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Antique Arms Show Moving To Convention Center

By BRIAN DOWLING

July 03, 2012

The New England Antique Arms Society is bringing its guns to the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford for its annual convention over the weekend of August 4-5. This will be the society's first year having the gathering at the convention center, after previously holding the event at the Connecticut Expo Center.

Attendees will be able to buy antique arms, as well as have items appraised for sale. Dealers and exhibitors from more than 25 states will show various items, such as antique and collectible firearms, swords, knives, accoutrements, military dress, Native American and western items and historical photographic images.

The antique gun market is "slowly recovering from an economic downturn," said Herbert Houze, an antique gun expert who curated a 2006 Colt exhibit at Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum. "Collectors were holding onto their money rather than spending it on things."

The region's history of firearm manufacturing features names like Oliver Winchester, Eli Whitney, Simeon North and Samuel Colt, whose operations, with few exceptions, stayed close to the Connecticut River, said Houze.

"That whole corridor was essentially the center of mass production of guns either by machine or hand from 1800 to the mid-20th century," said Houze.

Information about the event is at http://www.hartfordshow.com