For the third Summer Sandwich Antiques Show, most of the CCADA dealers were housed inside the American Legion Post’s outside pavilion.
Review & Photos by Z.G. Burnett
SANDWICH, MASS. — The Cape Cod Antique Dealers Association (CCADA) opened its 3rd Annual Summer Sandwich Antiques Show at the Clark-Haddan American Legion Post 188 on July 11. This new location is only a few minutes away from the show’s former location at The Sagamore Inn. The reason for this change? Simple economy: this location was far less expensive to rent, leaving more of the proceeds from the show’s admissions for the CCADA’s Cultural Enrichment Fund. This provides support to nonprofit organizations for special projects which help advance, preserve and promote a better understanding of Cape Cod’s history and heritage.
“People seem to think that we’re divvying up the proceeds between the dealers, which isn’t the case at all,” says Patricia Anderson of Cummaquid Antiques, Cummaquid, Mass. “Even if [a customer] doesn’t find anything, the education they get from what’s here is worth the price of admission.” At $8 per ticket, and $7 if an ad is presented, it’s not at all breaking the bank. Young collectors are particularly welcome, so much so that students with valid identification and guests under age 18 are admitted free of charge.
Each of the show’s 16 dealers certainly presented a comprehensive display of antiques with price ranges to suit each buyer’s budget. Most gathered under the Post’s outdoor dining area, with a few dealers dodging showers outside. The past two years have hosted blazing sunlight and heat, and despite the humidity dealers welcomed the lower temperature in exchange for an overcast sky. Dealers reported an average “okay” for sales, still an accomplishment when many die-hard buyers and sellers were sweating it out in the July Brimfield markets.
With a tarp ready for the day’s intermittent showers, David Lamson, Hyannis, Mass., brought functional glassware and delicate smalls for his outdoor setup.
Smalls are the common fare for most dealers at the CCADA show, but some brought larger furnishing pieces. Whaling Days Antiques, New Bedford, Mass., prominently featured an early Nineteenth Century pine blanket box with original dark teal paint. It showed dovetail construction with sturdy hinges but was a little lopsided due to absent molding. Owner Alan Herman was asking less than $500, more than a reasonable price for a repair project.
Jeffrey Young of Vintage & Young, Catumet, Mass., had just the thing, or at least the sign for it. Leaning against one of his outdoor tables was a “Jobbing Carpenter” trade sign with a pleasing amount of age on it. The sign probably dated from the early Twentieth Century. Also from this era was a wool Protexacar fender cover chain stitch embroidered for the Biever Motor Car Company of New Haven, Conn. This midcentury car dealership now exists only in a few court cases and dealer listings for Chrysler and Studebaker cars, making this cover possibly unique. It had a chain stitched number “10” on verso and matching embroidery around the edges and was in excellent condition.
Other textile arts were more local. Cummaquid Antiques offered a vintage, wool hooked rug designed by Claire Murray that showed the Dexter Grist Mill and Lower Shawmee Pond of Sandwich, Mass. The mill is still functional, but now operates as a museum and is one of the most photographed sites in the area. Murray maintains a shop in West Barnstable, Mass., and has retired this design. According to Anderson, “The town of Sandwich has more swans in its lakes and ponds than any other town on Cape Cod.”
Designer hooked rug by Claire Murray, circa 1990, showing the local grist mill and pond in a retired design. Patricia Anderson, Cummaquid Antiques, Cummaquid, Mass.
In a nearby booth, Vintage Lady Linens, Milford, Conn., tidily overflowing wares were arranged with care by owner Nancy Mayer. Far superior in quality to what’s available at department stores now, dealers like Mayer specialize in linens, many having sat in drawers for decades without use. The majority of Mayer’s stock at the show was nautically themed, including a set of cocktail napkins designed by Anthony Frederick “Tony” Sarg (1880-1942). Born in Guatemala, Sarg was a prolific illustrator whose early work appeared in The Saturday Evening Post before he became a window display designer for Macy’s Department Store in Manhattan. Sarg also designed a range of homeware, maps and fine art, and he opened up his own Nantucket shop in 1921, where he remained until his death. Mayer sold one of the napkins to a collector who intended to frame it and reported a very successful show.
Charlene and Edward Dixon, Eastham, Mass., did not have one of Sarg’s Nantucket maps in their booth, instead there was a map of Boston produced by the Tudor Press of Boston, Mass. According to Charlene, the Boston map is far more scarce than the Cape Cod map, which can be spotted frequently in the region’s antiques shops. The lithographic map was printed in 1930 and the Tudor Press was in operation between 1910 and 1967, before the company moved to Lawrence, Mass., and was renamed Graphic Litho. It is still in operation today, but no longer distributes this map.
Made in Boston, Mass., this scarce lithographic map of the state capital was printed by the Tudor Press in 1930. Charlene and Edward Dixon, Eastham, Mass.
