Cabin Fever Totes Up 26 Notches

QUECHEE, VT. - Chilling out at the 26th annual Cabin Fever Antiques Show and Sale was the order of the day on February 19 for the 30-plus dealers exhibiting to an enthusiastic crowd of visitors, according to show manager Jim Dunn. Mr Dunn, who took over the show from Mary and Bob Fraser five years ago, said, "The dealers did pretty well. Susan Gault [from nearby Thetford Center, Vt.] told me she did well, and that seemed to be typical of the dealers' comments I got. I saw a lot of furniture going out the door, including a really neat cupboard from Gail Torkelson and Liz Tuggle [Norwich, Vt.]"

This year the show had competition from several other shows for the dealers, including in Tolland, Conn., and Marlborough, Mass., on the same weekend. In spite of that, Mr Dunn said he "filled the show," including seven new dealers and he had a waiting list for space.

Although there were a great many local dealers in the show, about half were from far enough away to need overnight hotel accommodations, including Pat Burdin from Ridgewood, N.J. She came with a display of mostly small antiques and antique art. Of particular interest was a theorem in its original frame, excellent condition and priced at $395.

Susan Voak is the full-time librarian in Norwich, and collects paper and ephemera, which she offered here. Her offerings included Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century valentines greetings and scrapbooks in which they were kept.

Furniture was there in good quantity. Chandlers Antiques of Danby, Vt., had a complete kitchen, circa 1840, which included a step back cupboard in butternut.

The Stahuras trade at their Reading, Vt., shop as Millbrook Antiques, and here they brought a selection of early stoneware. Woodstock dealer Eric Nesbitt seemed to be anxious for spring as his offerings included numerous garden accessories and ornaments. Goodwin's Antiques, Middlebury, Vt., had as its backdrop an antique quilt in a broken chain pattern. A poster offered by Jean Tudhope was from Winchester Arms featuring ammunition and firearms. At a recent auction in the Midwest, a similar piece was sold for nearly $2,000.

Joan Korda, Orwell, Vt., considers herself a collector and is also expert on early lighting. She had several examples of early American iron candlestands and rush lights. Grafton Gathering Place is the business of Peter and Mary Pill, but their shop is far off the beaten path so they do several shows in the area to sell and make sure people find out about them. Here, they had two sets of early chairs, some porcelain and more furniture.

And from just around the corner, the show's former owners, the Frasers, came with a large load of furniture. A favorite of many at the show was a slant lid desk, often called a Governor Winthrop-style desk, which, while it did not sell at the show, was offered at a very attractive price, according to Mr Fraser.

The show's managers also exhibit with their specialty, early Staffordshire porcelain. One especially fine piece, according to Elizabeth Dunn, was a Lustre dome top coffeepot, circa 1830-40, priced at $1,325. The Dunns will conduct the show again next year on February 11. They also manage the Bromley Mountain Show during Vermont Antiques Week in the fall and participate in the management of the Green Mountain Sampler Antiques Show in July. For information, 802-885-3705.