It's great to return to the Etsy Community!

Antique Luvs is a division of The Iron Gate Antiques & Collectibles, our shop located in the southeastern corner of Massachusetts. 

AntiqueLuvs @Etsy.com/shop/AntiqueLuvs offers a unique variety of handcrafted, antiques and vintage items selected  expecially the the Etsy community.  From lace trim to home and garden décor we have it

Visit us today! 

Items added daily

Till next time stay well, stay happy

auctionmom80@gmail.com

Three Summer Day Trips for the Antique and Flea Market Collector

The calendar and the weather in New England has announced the beginning of summer.  It is time to pack up the family, load the family van and head north, in search of cool breezes and super bargains.


The challenge of a fun vacation time for all is being sure to include destinations that have activities and events for all family members.
Finding such destinations is not as difficult as I originally thought as I looked to plan 3 day trips that would provide lots of antique and flea markets to explore.

June                       Withington Auction    



The first stop on the trip will be in Nashua, New Hampshire. Nashua is the location of Withington Auctions for more than 30 years.  Although Dick Withington is recently deceased the fine tradition of his auctions continue.  Since the auction is held in a major hotel chain there is an on site pool and gym the kids can enjoy.  Within walking distance is fast food. The hotel includes room service with wifi and cable.  The hotel restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.


July                      Brimfield Antique Show

Select a date between July 14-19 to attend the Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts. The Show is actually hundreds of individual dealers who set up displays in a various fields.  The fields have individual names, hours of operation, parking, and admission fees.  The show was started in 1959 and has survived the digital age, boasting the largest attendance ever for the May 2015 show dates.  There are plenty of local places for lodging so plan on staying a couple of days to discover the wide range of offerings at Brimfield.


August                New Hampshire Antiques Dealer Association


August is time to head to Manchester, NH for the 58th annual antique dealers show.  This year the show runs from August 7 to August 9.  Exhibitors as far away as Michigan will display the finest   antiques for our buying pleasure.



Till next time stay well, stay happy

http://www.antiquestattheirongate

auctionmom80@gmail.com

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Collecting English Staffordshire Dogs

Attending the Holliston Antique Show in  Massachusetts was the perfect cure for what seemed like endless weeks of snow.  The sun was shining, the roads were clear. I was ready to enjoy the company of good friends while hunting for formerly loved treasures.

Collecting Staffordshire Dogs was a natural progression from my love of animals and my life of  incorporating canines into our human family lifestyle.  

Staffordshire Dogs, like real dogs come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes.  The most recognized is the brown and white spaniels complete with gold leash and locket. These were produced in the Staffordshire area of England and were most popular during the 19th Century.  

The dogs came in pairs that faced in opposite directions.  No Victorian home was complete with a pair of Staffordshire dogs gracing the mantle.

The expressions of the Staffordshire dogs differ, as they were all hand painted.  Some carry baskets of flowers.  I find these to be exceptionally charming.  

While most dogs were made to stand guard on the mantle some dogs were made to be used as pitchers. 

The spaniel is most popular, due to the popularity of the breed with English royalty.  In the 1600s King Charles owned a spaniel.  Queen Victoria had her spaniel "Dash."   

Staffordshire dogs were also produced to represent other breeds, including boxers, pugs, greyhounds, and poodles.

This adorable set of English Stafordshire poodles is one of my favorites.  They sport a coat of confetti fur, similar to the spaghetti poodles of the 1900s.   

Collecting Staffordshire dogs opens a world of canine delights.  The variation in painting and expression of the dogs will make collecting these dogs a very special experience.  

Till Next Time, Stay Well, Stay Happy

auctionmom80@gmail.com

www.antiquesattheirongate.com

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Defining Antiques and Collectibles

While antiquing, the buyer is often assaulted with a confusing and misleading antique lingo.  Antique, vintage, retro, and authentic are words often used to describe an item a seller uses to hook the buyer of an item they appear interested in.  To close a sale the buyer may mirror and emphasize the language the buyer uses.

There are, of course other sellers, and buyers more often
found at back yard sales and flea markets, who themselves truly do not know what qualifies as an antiques or collectible. And yes, some items have been reproduced so well that they take an professionally trained expert to identify the authenticity of an item.




  The larger and well established auction houses are unlikely to misrepresent and item.  They are bound by a code of ethics and have a responsibility to the public to represent as accurately as possible the items they are auctioning.  An auctioneer will look for provenance, documentation that the item in question has a history that can be traced, often to famous family lineage.


The formal definition of an antique comes from the US Customs.  Their regulations require an item be 100 years old to qualify as an antique.

Vintage and collectible items may describe the same item although there are distinctions.  Usually a vintage item is one that is at least 50 years old, often referring to items from the 1950s and 1960s. Collectible items can span the decades, depression glass from the early 1900s is highly collectible as are American Girl Dolls to our young children.





Whatever you call it, if you like an item do a bit of research before paying a price that seems higher than
expected.  There are still bargains and treasures to discover.  For me, whatever it is called if I like it I buy it, at a price the oftentimes is negotiated.

For my business the criteria is stricter and the ethics of the profession are followed.

Till next time, stay well, stay happy 

auctionmom80@gmail.com

antiquesattheirongate.com

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Teach History to Our Children with Antiques

What a peaceful way to spend a day, lounging on the beach watching the sunlight dance across the water as the waves gently embrace the sand returning it ever so gently to the ocean on white ruffled waves.
A perpetual fantasy of mine.. that some day....

It has been a while my friends that I have had the pleasure of sitting and sharing my thoughts and knowledge with you on all things related to antiques.  But here I sit and bring to you news from of the past, present, and future.  It has been a busy few months of packing while helping a relative make a new start a new chapter in the Book of Life.

