“What did you think of the show this year?” A question posed to many of the exhibiting dealers at the Greater York Antiques Show, and the answers, close to 100 percent, were favorable. “Looks better than it has in a long time,” “Lots of interesting things and there was a good deal of buying,” “I am pleased with the look of the show and I am glad that I decided to do it this May,” and “It looks fine to me, much better than last year,” were some of the answers.
Show manager Donna Burk agrees. “It was the smoothest running show I have ever had, no crisis, and there appeared to be some good buying,” she said. She added that from her table, at the door of the show, she watched a parade of decorated wooden boxes and chairs leave the show floor.
As far as attendance is concerned, “We had a very good Friday, in fact, excellent, but Saturday was off due to the pleasant weather we finally got and people just wanted to be outdoors for a change,” she said.
The physical dimensions of the show were slightly smaller than in the past, but the quality held up, and many of the dealers who have been longtime Burk exhibitors were there. Right at the front of the show was Kelly Kinzle of New Oxford, Penn., with a selection of four early fire hose cart models, neatly displayed on the back wall of the booth, along with four period fire marks.
Kelly was still bubbling over with talk about his trip to Indianapolis with his 1922 Stutz. Actually, the car was trailered out there while Kelly flew, but when they got together, he made a trip around the famous racetrack. “I passed six other cars,” he said, and later learned that passing was not allowed. In any case, both Kelly and the car received official notice that he did pass the cars.
A jockey and sulky weathervane with excellent surface was shown centered on a large harvest table, two leaves, single board top and square tapering legs in the booth of Joseph Lodge, Lederach, Penn.
Country Corner Antiques of Bowie, Md., apparently believes in small collections as witnessed by a rack of breadboards, a selection of copper molds, a shelf filled with white stone molds and a basket filled with colorful carpet balls.
Woody and Nancy Straub of Umatilla, Fla., filled three walls with an assortment of works of art, including an oil on canvas by Clark Hulings, Santa Fe, N.M., titled “Road to Los Alaines.” A large wooded scene with a camp setup in the right corner, titled “Camping,” was by William Ongley (1836‱890), Adirondack, N.Y.
John Chaski Antiques of Camden, Del., offered a Philadelphia chest of small size, figured walnut, and a hooked rug depicting a prancing horse, white on black center, with floral surround.
A large mortar and pestle, a one-piece carved trade sign in old blue painted surface, was in the corner of the booth of Lisa McAllister, Clear Spring, Md. It was shown next to an early saw horse, also in old blue paint, and her case was filled with yellowware.
Hillary and Paulette Nolan, Falmouth, Mass., filled one corner of their booth with a large eagle on ball weathervane, excellent green surface, and nearby hung an early tavern sign for the “Union Hotel,” dated 1834.
A rack and shelves held many picture frames, from the size needed for a silhouette to a good-size portrait, in the booth of Perkins & Munson, Ashby, Mass. Topping off a step-back cupboard in old red was a well-preserved child’s rocking horse.
“We brought too much,” Doug Jackman said as he and Stephen Corrigan, Rockingham, Vt., filled shelves and the walls of their booth. One end was dominated by a selection of hat boxes, five large ones crowned with two large ones in the shape of top hats. They were displayed on a paint-decorated six-board chest.
A green and black painted wooden truck was parked against the back wall in the booth of Jewett-Berdan, Newcastle, Maine. The top was made to open and became a child’s toy box. Several hooked rugs decorated the booth, one of oval shape spelling out “Our Home,” another with a bird perched on a tulip, with additional tulips anchoring each corner. It was in excellent condition and of very bright colors.
Raccoon Creek Antiques, Oley, Penn., had a large carved all-around wooden eagle, circa 1890, used by Case Tractor Co., and a nice child’s Windsor rocker from Rhode Island, yellow with stenciled back splat. A large tramp art church, with a tiny clock in the tower, was made in sections and came from a collection in Berks County.
As usual, lots of furniture was shown in the booth of Emele’s Antiques, Dublin, Penn., including a bench table with two-board scrubbed top, surrounded by a set of six painted plank-seat chairs, yellow with floral decoration on the back, signed Swint.
“It is the best one of these I have seen, complete with counter and scales and 18 working drawers on the back wall,” Thomas Longacre, Marlborough, N.H., said of his German-made general store, circa 1880, in excellent condition. A single, raised panel door storage cupboard with plate grooved shelves retained an old mustard painted surface.
An interesting Northwest Coast halibut bowl, dating from the Nineteenth Century, was among the many unusual things offered from the booth of Holden Antiques, Naples, Fla., and Sherman, Conn. A large hand-drawn and watercolor family tree for the Thomas family started with Evan Thomas (1580‱676), from Swansey, South Wales.
Louis Scranton, Killingworth, Conn., had a maple and birch New Hampshire Queen Anne tea table, 1750‶0, and a 16-drawer apothecary of tabletop size in the original blue paint. An early corn popper has the figure of Mickey Mouse on the handle.
John Stroup, Bellville, Penn., had an outside row carousel horse by Herschell Spillman Co., from a carousel in Buffalo, N.Y., while Steven S. Still Antiques, Elizabethtown, Penn., rolled out a circa 1830 Willys-Knight Pedal car, manufactured by Gendron, in excellent condition, in red with black fenders.
If you missed this one, the Greater York Antiques Show will be presented again in the fall, and May 18‱9, 2012.
