Greg K. Kramer & Co., Robesonia, Penn.

Mario Pollo, Bearsville, N.Y.

“It all went well and I am very pleased. The dealers put on a great show, people seemed to appreciate Mid*Week, and I would say we had a successful 11th year,” Frank Gaglio, manager and owner of Barn Star Productions, said. He further indicated that “many of the exhibitors reported to me as having had one of the best Mid*Weeks ever, which is wonderful news to hear.”

“The show has been great for me, but I always have a good one here,” Charles Wilson of West Chester, Penn., said. He has been doing the show for the past five years. “Prior to that I never missed it, I came to buy,” Charles said. This year he sold trade signs, windmill weights in the form of roosters and horses, a large Howard horse weathervane, and an “eagle figurehead in cast iron that I took out of my own collection.”

“It was across the board selling for us,” Dick Costa of Coats and Currier said, listing sales of a pair of paint decorated Windsor side chairs, a carved wood statue of liberty, two hooked rugs, a bed warmer with decorated handle, an early decoy and a sign made-up from four large letters, DIME. The Portsmouth, N.H., dealers said, “This is a good show, a really good one, and we always enjoy doing it.”

Marie Plummer and John Philbrick of North Berwick, Maine, always show an interesting collection of very early furniture and at Mid*Week offered an Eighteenth Century dresser from a house in Northfield, N.H., with paneled doors and H-hinges, surface scrubbed down to the original green. It measures 82 inches high and 651/2 inches wide. A small orange-painted corner shelf had molded edges and shaped shelves, and an early New Hampshire blanket chest, probably from the Ipswich area, was of walnut, maintained an old country surface and retained the original brasses.

As usual, the walls of the booth of M. Finkel & Daughter, Philadelphia, were covered with samplers including a Poyen family record, Haverhill, Mass., circa 1820. Shown across the front of the booth was an English campaign chaise with the original label, Robinson & Sons, Manufacturers, Steam Cabinet Works, Yorkshire. It had a cane resting area, original casters, and dated circa 1875. A wrought iron hall rack, circa 1890, was in white paint with blue trim and ready to be put to use holding coats and umbrellas.

“It has been a busy couple of days for me,” Amy Finkel said on Thursday, relating how she had left New Hampshire late Wednesday, flown home to Philadelphia to attend a 21st birthday party for her daughter, who is a student at Amherst College, and then flown back to Mid*Week on Thursday morning.

John Keith Russell of South Salem, N.Y., showed a selection of Shaker and early New England furniture including a Vermont tall chest with no drawer pulls, circa 1820, and a Bergen County, N.J., child’s chair, “Charles Demarest,” circa 1820. A tall-case clock was by R. Whiting, 30-hour wooden works, circa 1825.

A late Eighteenth Century tavern table, Massachusetts origin, scrubbed two-board top with breadboard ends, molded square legs, was shown by Mark and Majorie Allen of Amherst, N.H. A New Jersey flat wall cupboard with two double graduated paneled doors, high bracket base, circa 1790, was in the original robin’s-egg blue.

“It was gangbusters on Wednesday, the best Mid*Week we have had in the 11 years we have been doing the show,” Marvin Eliot of Pottles & Panhikins, Windsor, Conn., said on Thursday. He added, “We love our booth, very shallow, only about three feet deep, but perfect for our collection of iron and still large enough for small pieces of furniture.” Sales included a trundle bed, two paintings, rush lanterns and a good number of cast-iron pieces, and buyers came from as far away as California and Nebraska.

Also boasting a “best ever” Mid*Week was James Grievo of Stockton, N.J. By late Thursday his booth was near bare and he had sold a six-drawer tall chest, ladder back side chair, miniature andirons with Boston steeple tops, decorated boxes, carved birds, Shaker boxes, a four-drawer bow front chest, fish weathervane and a Windsor bench. “That’s all I can remember,” he said, “but there might have been more.”

