Buying Up At Americana Celebration Antiques Show

DEERFIELD, N.H.

:For Nan Gurley, the crowd rushing onto her exhibition area of the Deerfield Fairgrounds for the Americana Celebration Antiques Show must look far better than watching the runners in the New York City or Boston marathon go by. It is only a short distance from the gate to the first booth, a distance covered by the first in line in a matter of minutes, and then the place is swarming with people. The starting gun is at 8 am for early buyers, the general admission is at 10 am, and it is all over at 4 pm for this show that gets Antiques Week in New Hampshire off to both a good and running start.

The show now fills four buildings and the remainder of the 145 dealers who do not fit inside are scattered around nearby, some willing to brave the elements and others under tent, shelter from both the sun and possible rain. "This is fun, there is so much to see," seems to be the cry of most visitors to this show and it is safe to say that the majority of the people go away with something either under their arm or being wheeled to the car or van. Many of the dealers who are in the "neighborhood" to take part in other shows are there, hoping to fatten their inventory for the crowd that moves from show to show during this popular week.

"The gate was about the same as last year, but there was more buying, which is what we are there for," Nan said following the close of the show. She said there were about 15 new exhibitors the year, joining a loyal bunch of dealers who return each year.

Half a dozen cast iron and painted frogs were poised to jump from a multilevel plant stand in the booth of Cornish Trading Co., Cornish, Maine, and a sign with gold lettering on a black ground advertised the High Rock Hotel. A large sign for Concord was leaning against a table, black lettering on white.

There were a number of hutch tables offered, one with scrubbed top and black painted base in the booth of Canterbury Antiques, Canterbury, N.H. A pair of Eighteenth Century ladder back side chairs, green paint, was pulled up to the table.

Among the New Hampshire pieces offered was a pair of rod back Windsor side chairs, black painted, circa 1820, shown by Dolores De Lia of Manchester Center, Vt. Also in this booth was a work table with a three-board scrubbed top, breadboard ends, 42 by 29 inches, tapered legs, pine with maple and birch, New England origin and dating from the first quarter of the Nineteenth Century.

A Pennsylvania blanket chest with ball feet and brained surface, circa 1820, was shown by Dooryard Antiques, Clinton, Conn., together with a Queen Anne side chair with Spanish feet, bold stretcher and rush seat. It was from Massachusetts or Connecticut and dated circa 1740-60.

A bonnet, socks, vest and dresses, clothing for both dolls and children, had been preserved in frames, a total of 13, and covered a good portion of the wall in the booth of Sachem Antiques, Kingston, N.H. A tall stack of eight firkins, ranging from a large red painted example on the bottom to a tiny blue one on top, was in the booth of American Stars of Baltimore, Md. A row of cat and clown knock-down dolls was in fine condition, indicating many misses during carnival time.

Blue Dog Antiques of Stafford Springs, Conn., and Antiques at Hillwood Farm, Pecatonica, Ill., shared a booth and filled it with a canopy bed from Maine in the original red paint with burl inlay, a Whiting tall case clock with wooden works, a Pennsylvania hanging cupboard with blue over red, circa 1810, and a corner cupboard from Nelson City, Va., pine with cream paint inside and black outside.

The Cat Lady Antiques of Bangor, Penn., showed a Nineteenth Century child's dresser from the Groft family, Enola, Penn., in mustard paint with folky detail and large mirror. It has two short drawers over one long drawer, with two cupboards at the bottom. Shirley Quinn of Hopkinton, N.H., was in her usual spot in one of the buildings with a colorful cutout of a clown, once a carnival target, and a nice trundle rope bed on wheels, completely intact.

John Robinson of Williamstown, Mass., showed three Shaker dining chairs signed Job Allen, an elder's rocker, and a one-board harvest table from Vermont, pine, measuring 7 feet 6 inches long and 19 inches wide.

J&J Murphy of Newtown, Conn., had a complete cobbler's bench, not cut down, and a faceted burl bowl with handle. Attracting attention was a Pennsylvania barn decoration of sheet metal, a large red heart over a large yellow tulip, and a Nineteenth Century dark room lamp was complete with the original burner and red glass with metal shades.

A pine table, five feet in diameter, was surrounded by side yellow decorated side chairs in the booth of David Drummond, Lititz, Penn. A large composition dog, once used as a prop in a photo studio, was shown with other effects such as a large pine cone and a Christmas tree.

Betty Anne Lavalee of Hampton, N.H., hung eight small chairs on the wall, some fit for a doll, others appearing to be salesmen's samples. A sample board from the Linen Thread Co. was a specimen card of Barbour products, showing the procedure from flax straw to finished product.

Ron Chambers of Higganum, Conn., had a good show, selling first off his bellarmine jug, followed by the sale of a wallpapered box, some pewter and a number of reference books. "I did not sell any furniture early in the day," Ron said, but offered a nice oval top tap table with drawer, maple, New England, circa 1786. A large pewter rack in old blue paint, dovetailed construction, circa 1820, and a Queen Anne shell carved mirror, circa 1740, were hanging on the same wall. "I saw a little pin in the side of this traveling desk when I got it home, pulled it out and it released a hidden drawer," Ron said, "and I never knew it was there when I bought it." The piece was American and in fine, original condition.

Firehouse Antiques, Galena, Md., showed a large ship diorama, three masts and painted background, a hooked rug depicting a Scottie with red bow and a leaf in each corner, and trade signs for plumbers, roofers and boiler repair work. Early sellers included an Art and Crafts drop leaf table, several gathering baskets and a large carved penguin.

Tom Joseph, Limington, Maine, surrounded a curly maple pedestal base table with six curly maple cane seat side chairs. A fox weathervane, full bodied copper, was on a stand, a large harvest table had the original casters, and a dressing table with backsplash was in yellow with foliage decoration.

Natalie Warner of Somers, Conn., made Blanch Greenstein happy when she presented a decorated cookie tin by Daher, a New York firm that produced the tins in the first part of the Twentieth Century. "That tin was decorated by my father, he worked on this design," Blanch declared as she placed the tin in her tote bag. By the way, Tom Woodard and Blanch will be returning to the antiques show business in the winter, taking part in The American Antiques Show that benefits the American Museum of Folk Art.

Nan Gurley will present her next show on Sunday, August 28, at the Cornish fairgrounds in Cornish, Maine. Close to fifty dealers are expected for this event. Next she will move to Sturbridge, Mass., where she will run a 75-dealer show on September 8 during Brimfield Week.