Cape Antique Season Starts Big in Avalon

This weekend’s Avalon Antique Show has traditionally opened the antique season here on the Jersey Cape, and this year it promises to be bigger and better than it has been in a long time. First of all, this year the show runs for two days – Friday (12 – 4 p.m.) and Saturday (9 – 4 p.m.) And admission is free!
Wherever you are and whatever you have planned for this weekend, make some time to come to Community Hall in Avalon (30th Street and the Boardwalk). There will be over 20 dealers of fine antiques and collectibles. I will be there on Saturday to appraise your antiques and answer your questions from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
But this show is about more than antiques. The Garden Club has indoor and outdoor plants, flowers and arrangements for sale. Also, the Women’s Club always has a wonderfully yummy selection of homemade breads, cakes and pies. All proceeds benefit the Brodesser Cancer Center at Cape Regional Hospital, a great cause.
When you think about it, at this show, you can have an item appraised, eat lunch, meet and greet your summer neighbors, decorate your home, plant your garden, entertain your house guests and bring home dessert for dinner as well something tasty for breakfast. This event is a win-win for everyone. One thing’s for sure – there will be no shortage of conversation pieces.
Call 609-463-4040 for more information. Hope to see you there.
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I have included with this column photos of a few of the items that people have recently asked me to appraise. One of the photos includes a collection of miniature items meant for a dollhouse. Those teensy items represent but a tiny fraction of a very large collection.
These miniatures have become quite popular lately with collectors and decorators. It’s very easy to get lured into their charming little world. The fascination is with their meticulously realistic detail, even with the manufactured pieces, but especially with pieces that are handcrafted.
Miniatures don’t take up much room at all, and you don’t need a dollhouse to display them. A casual collector can place them whimsically among the dishes in a china closet, on bookshelves, on the fireplace or an end table. There are even some appropriate for the bathroom. The serious collector can fill a lighted display case with an impressive array of special pieces.
Among all the pieces in the photo, the one that blew me away was the set of Venetian glass tumblers. Art glass is enjoying a comeback these days. People find the colors and the labor-intensive craftsmanship irresistible. Notice the carnival glass and Bohemian glass bows. Prices have leveled off, and there are some real bargains out there.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone at The Marketplace@Teaberry on Route 9 in Clermont for their hospitality during the appraisal program May 17. I’ll be reviewing some of the neat stuff we saw there in a future column.
Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions and appraisal requests to: aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.