Brimfield Antiques Market Concludes ‘Golden’ Year

Brimfield, Mass.

:Concluding its 2009 season — a milestone 50th anniversary year — the Brimfield Antiques Market drew an enthusiastic throng of shoppers September 8–12, as many of them stretched a late Labor Day weekend into a labor of love, chasing and hopefully finding their heart's desire among the megashow's acres of antiques and collectibles.

Tuesday at Brimfield became busy at the crack of dawn, with many fields opening to the public for the balance of the week. In the "Vermont Tent" at Green Acres, for example, eight or so dealers from the Green Mountain state were doing commerce by flashlight at 5:30 am to jumpstart their week at the show. Jeff Noordsy from Cornwall, Vt., set up a pleasing display of chestnut, pipkin and snuff bottles, mostly Connecticut made, that ranged from the 1790s to 1820s. He said business was good. Also from Vermont but attending the show for the first time were Mike Winslow and Sue Mehren from Clarendon Springs, with merchandise that ranged from Chinese wallpaper to carved Italian putti. George and Sandi Goldring from Essex Junction, Vt., in their second year at Green Acres, were holding down a corner of the tent with a nice collection of early Americana and textiles.

Early morning sales were also registered at other "free" fields, including Midway, where South Paris, Maine, dealer Jon Magoun, known for his canoes and Americana, sent a circa 1910 Indian-made birch bark canoe on its way to Wisconsin before 7 am. Also at Midway, Jeff and Alberta Brown, East Hampton, Mass., wrapped up the sale of a turquoise and pearl necklace, circa 1840–50, to another jewelry dealer, Ken Sheldon of Lebanon, Penn. The Browns, who have done all three shows each season at Brimfield for more than 20 years, were happy with the sale. In July, they said things were going slowly until a single dealer showed up on Thursday and bought an entire case of jewelry, mostly Victorian.

Two fields that open on Tuesday, however, are only open that day — Dealer's Choice and Brimfield Acres North. Dealer's Choice, owned by Tom and Lori Faxon, opens at 11 am, and did so again this year, with a field that was about 75 percent full in terms of exhibitors, according to Lori Faxon. There was plenty to see and acquire, ranging from traditional antiques like antique pie safes, furniture and folk art to quirky Modern furniture and lighting.

Representing traditional antiques, David Helfrich Antiques, Glen Rock, Penn., was showing an Ohio pie safe, circa 1860–80, with hearts punched in the tin. It was topped by a couple of stoneware jars from Baltimore and West Virginia, as well as an antique squirrel cage. Ken Rafenburg from Sherburne, N.Y., was offering a turn-of-the-century barber's chair from Elmyra, N.Y., while Bridgeport, Penn., dealer Bruce D. Horten showed a colorful pair of Arts and Crafts child's beds decorated with fairy tale characters and sporting carved owl's heads on the headboards.

From Jenkinstown, Penn., Dorothy Young's collection of Bakelite bracelets was on display under the covered pavilion toward the rear of Dealer's Choice. Also showing here was Diane Olsen Fine Art, Sarasota, Fla., who showcased a 1960s cityscape by Washington artist Russell Frost of Camano Island.

Industrial furniture is the primary focus of Ronnie and Guy Weill's collection, and the New York City dealers did not disappoint with a French brushed steel desk, circa 1930s. Even more fanciful was a Hairy Bertoia chair and ottoman that seemingly pulsated with more than 2,500 strands of rubber tubes. The circa 2000 seating pair by Douglas Homer was shown by Modern specialist Blue Goose, New York City.

Stephen Still from Elizabethtown, Penn., had a winsome Steiff 20-inch cinnamon bear, circa 1915, while Joseph Martin also set up on the shade-tree-lined side of the field. Martin, from Brownington, Vt., was selling a great carved American eagle, circle 1860, that had been found in St Johnsbury, Vt. Its pristine, unweathered condition meant that it had probably spent most of its life inside an armory or fraternal hall, according to Brown, who priced it at $16,000.

Across the way from Dealer's Choice and opening at 1 pm, Brimfield Acres North, owned by Colleen James and Bob Hopfe, also drew a spirited crowd fanning left, right and straight ahead as the gate opened.

Near the show's entrance, George Bernheimer of Moonstone Antiques, Mansfield, Mass., offered Native American jewelry and baskets, including a large Jicarilla-Mescalero Apache basket, circa 1890.

Inside the Barn, there were several dealers, including Millicent Mali, East Greenwich, R.I., with a colorful assemblage of Quimper plates and platters from the early Twentieth Century.

