Monday, February 21, 2011

Anyone have a report on the Las Vegas Show?
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6 comments:

  1. IXLFebruary 21, 2011 at 12:49 PM

    The Las Vegas Show has unfortunately lost many key bottle and insulator dealers over the years. This year their show listing did not appear in Bottles and Extras or Crown Jewels of the Wire, leading to poorer sales than usual for me. Friday, their early bird day, usually produces stronger sales than Saturday--I shockingly made only two minor sales on Friday. Saturday was a little better, but many bottle dealers I spoke to reported their sales were down, or near nonexistent.

    There was a decent selection of bottles scattered throughout the room, but a lot of it appeared to be the same old stock I've seen at other past shows. I did see a nice yellow Wormser’s barrel with small repair that had $3,500 on it, but was later traded. There were a few colored western sodas available. Probably the best stuff was offered out of a box by Roger.

    I managed to hunt down a nice cobalt Boley's that has a huge pinch scar on the reverse, the largest I have seen yet. You might recall the recent theory that these marks were factory repairs to the bottles...until Warren produced the obvious information that they are the aftermath of a small portion of the molten glass being pinched in the mold. I love this kind of stuff!

    Anyway, I hate to see the LV Show in such decline (my personal opinion only). Maybe they need to minimize the size of the show and be more selective with their dealers, with a theme of bringing it back to being more of a true bottle show? I fear it will go the way of the Bakersfield Show and become a general antique show, which caused most bottle and insulator dealers to bail.

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  2. Dr.BarnesFebruary 21, 2011 at 5:06 PM

    Thanks for the info Dwayne, as both a Seller and a Collector, I have bailed on the Las Vegas Show for at least 7 years now. The cost to go over by myself and just Buy or Sell is not worth it to me. I imagine if I was Married or had a Girl Friend, the trip would be a lot more entertaining, as they would be much other stuff to go check out and enjoy. The last time I went to the Vegas Show, I had to force myself to Buy something, it was a gloppy reddish Sprunce & Stanley Fifth. I only sold a couple of bottles, no insulators, I did trade a guy a Waits Square for a nice Green Union Oval which I still have, so I felt better driving out of there and I did win $25.00 at a machine in a Gas Station right before I left. I can see where the need to fill tables to make the show happen will or would water down the purist bottle people, its happened to other shows as well. I noticed more people selling Stuff at our San Diego Show, I hope that we can keep it Bottle and Insulators mostly? We will see, I have a little of everything to sell, most of it Bottle Related so I am not to worried. I would like the shows to keep from being a fancy swapmeet though, or just an Antique Show with Foo Foo Junk or Reproduction signs and more junk. Be better to have a small pure bottle and insulator show than that, just my 13 1/4 cents of input. Dr.Barnes

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  3. LordbudFebruary 22, 2011 at 3:53 AM

    I attended the Las Vegas show once back in the early 1990s. I found a few bottles to bring home but even back then it was a mixed bag light on the local Western bottles with plenty of other antique-y items on offer besides bottles. An 8-hour drive from the South Bay or an expensive plane ticket just hasn't been worth my returning since. I chalk the lack of interesting bottles at shows up to the ebay factor.

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  4. Mike DolciniFebruary 22, 2011 at 8:38 AM

    I once attended with some regularity, but couldn't drum up any interest among the local "clan" to go this year. Maybe once every five years is enough. There are, fortunately, enough distractions in LV to make the trip interesting after a boring turn through the tables filled with lunchboxes and Star Wars stuff with a few bottles tossed in for minor interest.

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  5. soleagentFebruary 23, 2011 at 2:22 PM

    Yup, same old Vegas show.. I attended with a better attitude (maybe lower expectations) and more energy than the past couple of years. A couple of my duplicate fifths are in new collections, added some Nevada bottles to the grouping, had a great time visiting with friends old and new. Connie Ferraro will have to get those pretty, white carpets cleaned. My excessive drooling no doubt left a trail. Snowy weather kept the digging at a standstill. Bummed about that, hey it's almost March.

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  6. rtsiriFebruary 23, 2011 at 9:52 PM

    I have been doing the Vegas for 40+ years and yes it's turning to a general collectibles show .I would guess 20-25% bottle table there this time .Bev and I also collect casino items so we pick up a few things there .My sales were OK with most items going to Colorado and Arizona collectors .However with the price of fuel etc. going up I'll think twice about next year ,And anyway those people will all be coming to the 2012 Expo in Reno .Will have lots more information about the Expo in a couple of weeks after the FOHBC meeting in Baltimore .

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