By R. Scudder Smith
At first it appeared that it was going to be like days of yore with an antiques show in a motel and another one or two on the York County Fairgrounds. “When I learned that Frank Gaglio was going to cancel his York Pickers Market it seemed a logical move for me to leave the motel and take over the space in the Expo Center on the grounds,” Barry Cohen of b4rTIME said. As a result on Friday and Saturday, May 6-7, the shows ran side by side, drawing an average crowd but “not the numbers we have seen in the past.”
Sixty-three dealers took part in the show, presenting a real country look with many pieces of original surface furniture, all kinds of early household objects such as pantry boxes, bowls, firkins, molds, etc., stacks of quilts, some childhood play things and wrought iron tools.
Shortly into the show a red dot appeared on a large wooden pig weathervane positioned on a long arrow in the booth of JHP Quilts and Antiques of Farmington, MO. The pig retained some traces of the original blue paint and was of Maine origin. A colorful cherry tree quilt, four large squares with green and red trees, plus yellow birds, hung across the back wall of the booth.
For those in the market for a drop leaf table a good start would have been the booth of Brian Cullity of Sagamore, Mass. One of the table, late Eighteenth Century and of New England origin, was of strong curly maple while the other one, a Chippendale example in cherrywood, got its start in New Hampshire. A good example of Vermont paint decoration was shown on a dome top box, circa 1820, and on the side wall two cake boards were shown, one of large size in Mahogany, New York State, circa 1820, and the smaller example signed D. Hart, also from New York.
Things for the garden were not plentiful at the show, but what was there was of good quality. For example, a pair of white-painted garden benches was shown by Brasseur Fine Arts of Prospect, Pa., and in wonderful condition was a very early sundial in stone from Western Pennsylvania. It was signed in two places by the maker, J. Heer.
Bobbie Pries of Westfield Center, Ohio, offered a country drop front desk with three interior dovetailed drawers and sliding work surface, old red finish, circa 1800 and of Maine origin. A set of six hanging shelves dated circa 1860, attic finish, was very narrow, and a sold sign was attached to an old raised panel door that measures only about six feet tall.
An early bench with cut-out ends, old blue surface, was sold by Lake Ridge Antiques of Quakertown, Pa., and among several samplers were the work of Mehitable Bourk of Maine and Maria M. Schultze of Berks County, Pa. One of the nicest weathervanes in the show was a large eagle on arrow, circa 1900, with an impressive 36-inch wingspan.
Lit Kirkpatrick of Kirtland, Ohio, brought with her a large drop leaf extension table with three wide leaves in cherrywood, circa 1860, on walnut frame. Other furniture included a plantation desk in the original green paint, two sections, circa 1850, and a tilt-top tea table in mahogany with an inlaid pinwheel in the center and ball and claw feet.
Some booths are set-up “neat as a pin,” and certainly the display of Mary Carden Quinn of Floral Park, N.Y., falls into this category. The white walls are a perfect backdrop for many of the painted objects offered, and the row of six green painted and decorated half-spindle thumb-back Windsor side chairs showed to advantage. The chairs dated circa 1860 and were from central Pennsylvania, possibly Berlin. A wrought iron weathervane, silhouette, dated from the Nineteenth Century, depicted an owl perched on a new moon. This vane came from a barn in Setauket, L.I. “The show looks fine and there are many good things to buy,” Neil Quinn said as he strolled towards his booth with a large red-painted Shaker bucket in hand.
Marc Witus of Gladstone, N.J., generally has one of thelargest booths in the show and it was necessary this time tocontain his row of display cases, some small pieces of furniture, acupboard, and a large tester that served as a rack for a number ofcoverlets. Thje Chippendale bed was from Philadelphia and retainedan old finish. In fine shape was a Woodruff & Edwards ElginCoffee Mill with no damage to its original painted surface.
One table served as a pedestal for a number of weathervanes, including a full bodied running horse and a sheet metal stag and eagle, in the booth of Donna East Antiques, Worcester, Mass. A large parrot was carved from a piece of mahogany and brightly painted, and furniture included a large jelly cupboard, circa 1790-1810 in old blue paint, one large door, and standing about six feet tall.
A stop at the booth of Gregg Ellington of Wilmington, Ohio, paid off for those seeking large spongeware pitchers, for there were many to choose from. Also shown was a selection of colorful mocha in many forms, including cups, mugs and pitchers.