Samuel Herrup of Sheffield, Mass., said for him the show had “been good, I have done real well and about the same as last year.” A selection of redware filled a classic Pennsylvania step back open-top pewter cupboard in pine, circa 1800, 831/2 inches high and 551/5 inches wide, while a tiger maple tall chest was of Rhode Island origin, circa 1780, bracket base and measuring 571/2 inches high, 361/4 inches wide and 173/4 inches deep.

Sales included a decorated blanket chest from Madison, Vt., a pair of decorated Windsor side chairs, a needlework picture, some Liverpool pieces and some redware. A Queen Anne New England drop leaf table in maple and pine was probably from Massachusetts, circa 1760, 42- by 43-inch top, and was being sold in “as found” condition.

A Charles Looff circa 1880 carved and painted carousel goat was rearing up on his hind legs in the booth of David Wheatcroft of Westboro, Mass., and on the back wall an oil on canvas depicted a Massachusetts town common, with early church, circa 1860-70, in large black frame. A fireman’s parade hat started life with the Phoenix Hose Co, Philadelphia, circa 1850, with art by David Busthill Bowser.

“This has been an engaging crowd; people who have shown a great deal of interest in things and not just wandered through the show,” Dennis Bakolidis of Rhinebeck, N.Y., said. Furniture was not moving from his booth, but his sales included many smalls along with a hobby horse, floral hooked rug, several samplers, pieces of stoneware and a horse weathervane. A large banner weathervane stretched across the back wall, and a nice red, white and blue barber pole with balls at either end and star decoration hung in the corner of the booth.

“We actually had two be-backers – they looked on Wednesday and returned Thursday to buy,” Elliott Snyder of Egremont, Mass., said. Grace Snyder listed a few of their sales to include a New England candlestand, Queen Anne armchair, miniature on ivory, watch hutch, several pieces of iron, a Shaker tole piece, a piece of needlework and a continuous-arm Windsor chair, red and green paint, circa 1780. A dome-top decorated document box, Vermont, circa 1830, was also sold.

Remaining midday Thursday were several pieces of furniture including a robust New England Queen Anne armchair with carved crest and ram’s horn arms, circa 1760, all original, and an interesting three-color paint decorated chest on shaped high folding base, New York State, circa 1870, with two of the frames on the inside of the lid containing religious pictures. The center on was blank.

Colette Donovan of Merrimacport, Mass., said, “This is my best ever show at Mid*Week, it has been just great.” Hanging against the back wall was a crewel coverlet worked on a piece of homespun, circa 1812-15, Massachusetts origin, with the central design including a lady on a garden path. A Queen Anne blanket chest, three over three graduated drawers, inverted cupid’s bow drop to the base, snipe hinges, circa 1720-40, was in old red finish over original gray. Colette’s sales included linens, a pewter rack, dining table, spoon rack and a good number of smalls.

Kembles Period American Furniture of Norwich, Ohio, held down one of the large front corner booths in the tent and offered a good number of pieces of furniture, a case filled with interesting smalls and several pieces of folk art including a large fish trade sign for “Arnold’s,” Vermont origin, circa 1900. “It has been good for us and, in addition to some small things, we sold a pair of mahogany wall cupboards from Baltimore, a paint decorated shelf and a couple of weathervanes.” A large hackney horse full-bodied copper weathervane, circa 1880, pranced across the top of a country Queen Anne New England tiger maple high chest of drawers, bracket feet, cotter-pin hinges, circa 1750-70.

A New England tole chandelier, Nineteenth Century, six arms, tin chain, original paint, hung over a Pilgrim Century shoe-foot hutch table in the booth of Buckley and Buskley, Salisbury, Conn. The table, from Barnstable, Mass., dated circa 1720-30 and had an oval two-board top (521/2 by 361/2 inches) in the original surface. Other early furniture included a North Shore high chair, 1730-50, soft maple and ash, 39 inches tall, with traces of the original red stain.

