THE ORIGINAL MIAMI BEACH ANTIQUE SHOW WITH JONES & HORAN AUCTION HOUSE.

January 22, 2024 | George Nelson | Worn & Wound

The Miami Beach Antique Show is known to be the largest vintage and antique show in North America and is typically held every January at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, FL. It brings collectors and vendors from all over the world to arguably the biggest treasure hunt one could undertake. Miami is my hometown, so making the choice to attend this year’s show (my third overall) was an easy one.

At the show, I met up with the team from Jones & Horan auction house. This was my first time connecting with them and they were certainly a treat. They were kind enough to show me some of the most interesting watches that they had at their booth and share stories about the

watches and their owner, George.

Based in Goffstown, NH, Jones & Horan is a small “mom and pop” auction house with an interesting story. It all began with owner George E. Jones and his father George F. Jones selling milk from their farm and bartering with customers for found items around their homes. Eventually, this led the younger George to start selling and buying other items. Some fun facts I learned at the show about George: He’s fist-fought a baboon, he was gored by a cow while protecting his son, traveled around England buying English estates, and he’s rumored to have been featured in National Geographic while exploring parts between Asia and the Middle East (the crew are still hunting for that issue). He’s what some might call a real life version of “the most interesting man in the world.” In addition, George has no idea how to swim but has a scuba diving certification. If it weren’t for his wife Patty Horan aiding him during the certification by helping him tread water, he wouldn’t have that certification. Aside from being husband and wife, Patty acquired her auctioneer license and in 1985, Jones & Horan was established.

The house holds auctions without buyer’s premium, reserves, or sales tax in the state of New Hampshire. They have everything ranging from $300 Omegas to high end jewelry and pocket watches with provenance to the likes of Robert Wagner and Red Skelton, to name a few. More on that in a bit. Tyler, Fred, Jack, and Courtney were gracious enough to show me some of the cool watches they brought with them to Miami and needless to say, there were some gems and fun ones to see.

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