Fairs and Markets

Sotheby’s €7m sale of the original Hermès Birkin handbag, custom made for late actress and singer Jane Birkin in 1985, has given some welcome exposure to the market for preloved luxury accessories. And for many of today’s collectors, vintage is best.

Kate Button of Blackdog Events tells us that the first summer brocante held in June in the atmospheric surroundings of the ruins of Creake Abbey in Norfolk was a success.

With a trio of leading dealers bringing the best of British horology, the Treasure House Fair has become a focus for the clock trade, just as Grosvenor House and Masterpiece were before it.

The Docker Brewery and Tap Room on the Five Acre Estate in Folkestone is the chosen easy-going venue for vintage clothing dealer Claire Burns’ new venture.

The death of Gene Hoyle, dealer and well-known fair organiser in northwest England has led to the closure of the business he and his wife Zara managed and ran.

Zoe Durrant-Keegan is the face behind Little Vintage Lover Fair which launched in 2008 and now runs two or three vintage fairs a year in north Norfolk.

Among the events debuting in London this summer was the one-day ‘fair’ Studiolo.

London’s Treasure House Fair concluded last week after a seven-day run and many sales.

Reg Cooper, the dealer and former fair organiser, has died aged 86.

A French-inspired fleamarket that was launched in June in the small Shropshire town of Whitchurch proved such a success it is now running monthly.

Showground extravaganza run until recently by B2B continues to be a success under the new organiser

Graham Turner’s antiques fairs have an enviable longevity in the Suffolk town of Long Melford.

The incoming EU Regulation 2019/880 on the import of cultural goods, which became effective from June 28, continues to cause concern for the art and antiques market, with TEFAF the latest to warn of its impact.

The average total footfall for the annual three-day 'New Forest & Hampshire County Show' held at The Showground in Brockenhurst comes in at a gigantic 85,000 to 90,000.

Two stately home car boots held for charity take place this month and next including the ‘biggie’ at Wilton House, near Salisbury.