New York - ​The rustle of aged paper, the scent of time clinging to yellowed pages – these are the siren calls for a growing legion of collectors and resellers scouring flea markets, estate sales, and dusty secondhand shops. While the thrill of discovering a valuable antique trinket or piece of furniture remains a powerful draw, a quiet revolution is happening within the antique marketplace: the skyrocketing value of antique books, medical transcripts, historical documents, and other paper ephemera. This surge in interest and value is not just benefiting seasoned collectors; it's breathing new life into the entire antique and vintage reseller market.

An article by the The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the market for rare medical books is currently booming, with values expected to continue rising. Bolstering this claim, a neurosurgeon's impressive collection of early medical texts, amassed over six decades, is currently heading to auction, backing up many treasure hunter's notions about valuable paper products just 'waiting to be found.' The highlight of the sale is anticipated to be a rare 1476 Italian first edition of Pliny the Elder's Historia naturalis. This comprehensive work, covering everything from medicine and zoology to mathematics and physics, is estimated to sell for as much as $150,000. This surge in paper-popularity is prompting not only treasure hunters to seek out these examples, but also those in the physicians field looking to dust off some of their old medical texts in the hopes of scoring big. 

According to the brokerage firm Stifel Financial, recent auction sale results of rare medical books have significantly outpaced previous years. Over the past four years, the firm says that these uncommon medical texts have generated over $26 million at auction, a substantial increase compared to the approximately $15 million sold in each decade since the 1990s.​

​However, it's not just the niche medical markets that are gaining in popularity. The Internet has managed to play a pivotal role in the wider 'paper treasure' boom. Online auction sites and specialized book marketplaces have democratized access to these items, connecting sellers with a global network of buyers. "Before the Internet, you were limited to local collectors or antique shops," explains Sarah Miller, who sells antique maps online. "Now, I can reach collectors all over the world, which has significantly increased the value of my inventory." This expanded reach has not only boosted individual sellers' fortunes, but according to Miller, has also injected dynamism into the broader antique market.  

The 1950's Returns
While many baby-boomers still have fond memories of Happy Days reruns and Grease flashbacks, it's another generation that seems to be spinning the wheel forward, at least according to David Kirk, who runs a 1950's vintage themed store in Nevada. "It's all about the kids" says Kirk. "I've been doing this for almost forty years, when boomers were my only customers, but today it's like a third-generation removed." Kirk says that many of his 'younger' clients love the vintage leather jackets, sunglasses, retro-converted car seats, and sock-hop poster memorabilia that adorns his store walls. "It's not Mid-Century stuff per se," says Kirk, "but more like the chrome and vinyl soda-shop bar stools - or what I like to call juke-box décor." Kirk, who also runs an online version of his 50s store, says that sales really began to take-off last year. "I have absolutely no idea why," he mused, but thinks that some of the newfound interest in his 50s-themed Americana items may just be part of a younger generations desire to harken back to what was often perceived as a simpler and less strenuous time in life to grow up in. "I've sold more bobby socks and saddle-shoe combos to kids in their 20s over the last ten months, than over the last five years," says Kirk, "There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to it, other than perhaps a possible breaking trend."  ​

American Folk Art - Portraits
According to some of the top auction houses, sales of Early American antiques are beginning their rise back to prominence within the decorative arts scene, however, a number of auction researchers are also reporting that one particular genre within this field is showing stronger than expected sales. Included in this group is Christie’s Sallie Glover, a specialist in Early American Folk Art who has been predicting the rise in art portraiture for a number of years now. “American folk portraiture appeals to many different types of collectors,” says Glover. “These works can go just as well with traditional American furniture as they do with a modern interior.” Glover's sentiments seem to match other results for online auction reports that also indicate a noticeable rise in popularity for this type of art form. Doris Henley, an Early American themed online dealer who also aggregates realized auction prices for her business, says that sales of her folk art portraits have ballooned over the past ten months. "I could see it coming," says Henley, "at first it was just a dribble, but then it really opened up about a year ago and the prices started to climb." Henley says she doesn't expect the popularity of folk art to wane anytime soon. "Brown wood and history are just coming back into vogue," she says, "this run has a long way to go yet."

