Goosefare Antiques & Promotions filled Camden Regional High School’s gymnasium and cafeteria with antiques for the Camden-Rockport Historical Society Antiques Show July 19′0.
Show promoter John DeSimone was especially pleased with the large number of visitors arriving Saturday morning “with an intention to acquire some antiques. We saw a good amount of furniture going out early, and the dealers were reporting satisfying sales totals to me all through the weekend.”
The site on Maine’s Mid-Coast region is about two and a half hours from Portsmouth and three from Boston suburbs, just far enough, say residents, to be a prime area for vacation and second homes. The 60-some dealers were offering a good selection of antiques, especially with an American country flair to satisfy buyers’ hunts.
The Reynolds are collectors, as well as dealers, residing in Bath, Maine. Phil has been acquiring rare books for most of his adult life, with an emphasis on sports topics, while Beverly has been collecting American handcrafts, folk art and early decorative. Bev was offering for the weekend event many varieties of earthenware, several early braided rugs, some treenware and even early fine art.
Bud Tully trades in small antiques with a variety to attract attention from the passing show guests. His offerings included European porcelain in working pieces, such as plates, bowls and cups and saucers, many with painted decorations but also a selection of wooden antiques, some useful, others merely decorative conversation pieces.
He was also offering a birdhouse that resembled a hilltop cottage in the Austrian Alps and a red painted side chair, too small for even the youngest child but just right for the average Raggedy Ann or Andy, too, for that matter. Tully also offered early silver for the dining table with serving pieces, flatware and hollowware.
Polished to a bright shine were the pairs of brass candlesticks offered by Ester Gilbert Antiques of Southampton, Mass. The business named for dealer Sue Kozub’s mother was also offering a selection of early English transferware, bright shining copper tea kettles, pewter and woodenware. One item was a games board for Chinese checkers with the early clay marbles included.
Clocks are the favorite collection for Harry Hepburn. He and his wife Barbara have been trading with them for many years at shows and from their home in Harrison, Maine. Their full inventory includes fine early American furniture and household accessories.
Only small objects were in Louise Hardie’s exhibit at the show. She carries an assortment of small interesting antiques, including an early metal tea caddy painted to simulate a leather or fabric covering. She also trades in ships in bottles, small art and folk art and Black Forest items.
There were several early shell decorated boxes, also known as sweetheart boxes and highly desirable. Malchione’s Sporting Antiques of Chadds Ford, Penn., had several good examples to offer.
Woodstock, Maine, dealer Patricia Ann Breame showed several pieces of furniture, including an unusually small settle bench. Painted white, it was only large enough for two small toddlers; it had a candle sconce in the middle for light.
Coming from Wiscasset, Maine, Patricia Stauble featured an assortment of furniture, household accessories and folk art. The centerpiece of her exhibit was a small house, about 4 feet tall, in several parts with bright blue and white paint decoration. From her shop, she also offered a selection of early New England furniture.
Retired from the Army, Richard Suydam and his wife Shelly moved to Ellsworth, Maine, just a few years ago and continue working as dealers in antiques shows. At this show, they offered a collection of fine jewelry, early American art and folk art and furniture. A large dough box in blue milk paint was the centerpiece of their furniture, along with a cottage pine chest of drawers for a Jenny Lind bedroom set and several lamps made from antique Chinese ginger jars.
Hooked rugs were available from several of the exhibiting dealers but Teachers Antiques, Harpswell, Maine, had an early hooked rug pattern that showed an owl in a treetop with other decorations, but there was not a single stitch in it. Maureen Fenton said it was late Nineteenth Century, but had lived all its life in the bottom of a drawer somewhere.
Witts End Antiques traveled from Wallkill, N.Y., for the show with a large collection of furniture. Chris and Karen Doscher reported good sales from their inventory, which included a painted sea chest with a flying eagle on the face, a candlestand in black paint, a small chest of drawers and several game boards.
The show has a long history as a fundraising event for the historical society and Goosefare has been running it since the start. The show is usually the second weekend after the Fourth of July, so check with John DeSimone for next year’s date. Goosefare also runs several other shows all in the summer, including Boothbay Harbor and several on Cape Cod. For more information, www.goosefareantiques.com or 800-641-6908.
