Marion Atten, Dewitt, Ill.
Review and Photos by Tom O’Hara
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Doug Supinger filled two buildings at Fiddlers Inn on the west side of Nashville with antiques dealers and their collections for four days, February 15-18, and the people came. They bought lots of antiques and had a great deal of fun, with ideal weather cooperating for those who exhibited in outside facing motel rooms, filled to overflowing with Americana.
Small antiques rule the roost at this event because rooms are compact and space is at a premium. Linda Mapes came to the show from Cambridge, Ill., with boxes filled with her little antiques and began selling at the moment she opened her first box. Sales included sewing notions like pincushions and emeries, skaters’ lamps, glass butter churns and other churns, all from 150 years ago.
Period Antiques, Scottsburg, Ind.
Tom Heisey, a Newark, Ohio, dealer, brought four miniature chests of drawers with him. Each was very valuable for its own special reasons. For example, one came from the Ohio River Valley with cornflower inlays. In American Empire style, circa 1820, it sold first. Another was Sheraton, probably from the Eastern United States and in tiger maple. It sold to a Tennessee couple who told Heisey they were looking for something special at the show.
Mary deBuhr, Downers Grove, Ill., said she “sold so many small things,” including a Pilgrim Century lift top desk, a tavern table and an Eighteenth Century shelf, among other things.
Cabin on the Hill, Georgetown, Texas, was there with a collection that mixes Texas décor with New England home furnishings. Owner Sandra Sheffield manages to shop in the Northeast at least once each year to stock up for the rest of her shows.
Granthum 1763 House Antiques, Denton, Md., was showing the latest additions to the firm’s collection. Painted pantry boxes, stoneware, furniture from the 1700s and more all complement the furniture from the shop, some of which was here at the show.
An early theorem was the lead piece in Tom Moser’s collection for this show. The Gray, Maine, dealer said he found it shortly before the show and was making it the centerpiece of his display.
Not often exhibiting but well known to all the dealers, Tom Thornton was fully recovered from some health issues and offering his collection of Eighteenth Century lighting. The Oxford, N.C., dealer has been collecting for most of his adult life. His collection is a show stopper, and he had several pairs of mirrored candle sconces, iron Betty lamps, tin sconces and a great deal more.
John Melby, Eastport, Maine, was offering Pilgrim and Colonial-era furniture. Next to him Country Cupboard Antiques, Princeton, Wis., showed a collection of grain-painted pioneer furniture. Jeff Walton, now living in Bend, Ore., was selling the primitive iron lighting to match the furniture; both were selling.
Supinger has set next year’s show for February 14-17, again as a companion to the Nashville Show at the Nashville Fairgrounds. For information, 937-875-0808 or email anersoup@aol.com.