Two collections caught the eye in the booth of bayberry Antiques of Orleans, Mass. On a table against the back wall, a grouping of chocolate and ice cream molds were in the forms of Santa, dogs, fish, small people and grinning pumpkins. Doorstops in original paint were scattered about the booth, including a large sheep, lighthouse, Old salty in yellow garb, pheasant, ducks, penguin, golfer and a seldom seen football player.
Wenham Cross Antiques of Topsfield, Mass., offered a very nice cradle for twins, yellow with green trim and black lettering reading “Two Of Us.” The rockers were missing, but without them it would be just find to contain magazines of firewood. A mammy’s bench, brown with yellow trim, converted from a rocker into a cradle, again big enough for two infants.
A Pennsylvania pine and poplar blanket chest in old finish, Nineteenth century, was shown by Old farm Antiques, Reading, Pa., along with a very colorful princess feather quilt, four squares of red on white, measuring 68 inches square.
A good number of country furniture was shown in the booth of Hart’s Country Antiques, New Oxford, Pa. Among them a large shoe-foot chair table in old red, circa 1820, with rounded corners; a two-piece cupboard from Lancaster County, Pa., on turned legs, original green painted surface, with two raised panel doors over two drawers over two doors in the lower section, and a large bucket bench, old green paint, cutout ends, with a sold sign attached.
A Nineteenth Century hutch table with three-board round top, birch and pine, was at the front of the booth of Baltimore dealers Campbell House Antiques. In addition to a nice selection of mocha pitchers, mugs, cups, and shakers, were four early whirligigs including a Union soldier in uniform, late 1800’s, Pennsylvania, retaining much of the original paint.
Barry and Nancy Yodis of Quakertown, Pa., came prepared to outfit any number of country kitchens with a selection of cutting boards and some very nice large wooden bowls with red, blue green and natural surfaces. A tavern table, Nineteenth Century, with scrubbed top and breadboard ends, one drawer, rested on a red painted base. A large farm table, yellow base with turned legs, was shown by The Mersky’s of Paradise, Pa.
Jean Compton came all the way from Wimberley, TX, with a selection of toys that included camel and horse pull toys, a good number of rag dolls, and two large Teddy bears seated at a blue painted school desk. From Medina, Ohio, Jane Langol offered a wonderful penny rug, a fish painting by Canadian artist H.V. McCauley, dated 1902, and one of the largest boat models in the show, a coastal schooner from Maine with four masts, circa 1900.
“We drove up from Wilmington this morning and the traffic was terrible,” Herb Windle said on opening day as he moved a few things about his booth just prior to the show’s opening. Pointing out a Nineteenth Century New England red painted chest of drawers with elaborate shaped skirt, he said “two heavy coats of white paint had to be removed before we came to this red surface.” At the front of the booth was a long hall table, 7 feet 3 inches in length, double pedestal, shoe foot, of European origin and in heavy oak. A red, black and white porcelain sign in the fporm of a cup and saucer suggested “Fresh Coffee.”
Round pantry boxes were plentiful in the display of BrettCabral of Auburn, N.H. One stack of boxes, in various colors,measured eight high, while the next one had only six boxes. At theback of the booth was a stack of finger boxes, along with a largecollection of hog scrapper candlesticks. A large pair of portraits,signed Benj Greenleaf, Haverhill, Mass., showed a husband and wifefrom Kingston, N.Y. The artist died in 1864.
Dark Moon Antiques of Johnsonbury, N.J., came to the show with a collection of furniture mainly from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. From their home state was a set of eight Bergen County side chairs attributed to Abraham John Demarest, circa 1840, and a fire place mantle in pine, Sussex County, blue with a darker over-paint, circa 1790-1820. A nice decorated blanket chest, circa 1830, with cast butt hinges and turned feet, was from Pennsylvania.
A Windsor style bench from Southern New England or New York State, circa 1830 with stenciled decoration, rocked in the booth of Dee Wilhelm Antiques, Grand Blanc, MI. Dating circa 1790 was a screw post candlestand on three legs retaining traces of the original salmon paint, and a transitional William and Mary Queen Anne chest with double arch molding, old red surface, dated circa 1730 and was of Connecticut origin.
“When we bring the York County Classic Antiques Show back to York in the fall we will be in Memorial Hall, not the Expo Center, and Jim Burk will be running his Greater York Antiques Show during the same time period in another section of the building,” Barry Cohen said. The show is set for Friday and Saturday, November 5-6.
