posted 07-27-2014 08:55 PM            

Antique silver has fashions, like everything else. What's in now, and what's out?

Are c. 1860s medallion patterns out? Is aesthetic period sterling still hot, or is it on the way out? What about mid-20th century sterling--mid-century modern furniture has been having a long run of popularity, but does anyone want sterling from that period, or do they just want Danish Modern stainless? How about flowery Art Nouveau? Georg Jensen hollowware? Coin silver?

posted 07-28-2014 07:01 AM            

Or even when I can find the rare place that actually sells sterling tableware, all I see are shadows of what some of the better real sterling used to be like. I stop by my local Tiffany's once every year or two just to see what they have and even in places like this the tableware has marginal detailing as if they are trying to keep profits high by scrimping on the amount of detailing and refinement, or perhaps they have just forgotten how to make the kind of quality that is seen in old pieces. I find new tableware, whether it is the overwhelming amount of stainless, or even the small amount of plate and sterling to be disappointing. Thank goodness that there is an almost endless supply of old material out there - not that all of it is great since much of the old stuff is pretty pedestrian, but some of the old silver is truly beautiful, inspired, and a form of art.

posted 07-28-2014 09:35 PM            

I know what *I* like, which is more or less what I've liked since I started loving silver 15 or 20 years ago: Federal coin silver, figural coin and sterling hollowware from the 1860s-70s (especially Wood & Hughes and Gorham), Aesthetic sterling, 1880s Gorham & Shiebler in strangely modern, innovative designs, and of course hair combs from the 1840s and 1870s.

posted 07-29-2014 07:51 AM            

I have a number of customers who prefer Aesthetic patterns; they often also collect Aesthetic movement transferware china as well.

posted 07-29-2014 10:34 AM            

Perhaps the most out of fashion things are teapots and tea sets. There is such a glut of these as pretty much everyone used to have at least one set that now live in attics and basements and today very few people actually use them.

Perhaps the things that are the most popular are objects from the arts and crafts period and show strong designs that reflect the best of this style, followed by art nouveau and art deco. I say this not only because the prices on those seem to be very high but many dealers have taken to overusing and misusing those terms for much of their inventories that are not those styles to increase sales and increase prices. Some other things that seem to never go out of fashion and are always in high demand are the really early and historically important silver objects such as colonial silver made by well known smiths, though again there are too many dealers who so overuse the term 'important' to increase their prices and sales that it has come to be relatively meaningless these days. And then I might also add anything old made by a very small number of the most famous makers/retailers such as Faberge, Cartier, or Tiffany where there are collectors who will have strong demand and are willing to pay crazy prices not only for their masterworks but even their relatively plain things so only as it has their marking.

As for what might be the next 'big thing' my guess is mid-century modern which is already beginning to get followings and correspondingly many dealers are now starting to overuse and misuse the term, but also things from the 1960s. I say this because people who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s have accumulated their wealth and are more into collecting than younger people, and they are buying back their youth. Also, this is being reflected in younger buyer's interests. For example, there are many younger people who are attracted to the lifestyles and artistic sensibilities of those decades.

posted 07-29-2014 08:47 PM            

I was watching one of those Antiques Roadshow clip shows the other evening, where they show an appraisal from 10 or 15 years ago and then tell you whether the value has gone up or down (or stayed the same). I found I was pretty terrible at guessing whether things had gone up or down. Why would people want a teddy bear, or a glass vase, or a chest of drawers, any more or less today than they did 15 years ago?

I can see that tea sets would be out of fashion partly because they're so big, which makes them hard to store and expensive (with so much precious metal in them). And I guess people don't visit each other's houses to drink hot tea and coffee the way they did when these sets were made. Maybe we should revive the tea party. (No, not THAT tea party.)

I'm a little surprised to hear that art nouveau is fashionable, since we see so little of it here. Maybe that's because we're a small group. But I also don't see much art nouveau out in the world these days--in movie sets or home design magazines or so on. Even Downton Abbey is more arts & crafts shading into art deco.

posted 07-30-2014 12:08 AM            

When they get into the sterling objects, they always are sold separately unless something is a set. The highest prices go for arts and crafts followed by nouveau and deco, followed by coin, followed by 1950s and 1960s. Of course to get the better prices the objects must be strong and clear examples of their design style. I think the reason that coin does not do as well as many other things, at least around here, is that it tends to be very plain - usually plain fiddle back designs and people around here like things with more detailing.