West Palm Beach Antiques And Collectibles Show November 28-30, 2008 November 27, 2008

The West Palm Beach Antique and Collectibles show will be held over Thanksgiving weekend, the first major shopping weekend of the holiday season, November 28 – 30 at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fair in West Palm Beach. This will be a great opportunity to find unique holiday gift ideas among one of the largest arrays of dealers and merchandise seen in one event and as always will include special services for visitors such as glass and porcelain repair, jewelry repair, silver and gold plating and doll repair. The popular appraisal clinic supervised by Jay Kielstock will also be active.

One of the advantages of the West Palm Beach Show is the casual atmosphere and the opportunity to talk with dealers who are experts in their fields and who like to discuss theme. One such dealer is Jeff Cotton, a specialist in things mechanical. One of his favorite categories is clocks, not just any clock but old clocks. He normally has examples ranging from the late 18th century to the late 19th century but occasionally has pieces from the 1600s. He is especially fond of animated clocks that do more than just tell the time. The animated clocks often tell a story as well.

Cotton also has a nice selection of mechanical music boxes like Regina and Symphonion and other disc playing music makers and is especially proud of his collection of “musical oddities.” He also provides a repair service for music boxes. In addition to the mechanical treasures Cotton also has an affinity for 19th century French painted furniture decorated in the Vernis Martin style developed in the 18th century.

At the West Palm Beach Show Cotton, the winner of the Best Booth award in the June event, normally occupies three booths and has 150 –200 items on display for sale. He buys his inventory directly from original owners so his material is always new to the market and he boasts of having something for everyone in his territory ranging in price from $500 to $30,000 with a $50,000 treasure sometimes making a rare appearance.

Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fair is located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, FL, 1.5 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of 441/SR7. Show hours are 12PM – 5PM Friday, 9AM – 5PM Saturday and 10AM –4:30PM Sunday. Daily admission for the Show is $6.50 for adults with a Senior rate of $5.50 for 62 and over and multi-day tickets are available for $11.00. Children under 12 are free. There is no charge for parking at the Fairgrounds.

For more information visit the website at http://www.wpbantiques.com or call the Show offices at (561) 640-3433.

Official Website: http://www.wpbantiques.com