Dear Lee,

We don’t agree with articles that suggest that collecting is dying, dealers are disappearing, everyone will do all buying on the Internet, and our antiquing excursions will be a thing of the past. Successful antiques dealers at shows are changing with the times. Dealers are not only bringing different merchandise, but also creating more-attractive booths. Tables are covered with colorful fabrics, and furniture is organized as if in a room. One booth has the pottery displayed by color, another by maker with small signs telling how the piece is marked. Dealers in large shows decorate their backdrops and use more lighting than they did years ago. They often bring a group of items to be displayed together. “Can’t-miss” shelves filled with toasters, a booth with only blue and white dishes, or orange-colored Czechoslovakian glass and pottery lure buyers.

For the dedicated collector, there are shows that focus on only one type of antique or collectible-toys, pottery, Depression glass, bottles, collector plates, dolls, and more. Shows are changing to attract younger visitors who are not yet collectors, just “lookers.” Those who want to collect by theme can find Modernism, country, or Western shows.

And now there is another type of show hoping to draw larger audiences. Promoters are combining antiques with crafts, decorating, and art. There are lectures, appraisals, specialty-food demonstrations and tastings, and even activities to keep children occupied. It’s a lifestyle event.

The 2007 edition of our annual Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price List is now in bookstores. We have been asked how many prices we have recorded over the years. A long arithmetic exercise adding up information we have gathered for our books, columns, and newsletters yields these statistics: We’ve gathered 1.65 million prices and 21,500 marks that have been used, one way or another, in our 95 books, 2,756 newspaper columns, and 398 newsletters. And along the way we’ve accumulated 18,000 research books, a houseful of collections, and best of all, a group of friends who also collect.