Atlantique City Indoor Antique Show

http://www.atlantiquecity.com/

The Atlantic City Antique Show @ the convention center (this weekend 3/29 &30) is worth attending. They have a spring and fall show. One of the best quality shows I attend every year - very little junk. You'll see some world class items - a fair amout of furniture, including some nice victorian - not a great place to bargain hunt though. I've seen 3 Wooton secretaries at one show (it's rare to run across even one). Many quality dealers - although I've seen a decline in dealer count the last couple of years. We travel 5 hrs. to attend it, I'll be there. woodwright

I think I'll be there too, Saturday morning (though my wife doesn't know it yet).  I'll be the one with the Pottier & Stymus shirt!

I hope no one made a long drive to the Atlantic City Antique Show looking for a lot of nice victorian furniture based on my advice. (Rare said he was going - but he's only outside of Philly, not a bad drive). There was 1 booth of nice victorian furniture and some scattered pieces (probably only a couple dozen or so good pieces - very little furniture). Lots of smalls - jewelery, glass, silver, toys, etc. 5 years ago it was a great show with lots of great furniture. I've seen upright Regina's, Wooton's, Joan Bogart exhibited there with nice furniture, etc. Dealer count was very noticably down - a definate trend in recent years - I've seen the same trend at all the big shows we go to over the last few years. A guy I talked to said a dealer told him they were down 340 dealers. I think the price of gas, rising expenses, internet auctions (ebay, etc) and online shops (Ruby Lane, etc) all are contributing to the rapid decline of show vendors, and it becomes a viscious cycle - as dealer count declines, so does attendees - which all contribute to the continuation of the viscious cycle.

On the upside, on the way down - we stopped at a house museum (a hobby of ours), the Balantine House - joined to and part of the the Newark Museum in Newark NJ which was very enjoyable and worth seeing. The house was owned by John Ballantine (of Ballantine Beer fame) - beautiful house, ornate woodwork - very well preserved, ornate celings, period rooms filled with nice, high style furniture, several Jelliff pieces, Herter Brothers, Roux, Meeks, Belter etc. The Newark Musuem itself also has a few nice pieces of victorian furniture, although the Metropolitan Museum in NY has an immensley greater collection of great victorian furniture.  Woodwright

Yes, I made the show and I concur with your findings.  Worse than last year and the only good booth of Victorian that you pointed out is a guy who displays his stuff in Adamstown, PA so I could have saved the longer trip and just saw him there.  Not a good trend.  I really don't want to buy all my furniture online 5-10 years from now as these shows seem to be a harbinger for.