Greater York Antiques Show Offers Great Antiquing

YORK, PENN.

:Jim Burk, a longtime resident of the York Fairgrounds, went back to his old stomping grounds, Memorial Hall, on November 4-5 for his annual Greater York Antiques Show. This time, however, he was not in the West wing, but in the adjoining East wing. "I really like it there a lot better, even more so than the Toyota Expo Center, and this is where I will have my shows from now on if it is available at the right times," Jim Burk said. Attendance was off a bit and "it is hard to compete with a beautiful 75 degree day in November," Jim added.

Those who went to the show, however, were well-rewarded with a grand looking Jim Burk production, with many of his old standbys set up in the company of some new faces. For the most part, it was a shower of painted furniture, with many Pennsylvania examples, folk art, pottery, fabrics and paintings. Again it was a mixture of success and not so successful shows for the exhibitors, but that is the norm at shows today. "We had some serious shoppers and collectors attend and they made some of the dealers very happy," Jim said.

Holding down a large corner of the exhibition area was York regular Harry Hartman of Marietta, Penn., with a nice portrait of a girl in red dress with gray cat by Robert Street, 1829. A small but decorative deer weathervane was displayed on a sawbuck table, and as usual Harry offered a collection of Christmas ornaments including a large bowl filled with colorful balls. A large copper owl, with paint and glass eyes, on a roof mount, was at the front of the booth and came from a flour mill in Chambersburg, Penn. "It was mounted on the roof of the mill to scare away pigeons and crows," Harry said.

Russ and Karen Goldberger of Rye, N.H., had their usual collection of bird carvings including 15 examples by Elmer Crowell of East Harwich, Mass., circa 1915-35. A set of six chrome yellow Windsor side chairs, New York State, circa 1815-1820, surrounded a Hepplewhite square top hutch table with red surface, circa 1820, 47 by 401/2 inches with 131/2 inch overhang. Known for patriotic objects, this time they showed a large shield, American, circa 1875, with 13 stars and measuring 321/2 inches high, 25 inches wide.

A small Christmas tree loaded with early ornaments was in the booth of Thomas Longacre, Marlborough, N.H., and nearby hung a pristine sandpaper drawing of large size showing Boston Harbor. An interesting Federal side chair, yellow paint, had crossed flags and arrow on the top back splat.

Early furniture in the booth of Majorie Staufer, Medina, Ohio, included a Pennsylvania dough box in the original black paint and a small tavern table, red surface, circa 1750, of New England origin. Offering more formal furniture and samplers was Van Tassel-Baumann, Malvern, Penn., with a Delaware Valley crook'd foot lowboy in walnut, circa 1750, and an early Nineteenth Century New England turned post bed, mahogany and birch, with a pine headboard.

Raccoon Creek at Oley Forge, Penn., showed a architectural cupboard, circa 1830, from Hackensack, N.J., original red exterior, "tulip" shaped shelves in white paint, over three drawers and double doors in the base. A late Nineteenth Century tramp art wall box in white paint had three drawers, and a Pennsylvania knife box in the original red surface dated circa 1830.

A portrait of a man from Falls Rock, Mass., attributed to Prior, circa 1840, hung in the middle of the back wall in the booth of Don and Kay Buck, Chester, N.J. A grand looking backgammon board, yellow and red with black surround, Parcheesi on the reverse side, was offered, along with a leaping stag weathervane attributed to Fiske, circa 1875, 281/2 inches long.

An early rocking horse was displayed on a two-drawer blanket chest in the booth of Stephen-Douglas, Rockingham,. Vt., with a hooked rug depicting a black horse surrounded by red circles in the background. A six-board chest was painted with a ship on the front, and a Pennsylvania tavern table with oval scrubbed top rested on a black painted base.

Pam Boynton did not make the trip to York this time, but Martha was there at the helm and also with top billing on the booth sign. Instead of the usual Pam Boynton/Martha Boynton, the sign read just the reverse. "Maybe she will come next time to make sure the sign is right," Martha said. Among the interesting things in the booth was a set of ten graduated chestnut bottles, American, circa 1820, near a large wall-papered box showing a deaf and dump asylum. A miniature Nantucket basket was in fine condition and dated circa 1830.

