NOVA-Antiques.com does not manage, own, promote or operate the antique shows, flea markets, estate sales, auctions or other events
listed on our webpages. All information is provided as a service to our subscribers and clients. Although we try to verify
all listings for all events prior to publication, there are occasions where the time and place may have changed or the event did not
occur. It is a good idea to check with the owners, managers or promoters to make sure the event is being held before embarking
on a journey.
Mikey’s dear old friend had been slipping in and out of coma for several months and Mikey had stayed by her bedside every single day. One day, when she came to, she motioned for Mikey to come closer. As Mikey sat next to her, with tears in her eyes she said, “Mikey, you have been with me all through the bad times.
When I got fired from the auction house, you were there to support me. When my antique business failed, you were there. When I got
shot by that burglar, you were by my side. When I lost the house in a bad deal, you stayed right here. When my health started failing,
you were still by my side. You know what?" "What dear?" Mikey gently asked, smiling as his heart began to fill with warmth. "I think you're really bad luck."
Where to Buy Antique Pottery – Upcoming Antiques Shows
The Fabulous Finds Holiday Barn Sale will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2009. The barn has been restocked and is bursting with fabulous antiques, vintage furniture and home decoration accessories. The Fabulous
Find barn is located at 1870 Hunter Mill Road in Vienna, Virginia and will be open from 8 am until 4 pm. A portion of the proceeds
from all barn sales are donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
November 7-8, 2009, DC Big Flea, Dulles Expo & Convention Center, Chantilly, Virginia
November 7-8, 2009, Morristown Armory Antiques
Show, Morristown National Guard Armory, Morristown, New Jersey
November 14, 2009, Great Lehigh Valley Antique Show, Merchants Square
Mall, Allentown, Pennsylvania
November 14-15, 2009, Bloomsburg Antique Show & Sale, Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Like other antiques and vintage collectibles, the value of antique pottery depends on many factors, but
the most important thing is “what is someone willing to pay for it?” Aside from that, there are some other things that collectors
will look for when purchasing pottery for their collections including its condition, collectability and of course can it be attributed
to one of the great potters.
Antique pottery is probably one of the easier antique and vintage collectible items to identify because we find that most potters
marked their wares. Normally, the potter will have marked their creation under the glaze on the bottom of a bowl, platter or
vase. The marks can be very revealing, telling us not only who the potter was, but when a particular piece may have been made
and a lot of times even the country of origin. These marks can be very important when trying to determine what something is
worth.
Aside from the potters mark, the other things that may increase or decrease the value of a piece of pottery is its condition. Many antique and vintage pottery collectors will only pay for pieces that have no cracks, although some will make an exception for
rare pieces that contain hairline cracks that do not come through the piece. Other things that collectors shy away from are
chips and nicks, especially around the outside rims of vases or bowls. Again, some exceptions are made if the pottery is rare
and can be displayed in a cabinet with its flaws hidden. In either case, no matter the potters mark, a collector will not pay
top dollar for flawed pieces.
Apart from rarity, another thing that collectors look for are pottery that are hand painted as opposed to mass produced pottery that
has printed or stamped designs. Because of this, pottery from the late eighteen hundreds tends to be the most popular to collect;
most potters from that era are well known for their original, artistic and naturalistic designs. Potters of this time period
include Charles Volmar, George Ohr, Grueby Faience and of course Artus Van Briggle; many other great potters worked for manufacturers
like Rookwood and Weller. Most pieces of pottery from this era tend to be rare and one of a kind.
American Pottery Artist – George E. Ohr
George E. Ohr, whose family was originally from France, was born in 1857 in Mississippi and
is well known for his work with modern clay forms and for the amount of work that he produced. Reportedly he produced more than
10,000 pieces and claimed that no two were exactly alike. Although many collectors now consider him a genius, in the late eighteen
hundreds and early nineteen hundreds, other craftsmen did not accept him because of abstract expressionistic pottery or because he
boasted and was considered a loudmouth.
Today, his work is renowned and collectors clamor for his work. Some of the things that set his work apart from others are theglazes that he used and the forms or shapes that he was able to accomplish using a potter’s wheel. Many have tried to
replicate his designs using the wheel and have failed. George E. Ohr marked most of his works and is easily identifiable. Additionally, his works are widely exhibited throughout the United States and Europe and a large collection of his works are displayed
in the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum in Biloxi, Mississippi. A lot of collectors or would be collectors turn to OldPottery.com a great
site that has information on how to identify George E. Ohr pottery.
Buffalo Political & Presidential Memorabilia Convention 2010
We have written numerous times about political and presidential memorabilia and
the value of such memorabilia in the future. On August 1, 2010, which we know is still a long way out but wanted to get it on
your calendar, more than 1000 collectors from around the country will converge in Buffalo, New York for its first ever political memorabilia convention. The convention will feature political pins, buttons, banners and other trinkets as well as appraisals and even nationally known Theodore
Roosevelt impersonator Joe Wiegand.
The convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo and will be hosted by the American Political Items Collector Group (APIC),
which has more than two thousand dues paying members. APIC professes to be the third oldest hobby organization in the country
with only coin collectors and stamp collectors being older. A lot of the conventioneers will be from the Buffalo area and will
feature Buffalo political memorabilia and many will travel to the Buffalo area and will exhibit national memorabilia from around the
country.
If you are going to be in the Buffalo area for the political and presidential memorabilia convention,
you may as well stop in at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in nearby North Tonawanda, New York. The Herschell Company,
which was founded in 1915 was one of the prolific makers of carousels and specialized in making portable carousels that were transportable
by carnival operators. The Herschell Carrousel Company shipped many of these rides throughout the United States and across the
globe.
Recent Auctions – Vintage Observatory Regulator Clock
A vintage observatory regulator clock made by E. Howard & Company of Boston
sold for a whopping $52,900 at a recent Cottone Auctions in Geneseo, New York. The clock was one of more than two hundred that
changed hands during the auction which drew more than two hundred people. The vintage regulator clock featured a cherry case
with rosewood finish, silvered engraved brass dial and engraved 8-day time only pendulum with an unusual 24 hour hand.
Located at 180 Thompson Street in North Tonawanda, New York, the museum is housed in in the authentic and original carousel factory
and it they operate two historic carousels inside of the museum complex. These carousels feature antique hand carved horses;
and the many lights and Wurlitzer organ music that attracted us to the rides as children and still today as adults. As historicalartifacts these carousels are well preserved as are all the other many fun exhibited items. The building and a 1916 carousel
are listed on both the New York State and National Registers of Historic Sites.