“I have only been doing this show for three years, but this is the best one,” said Fred Giampietro of New Haven, Conn. A cast-iron figure of Liberty, holding a torch and wreath, had a sold ticket on it after the first rush of show visitors, and not far behind followed the sales of a black mannequin, bow front chest of drawers, Egyptian Revival chair, large rooster weathervane and Windsor side chair, with decoration. Not yet sold was a large copper arrow weathervane, about ten feet long and three feet wide at the “feather” end, and a swan head hitching post in excellent paint.

New to the show this year was Sumpter Priddy III of Alexandria, Va., who was having a good debut selling ceramics, a large carved mirror and two of the four child’s chairs in the booth. Of interest was an oil on canvas depicting the residence of Robert Waln of Philadelphia, 1858, a work measuring 101/4 by 143/8 inches and signed by R.W. Leaming. A carved and gessoed eagle, probably English, dated circa 1820 and had a wingspan of 24 inches.

Ballyhack Antiques of West Cornwall, Conn., again held down a corner booth in the tent and showed an unusual cast-iron garden gate with a portrait bust in the center. It was from either New York City or Philadelphia, circa 1870. A large cow was centered in a hooked rug, and an American folk art desk, late Nineteenth Century, was noted as “made for a train station.” It was mounted on a new frame.

Marna Anderson of New Paltz, N.Y., offered a small dovetailed cupboard, one drawer over one paneled door, bittersweet painted surface, circa 1830, from either New York or Massachusetts, and an architectural corner shelf in medium green, square nails, Nineteenth Century, western New York State, with 11 graduated shelves and measuring 63 by 41 inches.

An album quilt, appliqué panels showing natural life with an eagle in the center, was done by Christiana Ware Johnson in 1847, Isle of Wright County, Va., hung in the booth of Thurston Nichols American Antiques, Breinigsville, Penn. Furniture included a Queen Anne stand in walnut with tripod base, dish top with birdcage support, bulbous turned urn with ring turnings, cabriole legs and snake feet, circa 1760 and of Philadelphia origin.

“The show has been very good for me,” Thurston said, mentioning the sales of paintings and folk sculpture, but no furniture as of the close Wednesday.

“It’s been great and we have sold more objects than last year,” a happy David Good of Camden, Ohio, said. With Samuel Forsythe of Columbus, Ohio, he had sold a tall chest of drawers, two-drawer blanket chest, seven pieces of American colored glass, five or six pieces of redware and several pieces of lighting. Thursday morning the booth was receiving a complete makeover, with a few new things brought in to replace those sold.

Don and Kay Buck of Chester, N.J., said, “Historically the show has been good for us, and this year we are doing fine.” A large apothecary, wing chair, large work by Ellinger and many smalls left the booth, while still waiting buyers on Thursday morning were a small and graceful stag weathervane by Harris displayed on a small decorated and grained chest with turned feet, red over yellow ground.

Michael and Lucinda Seward of Pittsford, Vt., did a more than fair amount of selling opening day, and “we have had some good sales today,” they said on Thursday. A small oil on canvas portrait of a young girl with dog, a farm table, a Rhode Island sampler, drop leaf table in old red, painted game board, one-drawer stand, blanket box in old blue paint, Elsworth miniature, tole tray, heart-shaped box, primitive still life oil and a nice carved cane accounted for a “good day.”

A mosaic twig three-drawer dresser, cupboard and mirror, circa 1910, “rustic versions of oak furniture design from this same period,” were shown in the booth of Cherry Gallery, Pine Plains, N.Y. “We have been doing the show for three years and this one has been OK for us,” Jeff Cherry said. He had sold an Old Hickory coffee table and settee, a couple of rustic frames, burl walnut shelf, canoe paddle and a large hooked rug.

