The popular Antiques for Everyone fair, which is held at the Birmingham NEC three times a year, caused quite a stir for visitors recently as it focused on ghoulish and chilling exhibits.
The fair opened on Halloween (31st October) and ran until the 3rd November. Among the creepy items were death masks, skulls and glass eyes.
The antiques and collectibles at the Antiques for Everyone fair are independently verified by experts in the trade, which is reassuring to buyers. The fair is held at the Birmingham NEC during the spring, summer and winter months and has been running for 18 years.
The spooky theme for this year’s winter fair has been extremely popular with members of the public, who come looking for unique and unusual items which can’t be found online or in standard retail stores. Rare items are often available at the fair.
One exhibitor, George Johnson, spoke of sales which he has made at the event. He confirmed that interest in the darker side of antiques – the more macabre the better – is increasing. Mourning brooches with human hair have sold particularly well, while a radio DJ purchased a skull to adorn his home.
Collectors of these items may also require an antique cabinet from Blackburn, or any other nearby town, in which to display their carefully chosen pieces. Interior designers and celebrities have recently shown increased interest in gothic items, and antique furniture may be used to display the pieces to their best advantage.