An Antique Show’s Reputation

An antique show’s reputation is hard won. It takes time, persistence and expertise by the promoter or organizing committee, the right mix of dealers and their offerings, some exciting pieces, and perhaps a good piece of pie to seal the deal. I know of one such show that I will leave nameless, known for its array of country antiques and good mix of dealers. I have been to the show several times and purchased there. 

Then Covid arrived and shows went online, some still in that format. The latest iteration of this show was missing some of its regular dealers, with others taking their place. Not to be pejorative or negative but I thought the offerings were not up to the show’s past standards. Just to make sure I touched base with one or two dealers and other collectors. They agreed with me – not good at all.

If this show returns to an in-person format I will not attend. I cannot be sure that its past reputation still exists, that it is still deserving. I haven’t seen much if anything written about the comparison of online to in person shows but I wonder if this isn’t the only show that suffered harm when it decided to change its format. What do folks think? Do you know of shows whose quality dropped markedly?

Thanks.