Mid-century modern. Industrial salvage. Nineteenth-century objets d'art. Whatever your taste or item of desire, chances are there's a dealer who caters to it at one of two upcoming shoreline antique shows: Saturday, May 24's Madison Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Outdoor Antiques Show and, on Saturday, May 31, the second annual Antiques Sale and Appraisal Day presented by Old Saybrook Historical Society.

With more than 70 and 50 dealers, respectively, at each show, you'll want to plan ahead to make the most of your experience. This week, Living brings you all the details you need.

Madison Chamber of Commerce Outdoor Antiques Show

The decades-strong Madison Chamber of Commerce Outdoor Antiques Show annually attracts several thousand people to the Green, regularly turning casual browsers into happy buyers.

"A lot of people will come to the show just because they like to browse, and they always leave with something," says Chamber Executive Director Eileen Banisch. "You never know if you'll find a treasure-a lot of people will see a toy or something they had as a child and they'll have to have it for nostalgia purposes."

Others, Banisch says, are drawn to the show's wide array of goods, including some of the items the show's become know for: wicker, rugs, trunks, outdoor garden ornamentation, and much more. Nautical-themed items are also a big hit with shoreline-area shoppers, and "a lot of dealers will tailor what they bring to the show because of the location, says Banish."

Expect the Green to be bustling on May 24 with "a lot of out-of-towners, as well as young people who are just home from school, and people from around New England," many of whom faithfully attend the event each year. For those who want to edge out the competition and score that coveted item, the Chamber offers an early buying option for $10 between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. (visit www.madisonct.com for a discounted ticket).

In addition, there will be food all day, cooked and sold by the Lutheran Church of Madison, and local musician Mike Piccione will perform live. He appreciates donations to benefit Music for Wounded Warriors.

The Madison Chamber of Commerce Outdoor Antiques Show is on Saturday, May 24 on the Madison Town Green, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 70 dealers from throughout New England participate. Early buying ($10) is from 8 to 9 a.m.; general admission is $4. For more information, contact the Chamber at 203-245-7394 or chamber@madisonct.com or visit www.madisonct.com.

Old Saybrook Historical Society Antiques Sale and Appraisal Day

There's no doubt the second annual Antiques Sale and Appraisal Day is a shopper's paradise, but it will also be a great educational opportunity, says event Chair Karen Emack-Dolson of Saybrook Recycled Furniture.

"What makes it a little different is that it's free admission, so people who might not normally pay to go to an antiques show" will attend, says Emack-Dolson. "It's a fun learning experience."

The antique appraisals are another huge draw. Ten knowledgeable antique dealers-some generalists, and some specialists-will offer their services between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for a fee of $7 per item or $20 for three items. What sets the day's appraisals apart, says Emack-Dolson, is that the appraisers are often able to set people up with buyers for their valuable treasures-a key step in the process that viewers of the popular PBS program Antiques Roadshow don't see.

In 2013, its first year, the show attracted an estimated 700 people. Because of that success, show organizers are bringing in an additional 15 vendors on

May 31, and the show will occupy both sides of Old Saybrook's Main Street around the "Trivet Green." Among the well-respected vendors scheduled to unveil their wares are Charles Gardiner of Massachusetts, who specializes in early furniture and antique garden goods; Lisa Demuro of Woodbury, a dealer of quality antiques; Lewis Scranton of Killingworth's Lewis Scranton Antiques, who sells antiques and Americana; and 19th-century paintings dealer Tradewinds Fine Art out of Narragansett, Rhode Island.

The Old Saybrook Historical Society's second annual Antiques Sale and Appraisal Day is on Saturday, May 31 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the General William Hart House, 350 Main Street, and across the street on the "Trivet Green" in Old Saybrook. The event features 50 dealers, and plants, baked goods, and refreshments will also be sold. Admission is free. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 10 appraisers will offer verbal estimates for $7 for one item or $20 for three items. Appraisers are Norman Legassie of Stepping Stone Antiques, Old Saybrook (specialties include furniture, tools, postcards, jewerly, glassware, pottery, paintings and prints, and objets d'art); Linda Legassie of Stepping Stones Antiques (fine and decorative arts); Isaiah Griffith of Old Lyme (military items, vintage toys and collectibles, fine silver, and decorative items); Steve Lutar of Guilford Coin Exchange (coins, stamps, and precious metals); Carol Brevard of Brevard Appraisal and Estate Services, Westbrook (general antiques, art, decorative items, glassware, and pottery); Curt Wendler of Curt Wendler Rare Books, Old Saybrook (books, prints, autographs, and ephemera); Dina Blais of Van's Elegant Antiques, Old Saybrook (dolls, miniatures, and old toys); John Newman, independent dealer (decorative arts, fine glassware); Nancy Hoffman of Mason-Dixon Antiques and Peter Dolson of Saybrook Recycled Furniture, both of whom will help patrons identify the appropriate appraiser.

For more information, call event Chair Karen Emack-Dolson at 860-388-6180 or the Old Saybrook Historical Society at 860-395-1635.