BestShopSites
Bottom Line Rating*

Best Sites
Capsules/Description

Accolades

Newel Art Galleries
www.newel.com

Forbes Review: "We are not talking about Elvis Presley posters here. The venerable New York-based Newel Galleries, long a fave with decorators, sells antique furniture and decorative arts from the 17th to the 20th centuries, ranging in price from $1,000 to $100,000. You can’t buy online from Newel, but its powerful search engine will speed you through the site’s 20,000-item inventory to pinpoint exactly what you want. Search by era, style, geographical origin, price or keyword—and then refine your search with substyles and subcategories. ....Wonderfully helpful glossary of decorative art terms." (Forbes--click here for full review) 

Forbes Top-Rated Favorite in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

Antiqnet
www.antiqnet.com

Forbes Review: "An ideal place to start for anyone interested in antiques and collectibles on the web. This massive portal lets you search and shop from more than 5,000 national and international dealers. And it’s an antiquer’s linkfest to boot. Looking for antique centers? Shows? Publications? Lecturers? Appraisers? Restorers? Insurers? Shippers? It’s all here. It will even link you to people who can find the missing matches to your grandmother’s china and silver patterns. Searches can be easily refined...Great inventory of mid-priced antiques and collectibles.. " (Forbes--click here for full review)

Forbes Selection  in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

Circline
www.circline.com

Forbes Review: "A recent site redesign means that Circline now has an even more powerful searching capabilities and more enhanced educational content. As always, this site feature premium goods at upscale prices. The inventory is huge and there are numerous hand-holding custom services." (Forbes--click here for full review)

Forbes Selection  in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

Ebay Great Collections
www.ebay.com

Forbes Review: "Last fall Ebay bought San Francisco-based auction concern Butterfield’s to break into higher-end auctions. While its new Great Collections area is intended to give Ebay a luxe dimension, the collections are not all that great. There’s the occasional Mickey Mantle card that sells for more than $6,000, but more common are the ones that sell in the $60 to $100 range..... Spotty in both quantity and quality.....Be prepared to scroll, scroll, scroll: There were 901 pages of dolls in no particular order" (Forbes--click here for full review)

Forbes Selection  in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

Finer Times
www.finertimes.com

Forbes Review: "Anyone interested in watches should make time for this site. It is not fancy—just a catalog of vintage watches for sale by a variety of dealers. There's a decent selection of cameras and camera parts too, but this site's heart goes 'tick tock' not 'click.' Be sure to opt for the advanced search which now allows you to search by any combination of inventory type, manufacturer, price range, case metal, model, dealer, movement type and complication. What the site's design lacks in sophistication, it makes up for in quality and variety of offerings. Scroll through pictures, descriptions, prices, and ba-da-bing—if you find something interesting, e-mail or call the dealer to put the transaction in motion." (Forbes--click here for full review)

Forbes Selection in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

Gavelnet
www.gavelnet.com

Forbes Review: "An up-and-comer in the online auction game, Gavelnet offers fine arts, decorative arts and premium collectibles. When we visited, notable lots ranged from exquisite 18th-century French Aubusson tapestries to vintage turn-of-the-century posters to guitars once belonging to rock luminaries Sting and Eric Clapton. Overall quality was high, with the notable exception of the jewelry. When we visited, bidding action was light, suggesting that bargains might be found. (Forbes--click here for full review)

Forbes Selection  in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

Hemmings Motor News
www.hmn.com

Forbes Review: "If you dream of antique and collectible cars, head to Hemmings. It’s the monthly old-car Bible, a massive tome full of thousands of ads, mostly FSBOs (for sale by owner). Looking for a Hupmobile or a Kaiser Fraser? Hemmings has it. The Web version has the same information as the print edition, but delayed. You can also find dealers, auctions and classic car events through the Vermont company. Don’t miss the classic Abandoned Automobiles calendar, “an annual appreciation of aesthetically abandoned ancient American automobiles.” They may be rusty heaps, but they’re cool rusty heaps." (Forbes--click here for full review)

Sotheby's
www.sothebys.com

Forbes Review: "First, Sothebys.Amazon.com. Now Sothebys.com. What’s the difference? Mostly price. Both offer art, antiques, and collectibles, but Sothebys.com projects a slightly more upscale image. With prices ranging from a few hundred bucks to tens of thousands, Sothebys.com offers a decidedly mixed bag of antiques and collectibles. A rare Frank Lloyd Wright chair and mint-condition Chippendale desk mingle with stuff that looks as if it was culled from Grandma’s summer cottage.... For the cream of Sotheby’s offerings, you’ll still need to purchase catalogs of its live auctions. Online versions of these publications are incomplete and, for now at least, without illustrations." (Forbes--click here for full review)

Stampfinder.com
www.stampfinder.com

Forbes Review: "Faster than the post office, thanks to a new T1 server, Stampfinder, is a feast for philatelists. This snappy, well-organized site offers one-stop stamp immersion. Browse or buy in the dealer mall, or take your chances searching the collections by country and topic. A new button on the "search" page allows you to search for stamps that have no catalog number, a web first. Stampfinder's homepage serves up a menu of features for enthusiasts and beginners alike. Sample its many links to dealers, associations and clubs. Peruse the calendar of auctions. Learn stamp history. Purchase collecting supplies. Snoop around the stamp theft bulletin. Or check out news and feature stories at the site’s e-zine, Stamp.net. You can even download stamp wallpaper for your computer screen." (Forbes--click here for full review)

Tias
tias.com

Forbes Review: "Imagine the Mall of America filled only with antique stores—and you’re beginning to get a picture of Tias. This umbrella site links you to nearly 300 antique dealers, all of which project a definite heartland feel. Within the more than 220,000 items available, there is some high-end stuff, but it's few and far between. A search for Tiffany lamps yielded 459 hits—all repros. If it’s community you’re looking for, newsletters and chat rooms await, whatever your interest." (Forbes--click here for full review)