THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 18, 1995 TAG: 9511181596
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVE MAYFIELD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Each spring and fall, tens of thousands of fanatical collectors burst through the doors of the Atlantic City, N.J., convention center in search of their own private gems: political buttons, salt and pepper shakers, carousel horses, McDonald's trinkets and nearly everything else imaginable.
It's ``Atlantique City,'' the world's largest antiques and collectibles fair. When wave after wave of devoted collectors storm the booths of its 1,200 exhibitors, ``it's like the running of the bulls at Pamplona,'' says Norm Schaut, the fair's producer.
This fevered, fleshy push of people is far removed from the cool, quiet world of cyberspace - where the doubleclick of a computer-guiding mouse is the most strenuous step involved.
But Schaut and a growing number of others in the antiques and collectibles trade think the virtual world may be the marketplace for many of their customers in the next century.
They envision an electronic bazaar where buyers and sellers in every corner of the globe meet to exchange wares, pick up leads on where to find the hard-to-find, and stay up-to-date on pricing trends.
``I think there are great possibilities because there are no geographic boundaries,'' says Richard F. Spears, vice president of specialty publications for Norfolk-based Landmark Communications Inc., owner of The Virginian-Pilot.
Last month, Landmark's Antique Trader Publications unit launched on the global Internet computer network what it claims is the largest on-line site devoted to collectors. Called Collector's SuperMall, it offers thousands of easy-to-search on-line classified ads with antiques and collectibles for sale. The site also lists upcoming shows and auctions, wanted-to-buy postings, and recent market news, much of it culled from Antique Trader's eight nationally distributed magazines.
Earlier this month, Antique Trader said it will also open a site on Microsoft Corp.'s new on-line service, The Microsoft Network.
The push into cyberspace won't knock out the traditional cornerstones of the antiques and collectibles trade, its advocates say.
``The excitement that you get at an auction and the fever that you get that drives the prices up, for instance, I just don't think you can duplicate on line,'' says Cathy Sykes, a New York show manager and vice president-elect of the Professional Show Managers Association.
Nevertheless, Sykes says she is excited about the potential for using the Internet and on-line services in her business. ``I know it's the wave of the future.''
Schaut, the ``Atlantique City'' producer, says he has only begun trying to figure out how he'll use the Internet. But he says he is committed to establishing a presence in Antique Trader's electronic mall.
One idea he has for that site: an on-line map of his show's convention floor. People who are planning to attend could call it up on their home or office computer and work out their booth-to-booth itineraries in advance. That could help them save precious time if they're trying to beat other collectors to a prized toy or antique hand tool.
The biggest disadvantage of antiques in cyberspace is their lack of dimension, says Scudder Smith, editor of the Newtown, Conn.-based Antiques and The Arts Weekly.
``People buy surface, the paint something happens to have, its feel,'' Smith says. ``I don't see how the Internet can get around that problem.''
Yet Smith too thinks the on-line world offers promise. His publication launched an Internet site about six months ago. It lists auctioneers and show managers, and the content of some articles. It also offers links to other antique resources on the Internet, such as the Smithsonian Institution and The Antiques Council, an association for antique dealers.
Smith thinks the Internet works best for information-sharing. For instance, it can be used for tracking down leads on a hard-to-find Windsor chair. ``Then it's up to you to get over and see it,'' he says.
But Spears of Antique Trader isn't willing to sell the on-line world so short. He predicts that live auctions over the Internet will be ``quite large over time.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo of Internet page
by CNB