabes, the people who couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. They leave the judges grimacing and the rest of us saying, “I can sing better than that.” It’s that last thought that brings us back to the antiques market. While the highest prices make the headlines, there are plenty of items that slip through each auction for less than they’re worth. It’s not that they’re undesirable – like some off-pitch squealing at an American Idol audition. Instead, for whatever reason, they just don’t sell for as much as some other things. Sometimes, that makes them a bargain. But, bargains seldom make headlines. Steve Early understands that. As owner of Early Auction Co., which specializes in art glass, he knows that when only the highest-selling lots are trumpeted, some potential buyers may have the misperception that they can’t afford anything at his auctions. But that’s not true. “The deals are out there,” he said when discussing his company’s spring art glass auction, held April 7-8 in Cincinnati (see Page 4 of the National section for full coverage of this auction). Like any other segment of the antiques and collectibles market, glassware is not one-dimensional. Early’s auctions reflect that. “There’s a great space in this market where I think people can take advantage of the range,” he said. The best items aren’t always at the bottom of the barrel. Cheap glass or toys or table linens are often more than just inexpensive. They’re undesirable. They will always be cheap. To find the bargains, you have to be knowledgeable enough to hunt for the right thing in the appropriate section of the market. For art glass, that’s currently the mid-range. “There are some wonderful things in the mid-range, where the bargains are,” Early said. “It’s where people should be looking.” One of those items in the April sale was a rainbow mother-of-pearl rose bowl that sold for $1,380 (with premium) against a presale estimate of $1,500-2,000. While that’s still a lot of money for many collectors, it’s a far cry from the $40,250 Steuben Aurene vase that was the top lot of the auction. “That example had fabulous color. Rainbow mother-of-pearl is rare,” Early said. “That piece is very reasonable at $1,200 (hammer). I would say that was soft with the color that strong. Good rainbow is attractive right now. Some of the other mother-of-pearl, the Stevens and Williams mother-of-pearl, is certainly reasonable.” He pointed out other areas where buyers with patience, a good eye and a little money could make a move, including some Steuben that sold for three-figure prices and some Hobbs Brockunier Wheeling peachblow that brought less than its estimates. The Victorian art glass market as a whole offers some great opportunities for collectors and dealers. “Regardless of your budget, there are ways to participate, whether you’re quite wealthy or not wealthy at all. There are quite wonderful things at all price levels.” The misconception, according to Early, is that everything is expensive. It’s not. Unfortunately, part of the blame for that false impression lies with media reports that highlight the most expensive lots. As Early noted, “We’ve got a beautiful product at prices today that are very, very attractive if you really look at this glass and look closely. It’s a nice time to be buying it.” The same can be said about many other segments of the antiques and collectibles market. And, that’s what we don’t write about often enough. |