As our June issue goes to press, there are some signs of normal, not merely a pandemic “new normal.” While there are continuing mixed messages about masks and social distancing and how events can be held, the restrictions are easing. To some degree it depends on your state government, however the antique shows are beginning to emerge, and that’s “a good thing.”
Some auction houses that have been internet-only are beginning to offer seating and in-person bidding. We have to admit we prefer sitting in a gallery or hall for an auction. Internet bidding is efficient and opens the door to many more potential bidders, but there is a lack of the social and sometimes competitive nature of being among other bidders. On the nostalgia topic, we miss the old on-site house auctions and we miss the auctioneer’s chant.
It wasn’t too long ago that “phone bids” were special, signaling a rare item was about to be offered. While sitting in the gallery, the live audience was engaged and the duel among callers and floor bidders was something to watch. A number of years ago we recall a Schultz Auctioneer’s (Clarence, NY) sale where a Chinese “moon flask” that had been a décor piece in a local home attracted some serious bidders, some from New York City, and several phone bidders. Slowly the bidders dropped out to the two finalists, one in-house and one on the phone, as we recall. After the bidding slowed between the two, the audience could feel the tension. In the end, the item brought $1.5 million and the applause of the audience.
It’s hard to get that feeling watching a live internet sale. In a way, perhaps, progress makes tomorrow’s antiques. When was the last time anyone saw a broadside announcing a farm auction? The fancy type styles and wood-block cuts of horses and cattle were art, of sorts, and are collectible today. There are some obsolete electronics that are collected, and some fetch fancy prices. The earliest of Apple computers among them.
The latest things some people are collecting are – and this sent us to the dictionary – are “non fungible tokens” or NFTs with the in-crowd. These NFTs represent the “original” of some digital creation, like a famous sports photo. Here’s how Wikipedia explains. “A non-fungible token is a unit of data stored on a digital ledger, called a blockchain, that certifies a digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable.” Got it?
We like to think we are “up” on the latest, but we continue to think of antiques in terms of items produced before the industrial age and mass production – and before digital cartoon NFTs fetched six figures.
Oh well. I still like my redware.