The right booth to visit for all things cartographic was, unsurprisingly, Maps of Antiquity of Chatham, Mass. Represented by Danielle R. Jeanloz and Perri Sanborn who brought barely a fraction of their stock, Maps of Antiquity has a brick-and-mortar gallery as well as over 18,000 maps available online. They have also been selling with the CCADA for 18 years. From hand-colored Seventeenth Century etchings to picture postcards featuring every town in Cape Cod, Maps of Antiquity catered to every level of collector.
Even though the weather was gloomy, it did not dampen the spirits of Dianne Freed, whose business New England Seasons is based in Rehoboth, Mass. Freed’s booth brings the outdoors in, if the outdoors is a charming garden à la Tasha Tudor, where she stocks first edition books alongside antique ceramics, textiles and home furnishings. There was also a collection of stuffed mohair animals, some of which were Steiff that had lost their identifying buttons, but most, if not all, were made in Germany. “I go for the cuteness factor,” Freed said, smiling. “Anything with a bit of whimsy.”
Marie’s Memories, Eastham, Mass., supplied more artisanal pottery, in addition to a large inventory of costume and fine jewelry. One of the largest planters was a circa 1910 jardiniere from the Roseville Pottery Company. Known for its floral patterns, this planter showed the Donatello pattern of cherubs playing in a garden, bordered by fluted molding. Roseville was one of three major art potteries in Ohio during the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, including Rookwood Pottery and Weller Pottery. The company produced annual patterns and operated from 1890 to 1953, when it was bought by the Mosaic Tile Company.
This Donatello pattern jardiniere was produced by the Roseville Pottery Company circa 1910, brought by Marie Forjan of Marie’s Memories, Eastham, Mass.
An optimistic sentiment was brought by David Thompson Antiques & Art, South Dennis, Mass., on a ship’s name plate that read “Fair Play”. Thompson found the plate on the side of a barn in nearby West Dennis, Mass. The barn and the plate belonged to a family with a long fishing history in the area. It already sported a “sold” sticker by the show’s opening. “We need more of that,” Thompson commented, in reference to the ship’s name.
On a smaller scale, Patricia Ferrara’s Ten Mile Antiques of Attleboro, Mass., had a booth full of tabletop cases. These were stocked with fine jewelry and diminutive antiques, each more detailed than the last. Two snuff boxes stood out: a Battersea enamel box and a hand-painted Limoges figural oyster box. Probably from the late Eighteenth to early Nineteenth Century, the Battersea box showed a spaniel sitting atop a pink tuffet, its pose reminiscent of a Staffordshire dog. The Limoges box showed unusual coloring for a Limoges box of this type. Still being produced today, often with three dimensional pearls inside, this was an earlier example of the motif.
Every dealer brought goods that were functional and decorative, and most could be put to use the same day of purchase. Linda Brown of Cargill Antiques, White River Junction, Vt., had a striking wine bottle case that would have been welcome if full on that steamy afternoon. With a gleaming silverplate surface, the case was cleverly designed in the form of a man’s suit, complete with a pocket watch, pocket square and bowtie. Made to keep the wine inside cool, the case had a convenient handle for pouring. It was unmarked, but most likely dated from 1930 to 1960.
This distinguished silverplate wine bottle case would have made an excellent gift for a wine-loving father or groom. Linda Brown, Cargill Antiques, White River Junction, Vt.
For everyday use, Paula Deane of Cat’s Meow Antiques, Mashpee, Mass., displayed a set of cutlery in floral transferware creamers. These were not just any old forks and knives; they had red Bakelite handles and were from Deane’s own collection. “I have another set with yellow handles at home,” she shared. This example had settings for six, which is more than enough for a brunch or luncheon. Deane was accompanied by Bonnie Botelho, who recently opened Sandy Neck Seaside Merchants in West Barnstable., Mass. A division of Yankee Estate Sales, a portion of this business’ profits supports autism research.
William Nickerson, Brewster, Mass., was one of the few dealers who brought furniture, and was the lightest on his feet when it came to covering his wares during showers. Two eye-catching pieces were from the Nineteenth Century, not matching but of similar origin. Back when factory-made furniture used to be sturdy and reliable, this dresser and commode would have been ordered from a catalog and either hand decorated at the factory or at their new home. The dresser showed faux grain throughout, and the burl veneer on its drawers was accentuated by black border strokes with ivy leaf decorations. The commode showed similar creativity, its brushstroke accents bordered with gold brushstrokes. Nickerson mentioned that he was cleaning out his own collection; his prices were more than fair, and the condition of his furniture was excellent.
The CCADA’s 54th Annual Summer Antiques Show in Orleans, Mass., will be on August 3. For information, www.ccada.com or 774-722-2108.
