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tline3open  What's coming into fashion? What's going out of fashion?

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Author Topic:   What's coming into fashion? What's going out of fashion?
Polly

Posts: 1970
Registered: Nov 2004

iconnumber posted 07-27-2014 08:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Polly     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Besides silver itself, I mean, which seems to be rather out of fashion among the young (though I do keep seeing hideously beat-up, mismatched silver-plate flatware being offered for sale in upscale shops for jaw-dropping prices).

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?

I'm curious about the ebb and flow of taste in what is, after all, not currently a very widespread interest to begin with.

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Kimo

Posts: 1627
Registered: Mar 2003

iconnumber posted 07-28-2014 07:01 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kimo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Hi Polly. I suppose there is a demand for pretty much everything, but I also think that 90% of the demand is for the minimally adorned stainless steel "generic tableware" styles. I agree that sterling is no longer in fashion among most people, and even silver plate is pretty much out of fashion as well since both require a bit of effort to keep polished and looking their best, though regular use can minimize that. Most people these days want something that is easy to pop into a dishwasher without a thought, and they want something that is affordably priced (cheap to buy). When I look at the silverware section in any major department store or other large volume retailer of silverware or when I take a look at the patterns being offered by any of the major makers of today all I see are generic patterns that are not very memorable and that have very little detailing or other evidence of craftsmanship, design, or style.

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.

[This message has been edited by Kimo (edited 07-28-2014).]

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Scott Martin
Forum Master

Posts: 11520
Registered: Apr 93

iconnumber posted 07-28-2014 01:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Scott Martin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have been thinking about this for some time. I haven't come to a conclusion but generally agree.

I wish Martha Stewart or another celebrity, would popularize silver tableware again and show that it is easy to maintain and that all, with the exception of hollow/pitch filled items, can go into the dishwasher.

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Polly

Posts: 1970
Registered: Nov 2004

iconnumber posted 07-28-2014 09:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Polly     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Well, if the general public just wants plain stainless, what about collectors? What's in fashion among connoisseurs these days?

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.

But what do the fashionable collectors like these days?

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doc

Posts: 728
Registered: Jul 2003

iconnumber posted 07-29-2014 07:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for doc     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am finding that buyers are buying mixed patterns rather than full sets. A number of the home and living magazines have featured stories on using mixed patterns, and this has had an impact. Not getting "jaw dropping" prices, though!

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

1950s patterns also seem to do well

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asheland

Posts: 935
Registered: Nov 2003

iconnumber posted 07-29-2014 10:03 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for asheland     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have collected off and on for almost 20 years now. My collection currently is at it's best. I find a diverse range of styles and periods interesting. My collection contains Southern Coin Silver, English Georgian, Victorian, and even a Charles I piece. I have Chicago area arts and crafts, Arthur Stone, and even some Dodge from Asheville.

The early rare patterns by Gorham are fascinating, but I must say that the 1880's period Aesthetic Gorham and Tiffany silver is most likely my favorite! I find it all interesting and eagerly seek any and all that I can find! To me, quality never goes out of fashion!

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Kimo

Posts: 1627
Registered: Mar 2003

iconnumber posted 07-29-2014 10:34 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kimo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think that the answer to what collectors like these days is pretty varied, but a couple of generalizations might be:

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.

[This message has been edited by Kimo (edited 07-29-2014).]

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Polly

Posts: 1970
Registered: Nov 2004

iconnumber posted 07-29-2014 08:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Polly     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you for those very interesting answers.

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.

(Doc, I hope you didn't think I was knocking mismatched patterns or people who sell silver plate! I always mismatch my own place settings. I'm just astonished at the prices I see being asked for unremarkable forks and spoons in pretty bad shape in various upscale shops in NYC--pieces you could easily buy for pocket change at thrift shops nearby. For the prices they're asking, you could buy sterling. Carefully chosen, harmoniously mismatched silver plate in good shape for a reasonable price is a different thing, and sounds like a good idea.)

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Kimo

Posts: 1627
Registered: Mar 2003

iconnumber posted 07-30-2014 12:08 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kimo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have three regular auction companies within a 30 minute drive so every week I can go to 2 or 3 auctions if I am around and feel like going. All sell silver plate, sterling and coin to one degree or another. One of these places has twice a week auctions and they are always very strong in plate with some sterling and a occasional coin things. Their Wednesday night auction for their less expensive things typically includes about 150 lots of silver plate. They are auctioned by the box or shelf full which typically will include between 5 and 10 objects. They rarely include exceptional quality plate such as old Sheffield silver over solid copper and tend to be heavy in the big makers from the end of the 1800s and into the mid 1900s such as International. Typically a box lot or everything on a shelf gets sold for a high of $25 and an average of $10. Box lots or shelves full of plate that do not get at least a $5 bid are grouped at the end and sold as a lot of lots for one money and you can get 3 to 5 lots for $10. My point is that unless silver plate is something special, it sells around here for an order of magnitude less than going to the store and buying similar objects in stainless steel.

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.

As for Antiques Roadshow - either the US or the UK versions, I find myself reaching for the remote control to change the channel all too often when I start watching it. They have a major incentive to give highly inflated 'values' not just on silver but everything else to get high ratings. A while back there was a show in the UK I found more palatable in terms of 'values' because on that show everything they valued was put into a regular auction and sold without reserve.

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doc

Posts: 728
Registered: Jul 2003

iconnumber posted 07-31-2014 09:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for doc     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Polly, I did not take your comments on mismatched silverware negatively at all-I only wish I could get the prices you are seeing for my pretty pieces!

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