“I have great news for you,” Donna Burk, manager of the Greater York Antiques Show, said, “We had the best May show we have had in years.” She added that even with preselling tickets to a good percentage of the people lined up for the 11 am opening on Friday, May 29, “It still took about an hour to get everyone into the show.” The show, now in its 39th year, hosted 75 exhibitors at Memorial Hall East on the York Fairgrounds. New hours for the show this year were from 11 am to 7 pm on Friday, 11 am to 5 pm on Saturday.
James Kilvington of Dover, Del., offered a George III fancy chair in the French style, circa 1780‱790; a Philadelphia Queen Anne side chair in walnut, green silk seat cover, circa 1745‱750; and a George III rococo carved tilt-top tea table in mahogany, circa 1775.
Jewett-Berdan again held down one of the booths at the front of the show, offering a selection of hooked rugs, pottery and painted furniture. The Newcastle, Maine, dealer displayed a set of eight fancy side chairs with rush seats and in the original paint, and a circa 1870 hand-stitched rug hung on the back wall depicted a black and white dog with red collar on a multicolored ground. A small-size jelly cupboard retained the old red surface and dated circa 1815.
“That table has great form, one of the best I have ever seen,” Lou Scranton of Killingworth, Conn., said of a demilune table, pine top, scalloped edges, with traces of the original paint. It dated circa 1815 and was shown near a yellow painted dressing table decorated with black and red striping. A few booths away, Art and Alice Booth of Wayne, N.J., displayed objects against a background of quilts, including a Nine-Patch Nebraska Amish quilt measuring 76 by 88 inches, excellent condition, and an eagle pieced quilt of Pennsylvania origin, 80 by 80 inches, circa 1900. The eagles were yellow with green shields against a red ground.
Three colorful game wheels hung in the booth of Donald and Vera Stump, Sinking Springs, Penn., and a two-story dollhouse with attic was at the front of the booth. This house, painted white with red trim and black roof, opened at the side to reveal several carpeted and wallpapered rooms. Robert Conrad Antiques, Yeagertown, Penn., showed a rare paint decorated blanket chest attributed to the Mount Pleasant area of Pennsylvania. It was dated Sept. 28, 1827. A Lancaster County tall case clock, circa 1815, was signed John Esterel, Maytown.
Five full-bodied weathervanes were display about the booth of Michael and Sally Wittemore, Washington, Ill., including a large quill, two roosters, a slim cow and a small leaping stag. A cigar store figure stood at the front of the booth, in original paint and holding a bundle of cigars.
A very stern-looking gentleman looked out from a portrait, attributed to Mayhew, a New Haven artist, in the booth of Thomas Longacre of Marlborough, N.H., shown next to a hanging cupboard with two doors, original red surface, New Hampshire origin, and complete with plate rails. A Hudson River landscape done in the manner of Thomas Chambers, dated 1842, featured a large house on a hill overlooking the river, a two-masted sailboat and several people along the banks.
Hilary and Paulette Nolan, Falmouth, Mass., had set up a kitchen island in the center of their booth, using the many hooks to display a collection of copper pots and pans, along with a selection of treen. A wooden ship weathervane in the original paint was from Nantucket, and a six-arm tin chandelier hung in the corner of the booth.
It took a double booth to accommodate all of the inventory brought to York by Raccoon Creek Antiques LLC of Oley, Penn. An oversized feed bin with unusual splay to the front and Sheraton legs, Pennsylvania, was in the original red stain and had double lift-top lids. Above the bin was a shelf filled with chalkware, all paint decorated, including two spaniels, two roosters, a dog, pigeon and other smaller figures. An interesting stack of wallpapered oval boxes were all from Pennsylvania and in good condition. A set of six bow back, H-stretcher, Windsor side chairs, five original and one a near match, original finish, circa 1800, New England origin, were around a painted tiger maple dropleaf table in the original red, circa 1830, on turned legs and casters, in the booth of James Emele of Dublin, Penn.
