The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation. It is a birthday worth celebrating. Our nation has long been a “shining light on the hill,” a beacon of hope (as it was for my grandparents) and aspirational for the world. While the promise of our democracy remains a work in progress the nation throughout its trials has survived.
The American antique world ¾ its collectors, dealers, auction houses, museum curators, researchers and others ¾ should celebrate the history of our nation and its material culture. My question is how we will help in and add to the 250th birthday next year? Our participation is an opportunity to educate and promote.
Will dealers and museums sponsor special exhibits of American antiques and their place in our history? Will shows have special “tag lines” next year? “Come celebrate with us.” “Touch a piece of American history.” Will there be receptions after show hours at important shows, bubbly and three “hip, hip hurrahs?” And the like.
Will I as a collector be able to purchase a “small,” designed and marked as a 250th memento? Not the kitsch the British are so famous for (is America far behind?) but some type of affordable reproduction as a token and keepsake. Will one of the American antique organizations be it a state association or the ADA perhaps, or The Magazine Antiques, The Bee or Maine Antique Digest lead the way? Even something as simple as a bookmark that says, “The New Hampshire Dealers Show celebrating American’s 250th! Will there be an internet presence, a limited set of items to buy? Other marketing?
Perhaps plans yet unannounced are in the works. I certainly hope so. If you have ideas, let me know. But I believe our American antique universe needs to do something(s). It would add meaning to our world; we would be “walking the talk” in our own way. It even might garner some new collectors of American antiques.
Thanks.
Come Collect With Me 