The Snob Appeal of Antiques

QUESTION: I’ve been buying most of my antiques at flea markets and in shops. The dealers are usually very nice and helpful. But when I’ve gone to antique shows, especially higher-end ones sponsored by one charity or another, I find the dealers helpful but the showgoers off-putting. Why is that? What makes some of them think that I shouldn’t be there just because of my appearance?

ANSWER: Antiques have a long history of appealing to the wealthier set, especially those high-end antiques produced before 1830—what many call “authentic”antiques. In 1930, the U.S. Congress formulated a law which stipulated that all antiques had to be 100 years old or older. So at the time, 100 years old meant 1830, the date selected because of its relevance to the start of the Industrial Age.

When the law passed, the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, so only the very wealthy could afford antiques. It had been that way for well over a century. But after World War II, prosperity came to more people. By the 1960s, the wealthy were still purchasing and collecting those “authentic” antiques, but another type of antique came on the market—the furniture and accessories belonging to the Victorians. And since these were 100 years old, they certainly were antique according to the law, but antique experts and the wealthy didn’t consider them “real” antiques.

The snobbery towards antiques and antique collecting continued as unknowing novices followed articles in “American Home” magazine and bought not-so-good-looking pieces of Victorian and early 20th century furniture at flea markets and used furniture stores, stripped them down, and painted them with “antiquing” paints. Oh the horrors!

As the decades of the latter half of the 20th century continued, more and more old objects came on the market through yard and garage sales and flea markets. Now everyone with a little extra cash and a little knowledge of antiques and collectibles could get in on the act.

The wealthy who frequented the high-end shows stayed right where they were, but now some of those not-so-wealthy collectors began to go to the them for the hefty price of a ticket. Most didn’t buy anything, but they learned a lot. Unfortunately, the wine-glass toting buying patron of these shows still looked down their noses at the newbees.

There are generally three types of antique shows out there---the friendly firehouse or school show, the more elegant hotel show, and the high-end show.

You’ll find the first of these, the friendly firehouse or school show, held in a local fire company hall or the all-purpose room of an elementary school once or twice a year. Here, you’ll find lots of affordable antiques and collectibles. Prices range from as low as a few dollars up to perhaps three figures. Dealers, mostly from the surrounding region, tend to sell only at shows or out of their homes.

The more elegant hotel show comes around usually once a year and features finer items. Tables often display a myriad of small objects—Japanese Imari porcelains, Wedgewood, fine English majolica, and Staffordshire ware, along with small pieces of furniture, trunks, stained glass lamps, and so on. Dealers tend to come from a wider area, including surrounding states while prices range from two to four digits, with finer items selling for several thousand dollars.

High-end shows are extravagant affairs, both in goods and prices, and feature dealers from all over the country. For some patrons of these shows, nothing says they’ve made it better than bragging about how much they’ve spent on an antique, whether it be a piece of fine 18th-century furniture or a diamond necklace that once belonged to a princess. Patrons at these shows often think nothing of whipping out their checkbooks and writing checks for $30,000 to $40,000 for an Empire sofa or as much as a quarter million for an 18th-century Philadelphia secretary in the Chippendale style.



Many of these shows are vetted, which means the promoters guarantee everything sold there as authentic. Where’s the fun in that? Part of the thrill of the antique hunt is being able to tell for yourself if a piece is real or not by the knowledge you’ve amassed about it beforehand, especially when the dealer doesn’t have a clue. But when someone pays six figures for a piece of furniture, they damn well want to know it’s the real McCoy.

Collecting antiques and collectibles is for everyone—young, old, and in-between. There’s something out there for those in every economy level. Let the snobs look down on you in your jeans and trendy T-shirt. How do they know you didn’t just inherit a cool million from daddy.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about  La Belle Epoque in the 2020 Spring Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.