There is always a chance of finding some sporting-related material in the booth of Douglas Wyant of Cassopolis, Mich., and a good number of things were available in York. A wing chair, covered in black material, was decorated with a selection of varsity letters representing any number of schools and colleges. Also, for the boxing fan, he offered three collection of miniature boxing gloves, displayed in cases and ranging in size from eight small ones, 12 a bit larger and five of the largest size.
Newsom & Berdan of Thomasville, Penn., showed a Maine blanket chest paint decorated with fans on the lid, bracket base, circa 1790‱820, and a small oil on canvas signed C. Hoyt, Nineteenth Century, of six playful rabbits. Harry Hartman, from nearby Marietta, Penn., had a long Windsor bench across the back of his booth and a large worktable with a very heavy and rare cast iron boot scraper in the form of a duck displayed on top.
The Antiquarium of Portsmouth, N.H., had a booth filled with early things, including a pair of New England Queen Anne Eighteenth Century side chairs in maple and pine, with sausage turnings and old surface. Stacked neatly on a shelf was a selection of Eighteenth Century hand-turned wood bowls of various sizes, some in the original red painted surface.
Ohio dealers David Good and Sam Forsyth seem to be improving on their setup time and at York they were ready a good three hours before the gate opened. In their well-designed booth, they showed their always strong collection of redware pottery, some porcelain and, on the back wall, hung a selection of 12 cast iron and brass kitchen tools, including forks and a trivet. Centered on the wall was a crisp painting of five prize cattle, shorthorn grand sweepstakes young herd at the World’s fair, Chicago, 1893. The animals were bred and owned by J.H. Miller, Mexico, Ind., and they ranged in age from 10 months to one year.
A set of six Windsor side chairs in the original paint, circa 1815, were shown by Joseph Lodge, Lederach, Penn., and a leaping stag was one of several weathervanes offered. A New England bench table, mahogany and pine, circa 1800, was offered by Susan Golashovsky of Doylestown, Penn. It retained the original red wash and measured 43 inches in diameter. A locksmith’s trade sign, a large gold key on the original bracket, dated from the Nineteenth Century.
Greg Kramer of Robesonia, Penn., stepped up and filled an extra booth or two, filling in for a couple of late cancellations. From his regular double booth at the end of an aisle, he showed a deer family, father, mother and “Bambi,” on bases and in an old gray paint. Case pieces included a Chippendale tall chest in walnut, ogee feet, 38-inch case, circa 1790‱810, Pennsylvania origin, and a painted yellow Dutch cupboard, York or Lancaster County, of the Sheraton period. It was in two parts, with two six-pane doors in the top section, and dated circa 1820‱830.
Bruce Rigsby, Lancaster, Ky., showed a Nineteenth Century country dressing table in yellow paint, one drawer, backsplash and tapering legs, and on the back wall hung a reverse painted trade sign on glass, gold fancy letters advertising “Merchant Tailoring.” Hanes & Ruskin of Old Lyme, Conn., offered a drop leaf harvest table signed J. Hazen Jr, believed to be a New Hampshire cabinetmaker. It measured 29 inches high, 67 inches long, 23½ inches with the leaves closed, and each leaf was 11¾ inches. A matched set of six step down Windsor side chairs were of New England origin, old paint, and dated circa 1812.
Jane Wargo of Wallingford, Conn., filled her booth with a selection of country objects, including an Nineteenth Century hanging cupboard, New England origin, with two doors and in the original red surface. It measured 36 by 44 inches. One of several hooked rugs depicted two facing horse heads on a soft colored ground and dating from the early Twentieth Century.
The Greater York Antiques Show tradition will continue again in the fall, with October 30″1 dates set for this popular event. Admission will remain very affordable, $10 per person or $8 with a show card or ad.
“I hand out my contracts for the next show at the close of this one, and I already have over half of them back, which is a great indication that we will have another good one in October,” Donna Burk said.
