The prediction, in brief:

People buy surface; the paint, something happens to have this feel. I don’t see how the Internet can get around that problem.

Predictor: Smith, Scudder

Prediction, in context:

In a 1995 article for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, Dave Mayfield covers shopping for antiques online. He quotes Scudder Smith, editor of Antiques and Arts Weekly. Mayfield writes:”The biggest disadvantage of antiques in cyberspace is their lack of dimension, says Scudder Smith, editor of the Newtown, Conn.-based Antiques and the Arts Weekly. ‘People buy surface; the paint, something happens to have this feel,’ Smith says. ‘I don’t see how the Internet can get around that problem.’ Yet Smith too thinks the online world offers promise … Smith thinks the Internet works best for information-sharing. For instance, it can be used for tracking down leads on a hard-to-find Windsor chair. ‘Then it’s up to you to get over and see it,’ he says. But Spears of Antique Trader isn’t willing to sell the online world so short. He predicts that live auctions over the Internet will be ‘quite large over time.'”

Date of prediction: November 1, 1995

Topic of prediction: Economic structures

Subtopic: E-commerce

Name of publication: Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk)

Title, headline, chapter name: The Future of Antiques: Collectors May Find Cyberspace is the Best Place to Hunt for Rarities

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Business Section; Page D1

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Garrison, Betty