“Holy Cow!” proclaimed the massive banner pasted on the side of the building that is home to the Original York Antiques Show. “Udderly Awesome” it continued. And so it was, as those leaving Butch Arion’s 153rd Semi-Annual Original York Antiques Show over the weekend of September 4‶ concurred.
The sign was actually advertising the York Fair that took place the weekend following Arion’s antiques show. Some may have been disappointed that the racing pigs were not present, and that they would have to come back to see the goose parade, however, there was plenty of racing taking place in the aisles of this well-regarded Americana marketplace. The largest opening crowd in recent memory sped through the aisles in search of quality items that they could parade around with and eventually place in their collections.
Holy cow and awesome might be stretching the descriptives used by showgoers, but not by much. A trip up and down the aisles of this show leaves one with but a single conclusion: if you love Americana and you cannot find anything to buy in York, you must have gotten your weekends mixed up and are instead placing a bet on pig number 5.
An hour or so after opening on Friday morning, Arion was standing near his makeshift office at the front of the show when a gentleman approached and asked if he was the show’s manager. “I am,” responded Arion with just a hint of trepidation on his face. “This is one terrific show,” commented the gent. “There is more fresh stuff here than I have seen in a long time,” he continued. Arion, all smiles by now, thanked the fellow and then broke into a conversation that seemed to center around some special purchases that had been made.
The gentleman was absolutely correct. The Original York Antiques Show is “one terrific show,” filled to the brim with fabulous and incredibly rare stuff †booth after booth, aisle after aisle. An early cobalt decorated stoneware tea pot (the first one we have ever seen that was not behind glass on a museum’s shelf) was just one of three eye-popping pottery pieces on display in the booth of Kelly Kinzle. The massive stag weathervane displayed by Chuck White, the fox vane offered by Joseph Lodge, or the dog vane at Harry Hartman were all worth a salivation stain on a collector’s crisp new polo shirt.
Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, all holidays in the not-to-distant future, were well represented with all sorts of items ranging from feather trees and Santas of all shapes and sizes to jack-o-lanterns and witches.
Porcelains included a huge assortment of mocha, Staffordshire, spatter and soft paste. Textiles covered the walls in many of the booths with bright colored quilts dazzling the eye.
Entering the main floor of the show, one could not help but notice the three-dimensional copper weathervane in the form of a leaping fox that seemed on-the-ready to intersect your path. One of several vanes in the booth of Lederach, Penn., dealer Joe Lodge, others included a sheet metal running fox in mustard paint, as well as a stylish horse and sulky in a good verdigris surface. A grain painted blanket chest with three lower drawers and a cupboard with blind doors in a bright grained paint were on the rear wall of the booth, while an early chest on frame with an elaborate base and cabriole legs ending in Spanish feet occupied the other corner.
Several brightly painted cupboards filled the booth of Greg Kramer, while around the corner David Good and Sam Forsythe featured painted chests, painted tole, birth records and a wonderful ladder back, probably of Delaware origin.
“It’s all original except for the top,” stated Carlisle, Penn., dealer James Price in regard to the exceptional Philadelphia carved Chippendale dressing table that was at the forefront of his booth. “My real love is regional furniture,” said the dealer as he pointed toward a slant front desk presumed to have been made in nearby Hanover. Price had full family history on the piece and was still in the process of researching the cabinetmaker, although he said that the double drawer in the case and deep ogee feet were indicative of a York/Hanover cabinetmaker. “There is going to be an upcoming exhibit at Winterthur that we expect to turn up a bunch of new discoveries in regard to furniture from this region,” he said excitedly.
Only a few square feet in the booth of Tom Longacre, Marlborough, N.H., are devoted to Beverly’s collectibles, but the collectors faithfully flock to her corner. Her specialty is Christmas and the early ornaments that adorn her feather trees usually do not last long. Tom’s folk art included a nice hooked rug with a large dog in the center of it, a horse and sulky weathervane, a stylish sack back Windsor, a Mathew Prior portrait of a young girl and a pie safe in pleasing paint.
Woodstock, Conn., dealer Mike Whittemore was another to fill his booth with folk art. A large three-dimensional gilded copper swordfish and a cod weathervane were playfully positioned under an early sign for a fish market. Several barber poles were offered, with a large floor model topped with stars and two smaller wall-mounted turned examples that were colorfully painted.
The work of contemporary folk art wood carver Frank Finney was featured at Newsom & Berdan Antiques, Thomasville, Penn. One large case was filled with examples that ranged from a Schimmel-type rooster to an large folky Labrador retriever. Other items attracting attention from the selection included a large owl, a life-size snake, a hummingbird and an oriel carved in the manner of Elmer Crowell.
Other items of interest seen around the floor included a pair of neat half-moon shutters in old blue paint in the booth of Jewett-Berdan, a wonderful paint decorated salt box in the booth of Steven Still, a grouping of early carved animals by John Reber at The Herrs, an architectural corner cupboard in old blue paint with an elliptical top and a small flock of carved Canada geese in the booth of Steve Smoot.
The next Original York Antiques show is scheduled for January 29, 30 and 31. For information, 302-875-5326 or www.theoriginalyorkantiquesshow.com .
