Nothing beats a good fair
The other day I visited one of the main antique fairs taking place in the UK: the Classic Antique Fair in Birmingham.
For many years there has been a regular antique fair in Birmingham and you may remember that I stood there in November 2022. It traditionally took place three times a year, then twice - and then, sadly, it disappeared along with many other fairs, all casualties of Covid and the challenging economic time in the year or so after.
I was so pleased to see that recently some enterprising dealers revived this important Birmingham fair (thank you, in particular, John Andrews from Scottow Antiques!), and it is now taking place twice this year, and planned three times next year. What is special about the Birmingham fair is that it has always been the main event for porcelain dealers. When this fair disappeared, it felt like the heart had been ripped out of the market. Suddenly it was much more difficult to keep stock moving, and we all missed the opportunity to meet up, buy from and sell to each other, and exchange news, hugs, jokes and life stories.
Nothing beats a good fair. You can often find things that are slightly out of your comfort zone, you can get direct knowledge from the dealers, you can see items in their own context of contemporary styles, and it is a wonderful time to meet up with others who love antiques.
So you can imagine I was so very happy to meet up with my peers again last Friday. I've made a little video so you can have a look. The fair was still small, and hopefully will grow again. And I hope to stand there myself again some time in the next year.
The fair is still on this Sunday, so if you are anywhere near Birmingham, go see for yourself - and buy something from one of my wonderful colleagues!
My stand at the Birmingham fair in 2022
This week's treasures:
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