Back on the field, early architectural elements, country signs and folk art adorned the display at Antiques at 30B from Cambridge, N.Y., a partnership of two couples, the Sherwoods and the Ferrisses.

Province Road Antiques, owned by Tom Pirozzoli, Goshen, N.H., had a Chippendale four-drawer birch chest, circa 1790, backed by a large and deep ogee mirror and topped by a pair of pantry boxes.

From Rockford, Ill., Classic Reflections offered lighting, art and sterling, along with an offbeat item, a French rifle range telescope from the turn of the century, complete with case and oak tripod.

Also out of the ordinary was an interesting display of turn-of-the-century shirt collars, a store rack from Corliss Coon & Co., offered by Antiques & Thyme, Wells, Maine.

Early Twentieth Century sculptor Lucy Currier Richards created a bronze plaque portrait of Elizabeth Chamberlain that was being offered by Sandi's Antiques, Manchester, N.H.

Bright colored plastic drew attention to the space where Dave Bacon of Northfield, N.H., fielded an army of toy monsters and other "boomer" childhood fare. His business is called Syottoys, which he explained is "toys coming and going."

Wednesday

As the sun rose in the sky for a quintessentially crisp-to-warm September day, buyers streamed into booths and tented exhibitor stalls at New England Motel. A. Harris Gordon, Tarrytown, N.Y., was situated in one of the first booths down from the entrance and was featuring a set of oversized English fireplace tools that were functional and decorative and that were probably made for an estate with a large hearth.

Kirsch Antiques, Manheim, Penn., filled its booth with choice examples of oak furniture, including a kitchen cabinet made by Sellers that had a paper label on the interior door with tips on how to prepare menus by season from the five food groups. Included were "Protective Foods," such as fruits and vegetables and "Body Builders," such as lamb, fried chicken and milk. A daily ordering reminder list was a list of staples like allspice, lye, oysters, farina and macaroni.

The booth of Eileen Love, Warwick, N.Y., filled up early with women and men looking through the dealer's abundant offerings of vintage clothing and accessories. A woman tried on a denim coat with a fur trim that she and another buyer decided looked best buttoned up. Coats, skirt sets and dresses hung from racks in a pleasing variety of colors and styles, while tables offered shoes, jewelry, sunglasses and more. Funky standouts included a small black clutch with metallic embroidery on velvet and an unusual belt with beer bottle caps riveted on.

A carved wooden whistling automaton in the form of a well-dressed man with hat and cane standing next to a lamppost was a standout at John Holley & Associates, St Petersburg, Fla., as was a Copeland Spode tray marked Tiffany, 20½ inches wide, in blue and white.

Peace Antiques, Woodstock, N.Y., dealer Ron Balsamo presented artwork ranging from a contemporary painting from an artist in the circle of Kandinsky, circa 1940s, which held pride of place in the booth hung on the back wall, to the eye-catching, 6-foot-tall poster for the 1933 film Justice Takes a Holiday .

Antiques by Tina, Merriam, Kan., offered a diverse booth with a grouping of banks, led by a scarce and large state bank, Kenton, 1900; and a rare French windmill from the 1880s with a rooster finial. Other highlights included a rare doublewick 1880s Stourbridge England splatter glass and brass oil lamp and a Royal Bonn porcelain faced mantel clock set.

At 9 am, a crowd was gathered at the gate of Heart-O-The-Mart and eagerly swept past the two attendants as soon as the gate was moved, walking with purpose, while a few broke into a run, eager to get the booth of their choice ahead of all the other buyers.

Van Deest Antiques, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, offered a Nineteenth Century barber pole from the Ohio area that was noteworthy, as its stripes were horizontal. Also offered were a trio of game boards in good paint, decorative accessories and a mounted collection of fine lacework.

Shoppers can always expect to find good architectural items and the unexpected at Bonkey's Treasures, Hellertown, Penn., which offered a Track 18 sign from a Massachusetts train station as well as decorative items and a good wooden work table with mounted tool attachments and about a half dozen holes drilled at one side to hold tools.

R.T. Facts, Kent, Conn., which deals in furniture and decorative accessories as well as garden ornament and sculpture and architectural items, had a pleasing display of garden items in front of its booth. An American celadon-hued "twig" cast iron bench was a standout, as well as an eye-catching large wooden sphere sculpture from Belgium and a pair of Nineteenth Century American zinc finials in the form of urns from Hartford, Conn.

David Hughes, Vicksburg, Miss., infused the show with some Southern flavor, bringing artifacts and antiques from New Orleans, but it was a pair of large religious paintings that he hung from the side of his truck that were the most interesting. They apparently had been on view in a private back room of an Italian deli in New Orleans for years and were made by the devout business owner.