A large folk art ax with Masonic heart and hand, circa 1870, hung on the back wall in the booth of Pat and Rich Garthoeffner, Lititz, Penn. A wool and linen hooked rug, circa 1870, showed a basket of flowers and a six-board chest from Manheim, Penn., sponge decorated, dated circa 1870.

Hill Gallery of Birmingham, Mich., showed a carved and painted hobby horse, circa 1900, of Midwest origin at the front of the booth and on Indiana origin was a carved and painted figure of a farmer with wide brim straw hat, circa 1920. A charging elephant with banner "Hikin" was a steel pen and ink on paper, circa 1890, Ohio, measuring 27 by 21 inches.

Charles Wilson Antiques and Folk Art of West Chester, Penn., had a number of windmill weights including a Mogul rooster of large size, cast iron, 24 inches high and weighing 75 pounds, along with a pristine Red Goose tin string holder, original paint, 37 inches high dating circa 1900. A litho of State Ships of Virginia read new steamers State of Maryland and State of Virginia operating between Baltimore and Norfolk, Old Point Comfort and Portsmouth.

Barry Meade of Lititz, Penn., displayed two pieces of Chester County furniture, a Queen Anne figured walnut slant front desk with elaborate tiered interior, and a Queen Anne arched door walnut high chest, circa 1770. Also shown was a Hepplewhite tiger maple bow front chest, circa 1800, all original including the brasses.

More than a dozen tole decorated document boxes were in the booth of Louis Scranton, Killingworth, Conn., six of them displayed on top of a circa 1785 maple tall chest with six graduated drawers. A coffee pot and a small tray decorated with a bird - "The first one with a bird decoration I have ever owned," Lou said - were also shown on shelves filled with redware.

Dating from the Eighteenth Century was a two-board tavern table with breadboard ends, dry red surface, stretcher base, New Hampshire origin, in the booth of Sharon Platt of Portsmouth, N.H. A New England two-tier wall box of Eastern pine with the original surface was from the Nineteenth Century.

Samuel Blake was a listed cabinetmaker working in Boston, 1790-1830, and possibly the maker of a seven-spindle hoop back, Windsor side chair, New England, circa 1810-20 in the booth of Jane Wargo of Wallingford, Conn. This chair was stamped "Blake" under the saddle seat.

Lewis and Clarke of Frederick, Md., displayed a large Log Cabin quilt from Franklin County, Penn., as well as a linen press, New Jersey of Hudson River Valley, in cherrywood and dating circa 1775.

From Clear Spring, Md., Barry and Lisa McAllister offered several weathervanes including a large full bodied rooster and a sheet metal Indian carrying a tomahawk. A nice fish painting was of Maine origin. Among the trade signs in the show was a large one in the booth of Douglas R. Wyant, Cassopolis, Mich., for the "Royal School of Music," red and black lettering on a white ground.

Another sheet metal weathervane, dating from the late Nineteenth Century, was of a sailor with telescope in the booth of Sidney Gecker of New York City. A Pennsylvania cutwork valentine, 1783, with a cluster of small hearts at the center surrounded by larger inscribed hearts with a lion and crown motif, hung over a rare three-drawer grained chest, New York State, dated 1827.

One of the nicest pieces of folk art in the show was an ex Paul Weld piece in the booth of Margaret Canavan of Silver Spring, Md. It was of a group of birds on a nest, with two more on the ground and one in a birdbath. A farm table with two drawers and turned legs, red surface, was from Pennsylvania, and a nice hooked rug showed a blue rooster on a black ground surrounded by a wide light tan border.

Joseph Lodge of Lederach, Penn., filled his booth with many pieces of furniture including a figured maple table with two short drawers over two long drawers, brass pulls, circa 1810; a paint decorated dressing table in fine condition, brass pulls, circa 1835; and a sponge decorated six-board chest signed "MB," circa 1840, with a later addition of over green sponge decoration to the front center.

