With our rich history, New England is a haven for antique collectors from around the country. The Brimfield Antique Shows and auctions even draw buyers and sellers from around the globe.

With yard sales signs in almost every town and outdoor antique shows and flea markets running every weekend it’s easy for antique lovers to treasure hunt during the spring, summer and fall. As the weather gets colder, options become more limited, but there are still plenty of places to buy antiques.

Springfield trapdoor rifle in our
January auction

Some flea markets are open year round. The Charlton Flea Market began in Auburn before moving to its present location. Dealers offer a wide range of items ranging from toys and jewelry to glassware and furniture. They are open from 7:00 to 3:00 on Sundays. The Dudley “Do Right” Flea Market also has a wide selection of items from their diverse dealers. They are open Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 to 4:00. A new flea market opened in Shrewsbury recently. “The Route 9 Flea Market” is home to antique dealers and others selling newer items as well. They are open Saturday, Sunday and Federal Holidays from 9:00 to 5:00.

Most antique shops are open year round. Putnam, CT and nearby towns remain a center for antique dealers and collectors in our area. With Old Sturbridge nearby and its proximity to Brimfield, it’s not surprising that there are also popular antique shops in Sturbridge.

A great online resource for local antiques is the antiquecommon.com “shop” page. They list other Massachusetts antique shops in Barre, Berlin, Boylston, Brimfield, Brookfield,
Charlton, Clinton, Dudley, East Marlborough, Fitchburg, Grafton, Holden, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lunenburg, Medway, Millbury, Millis, Northborough, Northbridge, North Brookfield, North Grafton, Palmer, Paxton, Sherborn, Shrewsbury, Spencer, Sterling, Sudbury, Sutton, Townsend, Wales, Wayland, West Boylston and Worcester. Connecticut shops are listed in Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Coventry, Lisbon, Jewett City, Mansfield, Putnam, Scotland, Stafford Springs, Tolland, Willington, Woodstock and Union. As you can see, there are plenty of locations close to home where you can shop for antiques. I would recommend calling before driving to one of these locations though as shops may close temporarily or permanently.

If you are in the middle of a blizzard, you can shop from home. Proxibid.com is one of the sites that offer auctioneers the opportunity to sell items online. Items can be sold in “Timed Events” where bidders have a fixed period of time to bid on an item. The auctioneer lists the auction for a period of days or weeks and bidding ends on a specified date and time. The Swansea online estate sale on www.centralmassauctions.com is an example of a timed auction. Auctioneers are also able to offer bidders the opportunity to bid online during their live auctions with Proxibid.

Live auctions, of course, take place all season long. We will have an auction at our Worcester location on January 30th you never know what the weather will bring. So, we set a snow date of January 31st case of severe weather. When you attend an auction you’ll forget about the cold weather outside as the bidding heats up in the auction hall! We understand that we live in New England, and