At noon, the action moved over to Hertan's, where there was no gate, but when the bell rang, tent flaps were drawn inside and shoppers could begin buying.

No matter the age, boys must have their toys, and a simple sign posted outside John's Antiques, Schenectady, N.Y., got many hearts racing, advertising a large collection of World War I and World War II military German-French knives and bayonets from 1870 and up. A crowd soon gathered to check out and touch the merchandise, where a German World War II police sidearm was quickly recognized as a standout.

If you were on the field opening day, you might have thought you were hearing things. The sound of live music being played was no hallucination, but Pete Belmore of Webster, Mass., who was walking around the Heart and Hertan's fields, playing melodies on a late Nineteenth Century banjo that he had bought here several years before in bad shape, which has been carefully restored. Belmore walked around empty-handed, save for his banjo, and admitted he was casually shopping.

Critter Run Antiques, Glen Mills, Penn., displayed front and center a wonderful copper tub. Booth highlights included a punched tin cupboard and a woven large early basket (possibly laundry) from Pennsylvania, with a hinged wood lid.

Shortly after opening, Field And Stream Antiques, Mansfield, Conn., had already sold a set of five ice cream shop chairs that were going to an Italian restaurant in New York City. The dealers featured fishing accessories, including vintage creels and reels. Also offered was a child's diminutive pack basket with canvas and leather straps that was signed "Philbrick."

Yesterday's Memories, Washington, N.J., brought out the inner child in showgoers with its collections of holiday ornaments and decorations from grinning pumpkins to Santas and Easter bunnies. Across the aisle at Frederic Hartl, Quebec, Canada, two tables were completely covered with all sizes of antique bottles, all in a lovely dark lilac hue. Nearly as abundant was a collection of snowshoes piled on the ground.

Good examples of Americana were liberally sprinkled over all the fields, like bits of treasure to reward eagle-eyed shoppers, and at Charlotte's Antiques, Shaker-style baskets, a primitive wooden plate and a fish weathervane all vied for attention.

Thursday

The sound of hammers pounding stakes was punctuated with the slam of tables opening and the calls and laughter of old friends meeting up after several months at May's field on September 10. Old-timers greeted newcomers as they waited patiently for the loudspeaker announcement to "begin setting up your tents," which squawked at 8:45 am. "Everyone is an early buyer at May's." That is the slogan the May family has used since it first opened its farm fields to antiques dealers. Strict adherence to the "no setup until 9 am" policy is enforced by workers in golf carts, who scurry around the 678 spaces helping dealers park and get ready.

The last trucks, cars and vans beep incessantly for the gates to open and allow them onto the field, just minutes before 9 am. It seems chaotic, but it works. As the large crowd rushes in, dealers and helpers are spreading out their wares and pulling out specials. Everyone loves the excitement and anticipation and no one feels left out. "It's so democratic — that's with a small "d" — we all get the same chance — and it's great fun," said a buyer who awaited the opening gate far down the line on Route 20.

Dealers like it too, Don and Toni Fraser from Portland, Maine, said. They have been coming to May's "since it moved to this side [of Route 20]."

Thomas and Dorine Nagy were showing a Pennsylvania paint decorated blanket chest they had set up against red doors that delineated their spot. Marked at $3,000, the chest was missing from that spot later in the morning.

A large Weller jardinière in the Zona Kingfisher pattern and on a pedestal held down the corner of Seagull Antiques. The Acton, Mass., dealer had her granddaughter setting up as she sold a Waterford crystal decanter and glasses set. A pair of unusual tobacco jars, priced at $695, were seated figures of Mr Dog and Mrs Cat, and they were perched on a glass case filled with crystal, silver and art pottery pieces.

Melissa McCallum's space was filled with a rare and fancy carved stand, circa 1880–90, with a magazine rack on the bottom, $350, and a Nineteenth Century horse glider child's toy, which was paint decorated with a seat and in remarkable condition, $225. The Dedham, Mass., dealer featured a bound book of court records, 1850s–90s, dealing with railroad transactions, such as land purchases, rights of way, buildings, bridges and sketches for railroads, such as Baltimore and Ohio, Cincinnati and Richmond, Steubenville and Ohio and the Toledo and Ohio Central.

From Milford, N.H., John Anderson came with a Wareham, Mass., Captain Ludlow Eighteenth Century slant lid desk in original old grain paint for $3,800. Well-set drawers showed rosehead nails, and the single drawer in the lower case had some repairs. "I have a whole packet of family history, paper work and documentation with it," said Anderson. He was also showing a Windsor slat back, heavily carved armchair, a child's Windsor chair and a fine pair of antique lady's button-up boots, about the right size for a child. World War I posters, fireplace bellows and andirons, crocks and smalls abounded.

