The Start of Manchester Antiques Show, August 4‵, at C.R. Sparks was again greeted by big crowds of shoppers inspecting fresh collections of antiques in Americana motifs. Start got its name 12 years ago when it was the first show in the famous New Hampshire Antiques Week, and now even though the schedules have changed, making it the third to open, the name has stuck. Dealers organized by Flamingo Eventz, the antiques show promotion business of Tina and John Bruno, were generally satisfied with the sales and crowds.
Virginia dealer Bob Hartmann said, “Sales were good at the show, with mostly small antiques. I didn’t bring much furniture because recently the sales have been small items, and that was enough for the show to be successful. I did sell a chimney cupboard.” Hartmann’s comments were echoed by many other exhibitors. Sales were good, but furniture was slow to find new homes.
In the lobby entrance, James Island (South Carolina) Antiques was in its usual place with a large collection of early earthenware, pewter and Jacobean furniture. Marc Witus, Gladstone, N.J., trades in a huge collection of small to very small antiques, usually with just a few pieces of special furniture. His collection would be just the right place to find presents for holiday and personal occasions.
Richard Axtell was selling from the opening until the last 15 minutes of the show. From Deposit, N.Y., he brought a large quantity of early American furniture and, he said, “six crates of smalls. We went home with only two boxes of the smalls, and all the furniture, but that meant we had a very good show!”
Antiques at Hillwood Farm, Pecatonica, Ill., and Blue Dog Antiques, Stafford Springs, Conn., are friends who have been traveling together to shows around the country for several years. Here, they shared one oversize booth in the lobby, with Pilgrim Century and colonial period home furnishings. Sales included an early rocker, dating to the Eighteenth Century, which had been converted from an armchair and handmade seat pad that had been found with it. The seat pad was twice the value of the chair.
The Obergs’ Richmond House Antiques has been selling primitive cupboards and furniture as its main product line. One regular customer at the show left with a full car, heading home to the Maritime Provinces in Canada. From Ashford, Conn., the Obergs have also had good sales with rooms of early wood plank paneling.
A newcomer to the show was Mia Hudson Antiques from Franklin, Tenn., with a collection she has acquired primarily on buying trips to Great Britain. She said, “At least 90 percent of my collection is from England, but then that is where most household accessories came from in the Eighteenth Century.”
Valley Americana, Pepperell Mass., was showing a collection of early Americana, dominated by New England and English home accessories, which now are early folk art. The wall box was cut into an interesting form often called a lollypop back and still covered in its original paint, a red milk with 200 years of handling, which gave it a unique patina. A Rockingham bowl in trapezoidal shape, a wooden lantern, some earthenware and several oil paintings were also part of the dealer’s inventory.
Selling more early small items, Fishers Antiques, Fishers, Ind., sold an early Pennsylvania three-light iron chandelier. Dating to about 1800, it has drip trays under the candle cups that are claimed to be a Pennsylvania adaptation to earlier designs. Additional items included a miniature shelf with stoneware miniatures and a small grass basket.
The exception in terms of furniture sales was Witt’s End Antiques, Wallkill, N.Y. Chris and Karen Doscher were very pleased with sales, as they had about a half dozen transactions in early primitive painted furniture.
Also changing from big furniture to the smaller pieces were Bill and Kay Puchstein, American Heritage Antiques of El Jobean, Fla. Part of their motivation is that it is easier to carry smalls in their motor home, but also they have found lately that smalls sell better. There was a stack of firkins in a variety of sizes and colors; several stacks of differing sized boxes, also painted; wall boxes and shelves; quilts, textiles and coverlets and just interesting household tools.
Start of Manchester is the smallest of all the week’s shows. According to Tina Bruno, however, “We have a great group of dealers, loyal to the show with an equally great group of customers who never miss it! This year, the crowd on first day was the largest in several years, and that was heartening, because the way the year has been going, we were worried the crowd could have been off. But they came and they were looking hard for the special piece for their collections!”
Tina added that they have contracted for next year at C.R. Sparks to continue the show. For information, www.flamingoeventz.com or 603-509-2639.
