News-Antique.com - Aug 02,2010 - Eleven days of non-stop antiquing are in store for a small group of dealers, designers and antiques enthusiasts who will be visiting Prague, Leipzig, Bamberg and scouring the back roads of Central Europe this fall.
The antiques buying trip will focus on low-cost, mid-range and up-market/formal antiques, including antique furniture, smalls, art, decorative accessories, folk art, collectibles and estate finds.
The antiques tour is timed to take advantage of the strong Dollar, which has been gaining on the Euro. The trip dates are September 24-October 3, 2010.
The fall antiques tour features some of the best warehouses, shops, antique wholesalers, galleries, farmsteads and antique markets in Europe, according to Philadelphia-based dealer Tom Conrad, who will be leading the buying trip to Eastern Germany and the Czech Republic.
Conrad's European antique buying tours have been featured in Country Living magazine, USA Today, Australian House and Garden and the trade press.
"Our fall antiques buying tour is a top pick for bargain hunters. It offers a great alternative to France, Italy, Belgium and the U.K., where prices tend to be higher and the antiques market is hyper-developed," he said.
"The antiques market in the part of Europe we visit is less rarefied, which makes it a prime place to shop for great finds. The selection is huge and there are definitely bargains to be had. Local dealers are motivated to do business with you and most purchases are tax free," according to Conrad.
Stops include the old imperial cities of Prague, Leipzig and Bamberg plus small towns and villages along the backroads of Central Bohemia, Moravia, Saxony and Northern Bavaria.
The group travels in a mini-coach with a private driver. The antiques tour includes accommodations, ground travel, full itinerary, professional guide, technical support and help negotiating.
“We focus on under-the-radar dealers and avoid tourist-oriented venues. The strong Dollar is wind in our sales. It makes furniture, art, smalls and just about everything else more affordable,” said Conrad.
"The fall antiques trip will be a ‘nooks-and-cranny tour.’ We will be taking our dealer-participants to sources they could never find on their own and will be visiting parts of Europe where most antiques dealers never venture," Conrad added.
The group will see an immense selection of furniture, design objects, collectibles, glass, ceramics, architectural and garden antiques, French antiques, Continental country, Biedermeier, smalls, textiles, vintage clothing and linens, art, industrial antiques, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, mid-century modern and postwar antiques, Black Forest, farm items, primitives, toys, and estate treasures -- all price ranges, all styles, all periods.
In addition to wholesalers and smaller shops, the trip features all-day shopping at two of the biggest antiques markets in Europe, with hundreds of dealers selling finds from across Europe.
Participants share container space, which makes shipping very cost-effective. Individual container shipping is also available.
Space is limited, but a few spots are still available, according to Conrad. Information, pricing and other details are available from Heart of Europe Tours (www.heartofeuropetours.com). Reservations can be made online, by email