Eclectic is the best description for many of the offerings at May's: Joel Whitehouse of Pine Grove, Penn., showed vintage dolls next to advertising signs for Hershey Chocolate against which leaned candlesticks and wicker; from Westfield, N.Y., Jim and Marcia Sweet brought concrete garden cherubs, an iron gate and — found at an auction in Pennsylvania — a wonderful child's pony cart in original paint decoration; and Charlie Harris of Nadick, Mass., had an Ashcroft Suprex production lamp from Hollywood that weighed in at about 150 lbs, as well as Modern furniture and art work.

Chris Banic came up from Alpharetta, Ga., to show his reproduction Tiffany lamp shade on an original bronze Tiffany base and an early Arts and Crafts mica lamp and Jerry Turner stayed on in the East to show at Brimfield (after Papermania) with a booth loaded with salesman's samples, a side saddle, beaded bag and a cultivator dated September 4, 1866 at $3,795. The Hot Springs, Ark., dealer thought his trip home would be considerably lighter after May's.

Jack Papadinis brought authentic Tiffany lamps, cast iron lamps and Arts and Crafts decorative items from his West Simsbury, Conn., home base. From California via Woodstock, N.Y., Makala Munday and Mario Polo were showing a folk art quilt from the 1940s, a pair of concrete eagles, wallpaper covered hatboxes, a peacock rug and several drop leaf tables with swing legs.

Warren Hartman displayed crocks and decorated stoneware, such as a cobalt-decorated crock incised with Nicols, circa 1820, at $695, an Ethan Fox decorated jug was marked "ES Fox, Atilens, NH," and was offered at $750. The East Troy, Wis., dealer was enjoying the intermittent sun from his roadside spot. He will be back at May's next spring.

Friday

The week had been terrific weather for all of Brimfield's 20-some shows, but Friday the dawn was filled with thickening clouds, the precursor to eventual rain. Many were so used to the beautiful days earlier in the week that they were not prepared for precipitation, so many were seen running around under newly acquired umbrellas in shorts and golf shirts shopping the original field, J&J Antiques Show, with the 8 am opening.

This was the final session for the year of the now 50-year-old event first begun by Gordon Reid Sr, the founder — some say "inventor" — of Brimfield. He passed away many years ago, but the Friday show is continued by his daughters, Judy Reid Mathieu and Jill Reid Lukesh. Hosting hundreds of exhibitors, the field was ready for the business when Pete Lukesh began selling his collection of Windsor chairs and glass from the Eighteenth Century. Husband to Jill, he is retired from his earlier career and now is a dealer of this highly specialized collection, and he assists his wife and sister-in-law with some of the computer work for the show.

Right next to Lukesh, Jo Annea and Jim Delphia were selling from their collection of late Eighteenth Century and Nineteenth Century household machinery and furniture. This Canton, Conn., couple trading as Vintage New England have been selling early coffee grinders, mixers, mechanical butter churns, apple peelers and many other early man-powered kitchen machines. They also have a collection of pie safes and more practical furniture from the 1800s.

J&J has a wonderful and diverse collection of antiques. In addition to Lukesh's glass and Vintage New England's tools and machinery, Robert Perry has been finding atypical furniture. There was his ordinary blanket chest made very special by the patriotic paint decoration, while sitting next to it was an equally unique drum, which likely will be a decorating accessory. R&R Collectibles, Easthampton, Mass., brought a great collection of early weight-driven and key spring-driven clocks, all offered in good working order. Tory Beth Radwick, Chester Springs, Penn., was showing her collection of antique and vintage dolls. Oak furniture was the focus for Grey Barn Antiques from Rome, N.Y.

Very early American furniture, much of it from Rhode Island was Daniel Romani's collection. His business, Allworthy Antiques from Chepachet, R.I., is found at only a few shows each year, but J&J is one of them. This month, his sales were good, with sold tags appearing on furniture early in the morning.

Ed Wilson is a friendly fellow from Mansfield, Penn., who sells antiques and makes friends with each of his buyers. His collection is usually big, fine hardwood furniture, which Friday morning in spite of the rain, he was selling very well. Quiet Corner Antiques, Sterling, Conn., was showing their room setting in a tent, which included a salmon painted blanket chest in pine; an early buggy bench, several painted cupboards and cabinets and all the accessories to complete the décor in an American primitive style home.

J&J ends the week for many of the Brimfield shoppers and dealers, and when it is September that means the end of Brimfield for another year. The shows return again next May, July and September. There are numerous websites with information, including www.brimfieldexchange.com .