Decorated Chests
Inaya Abbas, who runs a specialty themed bricks-and-clicks business devoted to antique blanket boxes and chests, says that while numbers ramped-up after the pandemic and remained constant for the next couple of years, it wasn't until the end of 2023 that she really began to notice an uptick in requests for items and sales of some of her more ornate inventory. "Shaker stuff was selling," says Abbas, "but the more exotic chests that I'd had shipped back from Asia and the Middle East really started to move by the early part of 2024. It's as if a light went off and everyone suddenly decided they had to have a blanket box - it's been crazy busy," she says. Abbas, who's been selling within the decorative arts scene for almost fifteen-years, believes that we're just beginning to see the tip of the iceberg now as people move further away from today's modern motif as a core decorating principle. "I think it's just time for a change, people seem to want more warmth and color now."

Rotary Phones
While it may be hard for some to fathom, since it might only seem like yesteryear that we were all on landlines (we were), Jin Chang says that sales from his retro collection of last century's rotary phones has been on a skyward trajectory since he opened his private collection website to the public and online sales in 2022. "Most of my buyers are Asian kids who love tech stuff." says Chang, "but it's slowly beginning to change." Chang thinks that most of his clients just want that connection to early past tech, and they're willing to pay for it. When he first started out, Chang claims that finding inventory was easy - it was plentiful and cheap - but no longer. "You can still buy some cool 'hole-dialers' at good prices," he notes, but admits that much has changed over the last year or two. "I now have to compete for inventory in some places," he says, "it's not like the old days where you could literally find examples that had been thrown out with the trash." Chang believes that on average, prices for many of his better quality rotary's have probably doubled in price over ​the last year, and he doesn't see that slowing down anytime soon. "I've got more demand than supply," he says, "so until that changes, I think the market will continue to remain strong well into 2025."  

Vintage Studio Ceramics
Once lacking in the doldrums, vintage studio ceramics finally look to be making a comeback as well, at least according to many auction-house insiders and industry dealers. Benjamin Walker, Bonham's head of global decorative arts and design department, says that the auction house is seeing a comeback in interest for clay. “The international market for contemporary British ceramics is well established and has been growing in strength,” says Walker, “We’re now seeing a growing trend in American studio ceramics that is following this interest. Over the past five to ten years the category has gained more public interest and climbed in value.” Recent sales would seem to back-up Walker's claim, as examples from auction results showing a 1968 Hans Coper vase (with top) being sold for a record-setting $790,000 last year. Pam Newley, a New York artist who works in clay, and who also runs an established online gallery devoted to early twentieth-century American ceramics, says that she's also seen a marked increase in interest by consumers for quality ceramic pieces as well - and not just those from studios. "Ten years ago there just wasn't that much of a market for clay anymore," she says, "but in the last two or three years it's all started to come back." Newley, who's been in business for almost thirty-years knows it's cyclical, of course, but says that, "It's just starting-up again," so for those looking to get in on the ground-floor as collectors or re-sellers, "now would probably be a good time."

For most though, trying to ascertain the vagaries and movement patterns of 'in-demand' objects within the field of the decorative arts can often make one feel like you've got a better chance of nailing water to the wall, than getting a reliable market prognostication of things to come. However, as David Kirk is fond of reminding people who visit his store's 1950s-inspired website, "Figuring out what's going to be hot and collectible is easy; it's all just a matter of heading back to the future again... right?"

- A.I.A. Staff Writers
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Auction Data Shows Most Popular Items Sold

New York - The antique and vintage markets have proven remarkably resilient over the past twelve months, navigating economic shifts and evolving consumer tastes to deliver some truly exceptional sales. While certain traditional categories have seen adjustments, a vibrant energy, fueled by both seasoned collectors and a new generation of enthusiasts, continues to propel the market forward. Auction houses, both the established giants and their online counterparts, have witnessed strong results across a diverse range of items, offering a compelling snapshot of what's hot and what's being keenly sought after in today's decorative arts marketplace.

