Do Some Antique Dealers Still Go On Buying Trips?

In film and in literature you always hear about antique dealers going on buying trips for weeks and sometimes months at a time, far away from their base of operations, sometimes in other countries. One of the common destinations always mentioned was the U.K. because I assume that due to their longer history they have larger accumulations of older items and thus lower prices for common run of the mill antiques which are more desirable, valuable when shipped back to the states. Another assumption that I'm going to make is that the internet and eBay have diminished the "buying trip" since prices are more "nationalized" and uniform so there isn't as much benefit in going out to smaller cities and the countryside, buying a bunch of antiques and then carting them back to the bigger city that has stronger demand and a better market for such antiques. So back to the original question:

Do Some Antique Dealers Still Go On Buying Trips? Additionally is there still significant benefit in doing so?

 

Adding to this a bit:

When I was growing up in small town Ohio there was an antique dealer who happened to also have his auctioneering license and alternated between our semi-rural area and Chicago, spending approximately 80% of his time in Ohio and the other 20% in the big city. He attended a lot of the estate auctions in our town and also had a small storefront there for buying estates. He had a good eye and purchased a lot of the more high end antiques and furniture. Apparently he had two very large auctions in Chicago each year where he sold the vast majority of what he had purchased in our area and did very well for himself since he was a showman and created long anticipated "event" auctions in Chicago that were well attended and realized top dollar.

 

I used to do a lot of traveling to buy and sell. Made a couple trips a year to the East coast, taking nice 19th century goods to sell and bought primitives to bring back. Sold in Chicago for many years. Cut it all out when the market tanked, as it was no longer as profitable. I know some dealers who travel to auctions up to 100 miles away to buy but that is about it.

 

I don't know much about this except to say on my bucket list is going to the worlds longest yard sale someday to buy stuff.

 

We have several dealers / auctioneers here who have agents in Europe and Asia. One's mother moved to France, buys and sends container loads back. They have big French auctions. I've quit going because I don't much like Mother's taste, but they are usually very busy.

 

I will love to meet you there, Pearls! That's about the only sale I've left unturned!

 

I think that there are not as many dealers doing the big shopping trips like they used to.
Two reasons, as Brad said the market has dropped. The other is that many real antique dealers are older and are retiring with the drop in collectibles/furniture.

That said, I still see people come to our town to shop from other states and areas in CA. Mainly because we have a cluster of 12 shops. I have two regulars from out of state that have already been through, before we were closed down.

 

Like Brad, I don't travel for antiques any more, but in my heyday I made bi-monthly trips from Vancouver Island to the Bay area, hitting a few regular dealers/shops along the way. Occasionally I'd go to the UK and Holland, but that was mainly to drop off items at the Auction houses in London and Amsterdam.
In those days, San Francisco had a fantastic fleamarket scene at Marin (aka Sausalito) on Sundays. I'd go there at 4am flashlight in hand and root through the huge pile of treasures, usually having to go to out before 9 to hit the ATM's to get more cash!
Even in summer it was a bit nippy at those early hours but Ghiradelli's food truck was there dishing out cappucinos and fresh chocolate croissants ...and boy did I ever score some amazing stuff - my favourite market ever.
It all eventually went away though, as the property was pretty much waterfront. The fleamarket grounds became a bunch of overpriced condos a few years later.

 

That was the best ever. What I bought there, wish I still had.
I was going in the late 70s early 80s, maybe we crossed paths.

Also the old Alameda flea market. I used to sell there on occassion.

 

@blooey
Did you go to the August Flea Markets, San Juan Batista, Niles and Benecia?
Those were absolutely the best.

 

Roosevelt Raceway on LI had the best flea market way back when. They sold the racetrack and now there are homes there.
I miss going to the track there and the flea market.
Our local flea market is closed for this summer thus far due to the virus.

 

@clutteredcloset49 No - Just Marin, went to Alameda occasionally during the week, had a great carpeted dash cover made for my van by a Mexican guy who made them while-u-wait ..wish I could find him again, my old Jag could use one!
I spent a bunch of time in Berkeley doing the shops on Solano and down in Oakland too and up in San Rafael - mainly I hunted antique shops in those days.
Oh occasionally I'd go east a bit, I think I went up towards Vallejo and over the hills to a market over there, it was a long time ago though, so can't remember the place names exactly ..Oh and that antique show in Burlingame --always remember that town because the parking meters took pennies!

 

I'm not a dealer, but the one I frequent most still goes on buying expeditions to the east coast and also has pickers who buy on his behalf when he can't make the trip. We share a taste for Victorian and I've bought some stellar New York City items from him.

That's the only one I know about within 50 miles. Also worth noting is that about 75% of the antique shops within that radius that were here 10 years ago are now out of business.

 

I know a few people who go to Europe and/or America on buying trips. Obviously that ain't happening now with the Covid thing, but yes, there are people who still do it.

 

I was from Redwood City at the time. There were a lot of antique stores on Main Street Redwood City. I didn't get into the East Bay except for the trips to the flea market. San Carlos had a lot a lot of shops as well.

I don't remember an antique show in Burlingame.
The Hillsborough Show was held twice a year at the San Mateo Fair Grounds. I always called that one the museum show. You'd walk in and the cut crystal would just sparkle. Early American furniture. The cream of the crop was always there. Best place to learn.

 

It was the Hillsborough show I was talking about - for some reason I thought it was in Burlingame ...pretty close to each other though, no? Oh and I think the other markets I used to hit were over Martinez way, but memory, well, you know ....also we can't forget "Butterheads" auctions either, eh?

[edit] I just checked the maps and Hillsborough is in Burlingame or vice versa so we attended the same shows after all!

 

Besides the Hillsborough Antique show, there was also the Collectors Revival held 2-3 times a year, also at the SM County Fair Grounds.
That one was more oak furniture, Arts and Crafts, 1930s decor. You walked in and the guy in front had slot machines, pinballs, advertising. Usually a pretty impressive display.

 

Yeah I guess I missed that - of course "Arts and Crafts" hadn't really been "discovered" too much when I was bopping around down there!!
Good memories though, the Bay area was a dream if you were into Georgian porcelains as nobody seemed to know much so I gobbled it up and took it back up north. Bought a lot of paintings too, back then, Davenport's was the "bible" ..a bit heavy to lug around, but indispensable.

I still have some paintings I bought for a song back then, Henrietta Berk comes to mind, had two for years before I managed to read the signature!

 

I used to fly to NYC for inexpensive and found items that I would ship back to New Orleans, before shipping got so expensive! Those were the days when there was a book "dealer" on every corner around Central Park. Probably everything there has changed now..

 

Is most of the antique/rare book "market" online now? The higher end stuff still has to have collectors …… right?