Guy Kelley, Pittston, Maine, asked $150 for the Atwood Quinine Bitters case. The Sand Springs ginger ale case was $35. He also had a large selection of early historical flasks, whiskey and medicine bottles, among others.
Review and Photos by Rick Russack
DOVER, N.H. — It was supposed to rain heavily in the morning — it didn’t. There was supposed to be thunder and maybe lightning in the morning — there wasn’t. It was expected to be both an indoor and outdoor show but was mostly indoor as some who planned to set-up outdoors cancelled because of the forecasted weather. Rachel and Josh Gurley, believing the weather forecasts, moved most of the remaining 33 exhibitors at their Dover Antique Show and Vintage Market on June 17 inside and the show worked well. Gurley shows are traditionally known for Americana and folk art and that was there in abundance.
But there were also oddities like a 1913 vacuum cleaner, a plastic bin with more than 20 pairs of old boxing gloves, a selection of vintage hats and handbags; so there was plenty to look at and think about.
Pat Reese and John Rice, Portsmouth, N.H., had a boxed set of 12 polished nesting plates made of exotic Brazilian and South American woods. Perhaps not unique but certainly uncommon. The plates stacked neatly and fit in a covered box, that was also made from an exotic wood. Accompanying the set was an aged business card with a Sao Paulo address signed “With Compliments”; the set was priced at $95. They often deal in minerals and this time they had a pair of onyx bookends for which they were asking $35.
Sandra Pierce, Haverhill, Mass., was the dealer with vintage hats and bags. One interesting straw lady’s hat had what looked like colorful feathers attached but they were also straw; she was asking $60. Other hats were priced from $35 and she had handbags starting at $45.
The stoneware bean pot would be a perfect accent piece, or addition to a stoneware collection. It was a commemorative for the “Spirit of 76” and the “Battle of Bunker Hill.” Bjorn Borssen, Rochester, N.H., priced it $265.
Stoneware and redware were available in several booths, including a hard-to-miss elaborately embossed stoneware bean pot commemorating the Battle of Bunker Hill. Bjorn Borssen, Rochester, N.H., priced it $265. David McLean, North Monmouth, Maine, had several pieces of redware, mostly listed for less than $100.
Southern stoneware and redware are not often seen in New England but Gurley Antiques, Scarborough, Maine, had a Southern stoneware bottle with folky, applied earthenware decoration representing a cabin with smoke coming from the chimney, a cart drawn by an ox and two people. Josh Gurley asked $95 for the bottle. He was also asking $525 for a large bin with 21 pairs of vintage boxing gloves.
There was a good selection of folk art in the booth of Tom Jewett and Butch Berdan, Newcastle, Maine. A carved wooden figure of a well-dressed boy with a full head of hair was $450, and they had a paint-decorated dome top chest, probably from Vermont, along with a very colorful $395 applique rug and an attractive $650 oil painting of a barnyard scene of a rooster and several hens. It was priced $650.
Bill Graham, now of Kingston, N.H., had a selection of cork decoys. A brant was $85 and two Canada geese were $45 each. Ken Pike, Nashua, N.H., had a folky carved and painted shoe-shine box, with red, green and black paint. It was certainly homemade, and he had reduced the price to just $95.
In its original box, with the label bright and intact, this 1913 vacuum made by Everybody’s Vacuum Cleaner Company of New York City cleaner was priced $45. Ken Pike, Nashua, N.H.
Earlier we mentioned a 1913 vacuum cleaner; it also belonged to Pike. It was about 5 feet long and had a label reading “Everybody’s Vacuum Cleaner, New York City, Patented 1913.” The company’s slogan was “It Gets The Dust” and was in its original box. The hand-pumped vacuum was marked at $45. As with so many things you might come across at antiques show, we learned that vacuum cleaners have a long history, going back to 1860. Along the way, there were some that were powered by gasoline, some were belt driven, and one was so large it had to be pulled by a horse.
Variety was the flavor of the day. At most shows, you can find paintings of sailing ships with American or British flags. But Dave Thompson, South Dennis, Mass., had a graphite and crayon drawing of a ship flying a Swedish flag, priced $275. The fully rigged vessel, probably a yacht, had two masts and was identified as “Villie” or possibly “Willie.”
Collectors of early bottles would have had several to choose from in the booth of Guy Kelley, Pittston, Maine. He had an assortment of historical flasks and said that his favorite example was a Briarwood Kentucky whiskey bottle with a label in very good condition. The label that would have covered the top of bottle was designed to fit into an embossed circle near the neck of the bottle. It was priced $95, while an early fruit jar was $48. A Sandwich bear-form pomade jar was $55, and a patriotic flask was $165, among others.
The Dedham Pottery plates in uncommon patterns belonged to Good Vintage Collectibles, Swampscott, Mass. All were in less than mint condition and prices ranged from $50-$75.
Good Vintage Collectibles, Swampscott, Mass., had a selection of as-is Dedham pottery plates in uncommon patterns, offering collectors an opportunity to acquire scarce examples at reasonable prices. Patterns included Chestnut, Magnolia and Horses with prices ranging between $50 and $75.
Rachel and Josh Gurley said that they are experimenting with different show formats. The Dover show, which runs five times a year, with three yet to come, offers dealers the option to set up outside for just $35, an option that gives those dealers the ability to leave when they want to. “It’s almost like early admission for those guys.” Dealers inside pay more and stay all day, with the show ending at 1 pm. Early buyer’s admission for the first hour, 9-10 am, is $6, and admission is free after 10 am. “That’s working really well. It encourages younger buyers and those with families, knowing it’s not going to cost an arm and a leg. We’re trying to make this as easy and inexpensive for our dealers and the public. We’re encouraging dealers to bring a wide assortment of material and we’re advertising the show as an antique and vintage market. The market is strong for Midcentury Modern, and we like to have as much of that as possible. We want all our shows to be known as having something for everyone.”
Rachel continued, “We’re trying to be as innovative as possible and think of new ways to promote the shows to attract younger buyers. We had a good crowd, and it was steady all day. We’ve been using social media and this time we also posted on Craigslist. They have a section for upcoming events, organized by state, and we listed the show in each of the six New England state sections. Our next show here will be July 22 and after that will be our traditional show at the Deerfield fairgrounds early in Antiques Week. We already have a waiting list for inside spaces and hope to fill an additional building. We still have outdoor space available.”
Joy Cadarette, Concord, N.H., had three very early paintings that she was selling for a friend. This portrait on tin was $650 and another of Jesus, on board, was $550.
For additional information, call Josh at 207-229-0403 or Rachel at 207-396-4255; or visit www.gurleyantiqueshows.com.