People looking for a chair table would have had a field day during Antiques Week, for there were many to pick from and a good number of them were of New Hampshire origin. Such was the case with the one offered by Derik Pulito of Kensington, Conn. His had a round top, traces of the original paint and dated circa 1800. He also showed a rare Hudson Valley five-slat armchair, well turned, circa 1750.

James and Nancy Glazer of Bailey’s Island, Maine, experienced a good show: “Best one we have ever had here,” Jim said on Thursday. They had sold a Chippendale armchair, a pair of bow back Windsor side chairs with paint decoration and a blue blanket chest, scalloped base initialed and dated 1827 on the back, and a hooked rug featuring a dog with open mouth, American, late Nineteenth Century, with “rug with a bite” written on the tag. A couple of advertising pieces were shown including a red, white and blue sign for a barber shop and a luncheon sign, black letters on an orange ground, surrounded by a green-painted frame.

“It has been terrific, a great show for me,” Stephen Score of Boston said on opening day. The first rush of people into the show had taken away a large landscape painting, a weathervane, several pieces of textile, some carved folk art, small tables, a blanket chest and a hanging wall shelf. A sheet metal train weathervane, complete with an engineer standing at the back of the engine and smoke coming from the stack, remained on the wall, as did a two-sided sign, in the form of a hat box, advertising Betty’s Dress and Hat Shop.

Both furniture and accessories were selling from the booth of David Schorsch of Woodbury, Conn. “It is my best show ever here,” he said, listing sales including a blanket chest, game toss lion, theorem, decorated box, painted armchair and decorated rocking chair. “I can’t remember the other sales, but it has been great,” David said.

A Hepplewhite butler’s desk, Baltimore, Md., circa 1790, with cutout bracket feet, 23-inch molded one board top, was shown by David R. Geiger Antiques of Meadville, Penn. In addition he offered a Pennsylvania bow front chest of drawers that had descended in the Reynolds family of Meadville, Crawford County. The chest had brass oval drawer pulls, French feet and a one-board top.

Clifford Wallach of Brooklyn, N.Y., well-known for his tramp art pieces, filled his booth with frames, furniture and wall shelves. “We sold 15 pieces the first day, and a total of 18 at the end of the show. It has been great for us,” Clifford said. He mentioned that a client, with her husband and decorator, flew in their own plane to Manchester to attend the show. “I told them about Antiques Week and it was the first antiques show they ever attended,” he said. She bought three pieces of tramp art and her husband, totally bored by it all, commented, “It is like being at the dentist.”

Michael Ogle and Diana Douglas of American Garage, all the way from Los Angeles, were happy with the show, stating, “We sold six big rdf_Descriptions and the show still has another day.” They sold, among other things, a red, white and blue lectern dating from the 1950s, and two good trade signs. A fine horse weathervane, “Lexington,” copper and cast iron with applied mane, carried a Marna Anderson provenance.

“It has been very good, better than last year,” Jon Magoun of South Paris, Maine, said, listing sales of country furniture, paintings, canoe paddles and a snow shoe chair to Peter Tillou. “What in the world is he ever going to do with something like that?” Jon said. “We had a good first day and lots of sales on Thursday as well,” Rick Sencer of American Whimsy, East Rockaway, N.Y. said. Fabrics, sculpture, baskets, books and Bakelite were all selling well.

“This is the most brisk action since the Philadelphia Show,” Greg Kramer of Robesonia, Penn., said. From a large double booth he had sold four pieces of high-end furniture, and lots of accessories including many pieces of stoneware and redware.

As Mid*Week closed on Thursday afternoon, Frank Gaglio thanked the exhibitors with, “A great show and we will do it again next year.” Later he credited the success of the show to the exhibits by the dealers and the large crowd at Antiques Week in New Hampshire. “It has become a happening, a destination, and we are very happy with it,” he added.

There was no question that Mid*Week had lots to offer. Dealers had put their best foot forward, the public appreciated it, the weather cooperated and many went on their way with either a package in hand or a home delivery scheduled. It all adds up to another banner year for Mid*Week.