Birmingham’s NEC is once again about to host the egalitarian jamboree of the antiques world.
Through thick and thin, the triannual
'Antiques for Everyone' fairs have been a calendar fixture for
dealers and collectors alike since 1986, with a big first-day queue
of private buyers mingling with the trade from across the UK and
abroad.
While it may not be as enormous as it
was a decade or so ago, it is still the largest vetted and
stand-fitted event of its kind and there are around 300 exhibitors
at the next fair from November 1-4 in halls 17-19 in the vast and
admittedly unlovely NEC.
This number is a few up on this time last
year according to
Clarion Events' organiser Tiffany Pritchard, who has her work
cut out organising all three Antiques for Everyone fairs
plus the National Fine Art & Antiques Fair in
January and a host of other events for different industries.
The familiar two-section format
remains the same.
The 'smarter' section is in the
middle, with all exhibits (bar art and sculpture) pre-dating 1940,
flanked on either side by the popular section 2 where all items
pre-date 1970, with smaller stands featuring generally lower-value
collectors' and vintage pieces - the latter of which has been
encouraged in recent years as part of an attempt to capture a
younger audience.
Debutants
While it is the last-ever fair for
Fred Nickson of Chiltern Antiques
from Henley-on-Thames, who plans to retire after the event, for ten
dealers this is a debut Antiques for Everyone. Three
period furniture dealers come to section 1: Stagshead
Antiques, Lyndhurst; Marcus Rex Antiques,
Cambridgeshire and James Holiday Antiques,
Oxfordshire.
Section 2 takes on the remainder of
the first-timers: Emma Duveen (writing
slopes, porcelain and other small items, Surrey); Ceejays
Silver & Antiques (silver, Goole);
Shires Antiques (general antiques,
Northamptonshire); David & Violet
Schiska (Chinese studio pottery, Birmingham);
Linda Tinker (ceramics, glass and silver,
Derbyshire); CBE Quality
Clocks (Wolverhampton) and picture
dealers Cornucopia from Northern
Ireland.
Works of
Art
It's hard to touch the sides of the
list of regular NEC-goers. As always, this time there is a strong
showing of often quite affordable collectors' pieces, particularly
Arts & Crafts, Art Deco and Nouveau ceramics, works of art and
furniture from the likes of Andrew Muir,
Art Nouveau Lighting, M&D
Moir, Solo Antiques, Circa
1900, James Strang, Deco
Dave, Gazelles of Lyndhurst and
Le Style 25.
Ceramics and glass are a strong suit,
with English porcelain and pottery offered by many, including
David and Sally March, Roger de
Ville, H.&R. Cooke and John
Newton, and glass by Mark J. West,
Brian Watson and Joscelyn
Vereker.
Meanwhile, Anderson
Jones, Scarab, Brieve
Antiques, Greenstein and
Ann Evans are among the numerous
jewellers.
Furniture
Period English furniture, both town
and country pieces, is a staple, with exhibitors including
Midwinter Antiques, Peter
Bunting, Mark Seabrook, Melody
Antiques, Shires Antiques,
Lawrence Shaw Antiques, Cantelo
Antiques and S.& S. Timms.
Pictures and Sculpture
Pictures and sculpture, from the 18th
century to the present, is also a core component at every
Antiques for Everyone and John
Simpson of Ryland Fine Art has
decided to take two stands in section 1 this time.
Blackbrook Gallery
will once again bring their trademark stock of livestock paintings,
while Benton Fine Art, Haynes Fine
Art and Baron Fine Art all take a large
range of works from the 19th and 20th century.
Contemporary artists are represented
by Callaghans Fine Paintings & Contemporary
Bronzes, A.J. Art, Eliza the
Gallery and Art World Ltd.
Vintage
Fashion
Some vintage fashion dealers have been
welcomed into the fold over the past few years and one,
Suzanne Rafferty from Gloucestershire, will be
exhibiting vintage fur and pelts, with an internet show on how to
recycle and 'upcycle' vintage furs.
"We are going to appear on television
prior to the show to encourage anyone to come and bring their furs
for valuation, and our dressmaker and fur specialist will be
highlighting what to do with those inherited items that you have in
the attic that you no longer want," said Suzanne.
Lighting
Finally, Nigel
Reynolds has been an avid collector of oil lamps since the
mid-1960s, and is treasurer of the Historic Lighting Club. He has
lent 80 lamps from his collection to this fair's feature
display.
The lamps date from 1880 to 1940 and,
hoping to encourage more visitors to delve into this collecting
field, Nigel will be on hand to answer questions about his
collection.
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