Mother Nature and I seem to have bypassed spring this year, though not unusual in these parts.  Now, with summer upon us the recollections of hours spent on the beach reading and watching the tides returns.  In the early stages of learning about antiques I read just about everything I could given an 8 day week!

I purchased, traded, and sold books to get more books to gain more knowledge.  In that process I learned to appreciate the human side of antique items through the stories that the folks I bought and sold from shared with me as family treasures were prepared to relocate.  I have always enjoyed a good story and the stories associated with my favorite pieces, some of which I have long since sold, continue to be my favorites.

The other day I was sharing a story that had been entrusted to me as the purchaser of an Early American settee set.  The set had carvings of deer, vines and flowers. My friend's child eyes grew large, hardly blinking as I told her about the origins of primitive furniture in America.  The  household routines related to basic tasks of cleanliness and meals.  When I took a breath, she said emphatically, "Why don't they teach us that in school, then we would be interested in history!"  Why indeed.  I did not have an answer for her, or at least one she would not be able to refute children are able to refute adult arguments like rain falls through the clouds.

 I would love to hear from educators on the ways of teaching history, we are never too old to learn or adjust our ways.

Till next time, stay well, stay happy

auctionmom80@gmail.com
www.antiquesattheirongate

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Antiques in the Garden

Even as our hearts and blessings are directed toward folks in the western part of the country   dealing with mud slides and northeasterners experiencing blizzard conditions my head has thoughts of of spring swirling around.

Surely Spring can't be that far behind this unusual pattern of weather the country has seen this winter.

Gardens are wonderful places to use items you love but which have lost their ability to be functional, have been broken or have missing parts. In the garden, you can display your most cherished and sometimes most damaged items.

   
An old claw foot tub now provides a rich
environment for a variety of plants.  Such tubs are available salvage and revonators' businesses.  Sometimes you may strike a bargain on-line or with someone who is renovating an older house.  They will be grateful for someone to haul the tub away, these tubs are not lightweight!  

In my garden I have placed several of my original wicker and and twig chairs.  Some are still able to be used to sit in, others serve as unique plant stand or bird feeder.  Even left where plants will grow around them gives your garden an antique informal feel. 

You will want to have at least one place in your garden
where you can sit and relax with guests or escape from the
work of the day.

Cement benches can be made more comfortable by placing colorful floral cushions on them while in use.

An antique table may be crafted of old barn wood or antique floor boards. Decorate your table by putting plants and flowers in teacups and vases that have chips.  Create a mosaic centerpiece by combining pieces of chipped porcelain or decorate a clay pot with bits of colorful porcelain chips.  The possibilities are open to your imagination!

This week as I scour the antique markets and second hand shops I will be looking for chipped cups and broken dishes.  I may even find a fanciful antique table  lamp that will be transformed into a birdbath, using a large porcelain charger to attach to the top to hold feed or water.


And remember St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology.

 A mismatched stone walkway leads to a garden hideaway protected by a wrought iron gate that harbors a discarded wooden swing.   Lots of colorful shrubs lend a peaceful informal place to relax.

Till next time, stay well, stay happy  

www.antiquesattheirongate.com
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Marketing An Antiques Business

Marketing is an essential aspect of all businesses, so it is with an antiques business.

Marketing comes in a wide variety of packaging and it is beyond my expertise to discuss much of the detail and nuances that persuade the consumer to buy one brand rather than another.


There is one marketing strategy that is especially fun and enlightening in the world of antiques and collectibles.  That is the personal contacts and conversations you have with people who share your interest in all things used.

I received an email from an individual who had stacks of ephemera.  Her young family did not want any of what they saw as old paper, useless and dusty.  She and her husband were in the process of rearranging   their cottage.  They said they no longer had need for the items, did not want to dispose of them in the trash as they knew enough that someone might be a collector of such items.  Their contacts in the world or collecting were limited.  They had contacted an internationally known  auction company who told them people were not interested in such things.

Maybe in the international circuit where bidding thousands and millions come easy to some, but in the real world of average collectors there is a place for just about everything.

I enjoyed talking with my cottage couple.  As is always the case when collectors get together, we exchanged collecting interests and favorite moments in our collecting history.  We  each shared knowledge as well as gained some.  We talked business, laughed, and each made a new friend.

As we said our farewell for the day, they held the door open for me and waved as I packed my truck with the treasures they entrusted to me to sell on their behalf.

It was a good day all around.

Till next time, stay well, stay happy

                                       

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Collecting Glassware to Dolls: Evolution of a Collector

As I prepare for the Boston Antiques and Design Show and Sale, the Book and Paper Show in Wilmington, as well as browsing the catalogue of items to be auctioned by Theriaults in California, I can trace the evolution of my collecting.


As a child I adored books and continue to do so as an adult.  Books can be read, can be ued for decorating, and may be valuable.

I have many interests in life. It is no wonder that I eagerly await to see what treasures and perhaps an affordable first edition of one of the classics might be at the Book and Paper Show.  It will be a success if I find even a postcard or advertising card that speaks to me. 


My interest in textiles and fashion, current and past, has kindled my interest in early fashion magazine such as Godey Magazine and Ladies Home Journal.  Some of the earliest magazines devoted to womens issues. 

Godey Magazine 1832

From my earlier days of collecting glassware and porcelain, it was an easy transition to collecting china head and porcelain dolls. 

China Head Couple

    

R.S. Prussia Creamer & Sugar

Till Next time stay well, stay happy

Auctionmom80@gmail.com

www.antiquesattheirongate.com

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