Even at the age of 4, Jeff Bridgman found comfort in collecting.
He hunted and hoarded bottle caps and beer cans, keeping a watchful eye out for the good ones.
The child of a history buff and an avid collector, he was thirsty for the knowledge dispensed by his old man on countless trips to landmarks and battlefields and fascinated by the treasures brought home by his mother following successful antique store hauls.
Little did he know, Bridgman was destined to cultivate both this appreciation for American history and passion for accumulating collectibles all the way into adulthood — and then some.
Now 49 years old and headquartered near Gettysburg, Pa., Bridgman is the nation's largest collector and dealer of antique American flags, and he's bringing a portion of his collection to Atlanta's Cathedral Antiques Show, scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday for the exhibit portion. (There's also a homes tour on Sunday.)
He’s among many other exhibitors at the 46th annual celebration of art, antiques and floral and interior design, which also features a speaker series, flower festival and home tours. The show is a major outreach project sponsored by the Episcopal Church Women of the Cathedral of St. Philip, and it has raised more than $5 million for Atlanta-area nonprofits since 1969.
Bridgman has never attended the local show, but is very excited about it.
“I’ve been to more than a thousand antique shows,” Bridgman said, adding that he has obtained his wealth of antique flags — at any given time, he’s in possession of more than 2,500 — from “every source under the sun, including private individuals, old-time collectors, other dealers, pickers, estate attorneys, historical societies and auctions.”
He’s been in the antiques business for 27 years — about 18 of which he’s specialized in American flags. Bridgman said he was an Americana dealer who “got interested in the flag, because I was doing about 40 antique shows a year, and I never saw interesting flags … until one day.”
Bridgman described this chance encounter at an antique show, coming across two flags with circular star patterns and a full 50-star count, and being “blown away” that he didn’t know the pattern’s significance.
“At the time, I was a budding Americana dealer and expert, and here I was … not knowing much of anything about early flags,” Bridgman said. “I soon came to find out nobody else seemed to know much about early flags either. There were only a couple people nationwide who knew much about antique flags in this business … the flag had gotten very little attention in general.”
Since that fateful day, Bridgman has come across “so many tremendous flags.”
Among them, one specifically stood out: a flag made for Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 campaign, which will be on display at the antique show this week.
“I’ve sold many Lincoln campaign flags, but this is the best one that’s known of all that exist,” Bridgman said, describing the ancient iteration of Old Glory as being about 5 feet in length with a portrait of Lincoln emblazoned among the stars with the VP candidate in the stripes.
“Campaign flags were typically around 16 inches,” Bridgman said, excitement evident in his voice. “A 5-footer is almost unheard of.”
When it comes to spotting rare American flags or just the antiques business in general, colleague Ron Bassin said Bridgman has "gained a lot of respect from high-end buyers in the marketplace."
Attracting high-end and high-dollar clients is important, as Bridgman’s flags can cost anywhere from $500 to nearly six figures.
“I’ve watched Jeff grow into one of the most trustworthy guys in the business,” said Bassin, who owns an antique store in New Jersey and is also exhibiting for the first time this week at Atlanta’s Cathedral Antiques Show.
Featuring a mix of period furniture, garden antiques, jewelry, art, silver, and other accessories from the past four centuries, the show kicks off with a special patron preview gala on Wednesday and opens for general admission at 10 a.m. Thursday, continuing through Saturday, with a homes tour on Sunday.
The 2017 show features a flower festival theme with floral designs throughout by leading garden clubs.
Bridgman said Atlanta’s Cathedral Antiques Show has been on his radar for a while, but this will be the first time he’s visited Georgia, other than “going through the airport a zillion times.”
Just as with any other antique show, Bridgman feels a certain excitement as the date nears. He’s come a long way since bottle caps and beer cans, but it’s that same enthusiasm for finding and gathering collectibles that’s sustained him through nearly two decades of dealing in antique flags.
“There’s always something new to be found,” Bridgman said. “There’s always something unique and interesting coming out of the woodwork, and it’s a never-ending thrill finding something you’ve never seen before.”
EVENT PREVIEW
Atlanta’s Cathedral Antiques Show
6:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8 (patron preview gala); 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, and Friday, Feb. 10; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11; also, there's a tour of homes, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12. General admission: $15; speaker ticket (admits one to a speaker presentation): $25; tour of homes: $30. Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road N.W., Atlanta. Tickets: www.cathedralantiques.org.
Of note: American flags dealer Jeff Bridgman; Christine Magne Antiquaire will focus on a classical landscape with "Washerwomen," by Jean-Francois Millet; Carlson & Stevenson Antiques will display several cartoons by Barbara Shermund for the New Yorker; and jewelry in the booth of J.S. Fearnley, including an 18-karat gold, sapphire and diamond ring by Mellerio, Paris, 1960.