Rustic Accents of Ayer, N.H., offered a circa 1800 dough box with splayed legs, original paint, from York County, Penn., and a Maine tea bin of small size, red with gold striping.

Tommy Thompson, now of Venice, Fla., had his booth hung with trade signs including "Mail Orders," "Groceries - Camper Supplies," "Rabbits For Sale" and one in the shape of a small canoe suggesting "Ask Mr Dickey."

A set of six hoop back side chairs, nine spindles, vase and ring turnings, saddle seats, New York State, circa 1790, was shown in the booth of Thomas Brown of McMurray, Penn. A tilt-top tea table in mahogany, Massachusetts, circa 1780, with urn-shaped pedestal on pad feet, measured 36 inches in diameter.

From Yarmouth, Mass., Courcier and Wilkins showed a large Howard index horse weathervane with excellent surface, and a country card table, Massachusetts or New Hampshire, circa 1810, with sponge decoration on pine. "They were showing off just what they could do," Suzanne Courcier said of a Pennsylvania hooked rug depicting a recumbent lion, 1870, executed in many different stitches and fringe border. She also mentioned that she needed to have a talk with the sign maker for the booths, as in their case Wilkins got top billing.

In addition to a great display of redware, David Good of Camden, Ohio, and Samuel Forsythe, Columbus, Ohio, offered five banister back side chairs, all with button feet, rush seats and painted black and among the works of art hanging in the booth of Chuck White, Mercer, Penn., was a portrait of an unknown sitter by Jacob Eichholtz, port painter of Pennsylvania, 1776-1842.

Michael and Sally Whittemore of Washington, Ill., were having a good show and among the furniture was a painted one-drawer blanket chest from Easton, Conn., late Eighteenth Century, with light painted surface. A collection of treenware included finger boxes in gray, green and blue, small pantry boxes and a red painted bucket with straps and handle.

A sheet metal peacock weathervane, black surface, was in the booth of Jewett and Berdan, Newcastle, Maine. A sponge decorated dressing table in chrome yellow paint with floral decorated backsplash was shown, along with a theorem on sandpaper of an urn of fruit. This very colorful piece dated circa 1840.

There must have been close to a hundred pieces of redware pottery, in all sizes and shapes, in the cases belonging to Gregg Kramer of Robesonia, Penn. He also has a shaped door tall case clock, John J. Krouse, North Hampton, in cherrywood and mahogany, and a number of small chairs, some in the toy category and some fitted for a child. Most were paint decorated, a few Windsors, and in size contrast to two sets of regular chairs, six each, one in yellow, thumb backs with floral decoration, and the other by George Hay of York, plank seats with polychrome decoration resembling the work done on tole pieces.

A New England washstand, early Nineteenth Century, with black sponge decoration on a red ground, was shown by Newsom and Berdan of Thomasville, Penn. An early watercolor with written music was in a decorated frame, Pennsylvania, early Nineteenth Century, and a collection of woodenware included firkins in green, yellow, blue and gray, and a number of finger boxes and pantry boxes were also offered.

Pat and Don Clegg of East Berlin, Penn., had a Nineteenth Century one-drawer stand in pine with grained paint over the original red, found in Southern Massachusetts, 16-inch- square top, and an Eighteenth Century one-door cupboard in white pine came from New Hampshire. It measured 43 inches high, 34 inches wide and 11 inches deep and was of dovetail and rosehead nail construction.

From West Chester, Penn., Elaine Buck showed an eagle hooked rug with red, white and blue shield, and a Pennsylvania bench table of small size in the original red.

In addition to the general state of the business talk at antiques shows, one line of questioning at York always concern the dates for coming attractions. While the date for the 2006 fall event is not set in stone, "we have our dates for the spring," Jim Burk said. For the Greater York Antiques Show, a move back to the Toyota Arena is in the cards - "Memorial Hall was not available" - and the dates will be May 19-20. "Barry Cohen will be in the arena at the same time with his York County Classic Antiques Show," Jim said, "and we hope the two shows will keep people coming to the fairgrounds for some great antiquing."