EUROPEAN ANTIQUES TOUR: FALLING EURO MEANS FRIENDLY PRICES Comb through castles, flea markets, shops and warehouses for antique treasures. Enjoy great prices as the Euro falls. And don't worry about shipping -- it's included!
News-Antique.com - Nov 30,-0001 - Have you ever found a beautiful antique bureau at a flea market or shop while you were on vacation, and not been able to buy it because you couldn’t get it home?
It’s enough to make a grown man – or woman – cry!
With the Heart of Europe Tour, you can vacation and shop for antiques with abandon. And best of all: you don’t have to worry about how you will get your treasures home, because shipping is included.
The Heart of Europe Antiques Tour, from September 6-18, 2005 features great flea markets in Germany and the Czech Republic. The tour will also visit wholesalers, warehouses, castles and retail shops in Nürnberg, Prague, Dresden and other towns along the back roads and blue highways of Central Europe.
Container shipping is included in the tour. “Our participants can buy in quantity since there is no extra charge for shipping,” according to Philadelphia-based dealer Tom Conrad, who will lead the trip. “It’s sort of an ‘Antiques Roadshow, European Style.’”
“The Euro is at its lowest point in eight months and dealers in Central Europe are motivated to sell,” according to Conrad. “Prices are very reasonable.” In addition, buyers from the U.S. are exempt from the local value added tax because they export their purchases.
“Central Europe is becoming a hot new market for antiques, but few Americans buy there,” says Conrad. Antiques, furnishings, art and collectibles of all kinds slumbered in private hands for decades during the Cold War because there was no marketplace for them in most of Central Europe. “These treasures have been coming on to the market since the 1990s,” according to Conrad. Beautiful Biedermeier, Renaissance Revival, Art Nouveau, Secession, Art Deco, Primitive, Mid-Century and Country antiques can be found throughout the region,” says Conrad. “There is a huge selection of antique furnishings, decorative arts, glass, folk art, crystal, jewelry, antique toys and dolls, porcelain, pottery and country items.”
The Heart of Europe Antiques Tour includes airport transfers, ground travel, guide, hotel accommodations, ground freight, visits to markets and dealers, container shipping, export documentation and customs clearance. “We focus on the details so our tour participants can focus on antiques,” says Conrad.
Conrad stresses that the trip is a full-service, escorted tour rather than a “do-it-yourself” trip. “We provide bilingual support, professional advice and help negotiating your purchases every step of the way,” according to Conrad.
Reservations are being accepted, but space is limited. More information is available at www.heartofeuropetours.com. An information packet and reservation form are available via email at info@heartofeuropetours.com or by phone at 215.991.9892.
