Dear Lee,

Kim and I are back from our antique-show travels. Kim went west to California, I went east to New York. (See our “On the Road” articles on pages 89 and 90.)

In every issue of Kovels newsletter and our weekly ezine, Kovels Komments, we report on auctions both online and on land. We follow trends online, too. But nothing can compare to the fun of going to a good old-fashioned antiques show. You can see things you didn’t know existed, find a “twin” to something you own and learn more about it, or discover that one collectible you just have to buy and take home.

We always talk to dealers and collectors at shows to learn what’s in and out of favor and what’s suddenly in demand. We even get warnings about fakes and thefts. If you want to learn about antiques, shows tell you more than most museum exhibits. You can feel the smooth glaze on a vase, look at the mortise-and-tenon joints in a drawer and even ask dealers to show you how to tell if a table has old or new saw marks.

You can even learn how the vocabulary of collectors has changed. I talked to a dealer in Chinese ceramics. He was selling many vases decorated with blue dragons alongside colorful pieces covered with flowers. There were not many plates with coats-of-arms, European figures or copies of European prints, the type called “Chinese Export” by experts in the 1960s. In the 18th and 19th centuries, sets of dishes were ordered from China by Europeans and Americans who wanted special designs the Chinese would never buy themselves. Orders were taken to China by ship and about a year later the dishes were delivered by ship. Forty years ago, collectors wanted and paid high prices for these dishes.

At Kovels, we stick to the traditional definition of Chinese Export. Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide lists Nanking, Canton and a few other Chinese Export patterns in their own categories. Our Chinese Export category lists dishes made for the Western market. It does not list pieces made in the Chinese fashion to be sold in China.

Our road trips also included museum exhibits. Kim went to a display of modernist jewelry by Margaret De Patta, a very important American silversmith, and learned more about her life and work. Kim noticed that the exhibited jewelry was very shiny and didn’t even have the dark crevices caused by oxidation. The museum’s staff said they had polished the pieces but had not “over-polished” them, and that the bright lighting of the exhibit didn’t allow visitors to see that oxidation was still present. Kim wonders if the jewelry was oxidized when it was made or if pieces oxidized over time. A photograph from an old catalog or ad could provide the answer. Either way, should ’50s silver pins and necklaces be “refinished” with a cleaning?