For many years I exhibited at the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show and I am pleased to see that the show is still going strong.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary year, this large conglomeration of dealers from around the country and even from across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, converge at the Baltimore Convention Center Labor Day weekend, September 2-5, 2010. The floor is packed with booths that put together extensive displays of fine art, furniture, Asian art, American and European silver, jewelry, porcelain, glass, textiles, American folk art and more– all for sale, which makes this a popular show with antiques collectors.
“What makes the Baltimore Summer Antiques show such an iconic event is its sheer size – with 550 international dealers including a 70-dealer antiquarian book fair, it is the largest indoor antiques show in the country and it is one of downtown Baltimore’s longest-running events,” says Kris Charamonde, co-owner and show manager in their news release.
Many things have changed since the time when I set up a display of antique American lighting in what was a brand new show in a relatively new facility. In October of 2005, what was once a show owned by a promotion team based in Maryland, was acquired by the Palm Beach Show Group who have increased the international promotion of the event, according to their figures, which has in turn dramatically increased attendence.
The best times to visit an antiques show ,if you are looking for particular items that may be in high demand, are when it first opens to the public. Keep in mind that dealers buy and sell amongst themselves during the previous day of set-up. The final hours, as the dealers prepare to pack up their wares, can be a good time for negotiating down the price of large hard to transport items. I’ve personally done well with my furniture acquisitions on a mid-Sunday afternoon. (Most shows close at 5:00 p.m. on Sundays)
This year’s Baltimore show will feature an educational lecture series that is free to the public as well as show attendees. The lecture series will include presentations on a wide array of topics by respected dealers and industry experts such as Robert Mintz, Associate Curator of Asian Art for The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Md., and Janet Drucker, founder of Drucker Antiques, a recognized authority of Georg Jensen silver jewelry, flatware and hollowware.
Of particular interest, Grant Walker
Education Specialist for the United States Naval Academy Museum will be lecturing on The U.S. Naval Academy Museum’s Collection of Antique Ship Models and Display Cases, c. 1650-1830
A 1973 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Walker served several tours of duty in Europe and earned an MA in National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School. In 1987, Grant was assigned to the Naval Academy as an Instructor of History, where for six years he taught courses in Western Civilization, American Naval Heritage, and Modern Art and Music. He began working in the Museum immediately after his retirement from the Army in 1993, designing the old Class of 1951 Gallery of Ships as well as the present exhibit, “Ship Models from the Age of Sail.” An authority on sailing men-of-war, he is nearing completion of a two-volume study of the Naval Academy Museum’s collection of ancient ship models titled, Colonel Rogers’ Fleet: Dockyard Ship Models at the United States Naval Academy Museum.
Here is the complete lecture schedule:
Thursday, September 2
3:00 p.m.
The U.S. Naval Academy Museum’s Collection of Antique Ship Models and Display Cases, c. 1650-1830
Grant Walker, Education Specialist for the United States Naval Academy Museum
Friday, September 3
1:00 p.m.
Dining in Style with Georg Jensen Silver
Janet Drucker of Drucker Antiques
3:00 p.m.
Hunting for East Asian Treasures:
Fine Art, Collectables and Exotica
Robert Mintz, Associate Curator of Asian Art at The Walters Art Museum
Saturday, September 4
1:00 p.m.
It has Hallmarks, What is it? The Hallmarks of Great Britain and America
Robert Lloyd of Robert Lloyd, Inc.
3:00 p.m.
One of The Three Graces: Schoolgirl Art and Watercolors of the 19th Century
Timothy Stevenson of Carlson & Stevenson Antiques and Art
Sunday, September 5
1:00 p.m.
Tea and Alchemy: A History of Porcelain from the Ceramic Wars to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Jacqueline Smelkinson and Marcia Moylan of Moylan – Smelkinson/The Spare Room
3:00 p.m.
Barometers: How to Date and Value Your Antique Barometer
John Forster of Barometer Fair