In the realm of fine art, the enduring power of iconic names remains undeniable. Christie's 2024 spring sales in New York, for instance, saw strong prices for works by Impressionist and Modern masters. As Kim Dewer, a specialist at Christie's noted during a post-auction briefing last year, "The market for top-quality examples by blue-chip artists continues to be incredibly robust. Collectors are seeking not just beauty, but also rarity and historical significance." This was evident in the impressive figures achieved for works by artists like Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso, whose pieces consistently command multi-million dollar prices, often fueled by intense bidding wars both in the room and online. Sotheby's also echoed this sentiment, with their recent "Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works" sale in May 2025 realizing over $271 million, demonstrating the premium placed on exceptional collections assembled with discerning taste.​

However, this narrative appears to extend well beyond just the traditional high-end art market, with the more "pedestrian" decorative arts sector also witnessing its own set of rising stars. Online auction platforms like LiveAuctioneers, which aggregates results from thousands of global auction houses is able to offer a broad view of major trending categories. Their data over the last year indicates a notable increase in prices and demand for specific styles and periods. For example, interest in Art Deco furniture and decorative objects has remained strong, with pieces featuring geometric designs and luxurious materials fetching impressive sums. As reported by Better Homes & Gardens earlier this year, "Geometric shapes, bold colors, and luxurious materials that are characteristic of Art Deco are making a significant comeback in interior design circles," directly impacting their value in the vintage market and in corresponding sales results from auction houses.​

According to the online auction site Bidsquare, there also appears to be a growing appreciation for the unique character and craftsmanship of earlier periods. Dark wood furniture with ornate details, a style often associated with the Victorian era, has seen a resurgence in bidding numbers across their platform. Tiffany Lorne from TL Designs & Auctions, says that her online auction site has also noticed a rise in demand for darker wood furniture, especially with carved, scallop-like apron edges in side tables and consoles. "There's a growing appreciation for the intricate details and embellishments that antique and vintage furniture offers,'" she says. "Our auction results are showing a shift away from purely minimalist aesthetics towards incorporating pieces with more history and visual interest." ​

Collectibles, ranging from rare books and manuscripts to vintage toys and memorabilia, also continue to perform strongly, says auction analyst, David Warner. "The dedicated online auctions at Christie's and Sotheby's have consistently shown impressive results in these categories." Warner notes that many of Sotheby's recent sales have also seen strong interest in first edition books and historical documents, often driven by what Warner believes is passionate collectors seeking tangible connections to the past. Similarly, the market for high-grade vintage comic books and trading cards remains buoyant, also fueled by what Warner sees as nostalgia and their potential as an alternative investment. "The good stuff has been rising in value," he says, "despite today's economic uncertainty."

Not to be outdone, the online bidding platform HiBid, says that some of its most impressive (scaled) auction results over the past year continue to be for kitchen barware, which it also attributes to a strong wave of nostalgia, driving collectors towards iconic mid-century modern pieces such as Dorothy Thorpe silver overlay sets, or Culver's 22-karat gold decorated glasses, along with stylish Art Deco examples. According to HiBid, the inherent craftsmanship, uniqueness, and often more durable materials used in such pieces compared to contemporary mass-produced items is what makes them more desirable for both practical use and display, as well as what leads to more competitive bidding among discerning buyers. ​

Although market values and trends are inherently fluid, these finalized auction results related to specific items can still show concrete evidence of significant interest within certain genres of the decorative arts marketplace. While it is of course no guarantee as to future value, these results can at least help dealers and collectors alike in determining what some of today's more popular antique and vintage examples can actually achieve at auction when the hammer finally falls. 

- A.I.A. Staff Writers 
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