Anatomical diagrams, detailed floral prints, world maps, Brooklyn street maps from the '70s, and fruit innards are just some of the illustrious prints you can find at Intaglio Antiques every weekend for the duration of The Flea at One Hanson. Meet the folks (the cutest couple ever) behind it all, discover the source of their cheap thrills, and even meet a shopper.
What is your name and company's name?
Tunde Bodnar, and my company is Intaglio Antiques.
And what's your hometown?
We live in Southbridge, Mass. But I was born and raised in New Jersey.
What do you sell and how long have you been selling it for?
We sell antique prints and maps—all original. I have been in the antique business for 10 years and [my partner] Ralph has been in it for almost 30 years.
What's your specialty?
The gist is that these are all pre-offset prints, which means they are all engravings made from steelplate or copperplate. Off-set means mass-produced and photo mechanical, so these are all pre-photo mechanical.
What is your most memorable sale?
It's not spectacular, it's just when people buy something and they get so excited about it. Take the [City-use] Sanborn Maps, for example. The shoppers get very excited when they find their home or street.
What keeps you coming back to the Flea?
The shoppers are great, all the venues have been great. Eric and Rob do an excellent, excellent job promoting and organizing. Years ago I lived in New York, and now that I live in Massachusetts, I don't mind spending time in New York at all.
Is this your full-time job?
This is my full-time. Finding these prints and maps consumes about 80% of my time during the week. They are hard to come by and they are expensive. I get a lot of them out of Europe and it just takes a lot of time.
What do you do for fun?
This! This is my fun. I really enjoy this. [Addressing a buyer] Tell us, why did you buy these?
Buyer: They're gifts for my wife. She is a crafter and a writer and she has some old typewriters. I have bought her a few old Singers off eBay and I think she will really appreciate these. Plus, her grandfather was a typewriter repair man, so....
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.
Previous Month »