One of the largest selections of American art pottery was in the booth of Pat’s Pots. Included were several types of Weller, Rookwood and Roseville, among others.. Westport, Mass.
Review & Onsite Photos by Rick Russack
WILMINGTON, MASS. — Who and what was selling as Goosefare Promotions’ December 7-8 Greater Boston Antiques Show & Sale got underway? Lori Frandino sold Oriental rugs, Bob Markowitz traded clocks and more, Village Braider wrote up prints and studio pottery and Peter Luke found new homes for ephemera, while items in a variety of categories were sold by Greg Hamilton and Thorner-Resser. The crowd waiting for the show to open came intending to buy and they did just that. There was plenty to choose from: a varied selection of quality Asian items, folk art, furniture from many parts of the world, art pottery, hand-painted porcelains, mid-century studio pottery, silver, books, jewelry at varying price points, trade signs, marine art and accessories and Dedham pottery; the list could go on. Goosefare had 58 dealers signed-up for the show but Covid forced two last-minute cancellations.
Richard Thorner, Thorner-Resser Antiques, Manchester, N.H., deals in, among other things, political and historical memorabilia. At this show, he had a particularly strong selection selling dozens of items from the Rex Stark collection. Stark, who died in December 2023, was one of the foremost dealers and collectors of historical manuscripts, historical china, political and commemorative glass, posters of various time periods (including the protest movements of the 1960s) and more. Twice a year for about 40 years, he mailed his customers illustrated catalogs of priced items for sale. He never used a computer for these catalogs and he exhibited at shows all over the country. Some of the material, such as autographs, have been consigned to various auction houses, though Thorner is selling most of the three-dimensional items, plus other selected items.
Richard Thorner had a large selection of material from the collection of the late Rex Stark, which included this poster promoting fireworks made by the Consolidated Fireworks Co., Of America, which proudly stated they, “are used all over the world.” Dating to the time of the Spanish American War (circa 1898), it was marked $3,500. Thorner-Resser Antiques, Manchester, N.H.
After the show, Thorner commented, “this is a strong retail show with many shoppers looking for that ‘special’ item for their home. It was a good show for me, and I think it was a good show for the dealers who bring ‘interesting’ things, realistically priced. Goosefare Promotions needs to be congratulated for their dedication and efforts. As a dealer who has exhibited at every Wilmington antiques show, I realize the importance of having promoters continue to commit the time and effort to promote the antiques business.”
For those interested in American furniture, Jason Hietala, Lancaster, Mass., had a group of about ten Boston card tables, all made around 1790. They were all from one collection and were each priced at $2,900. He also had a circa 1750-1770 chamber table by Nathaniel Gould, one of Salem’s premier cabinetmakers. The 2008 edition of the Chipstone Foundation’s American Furniture journal has a lengthy article on Gould written by Kemble Whitmer and Joyce King titled, “The Documentary and Artistic Legacy of Nathaniel Gould” that was a precursor to their book on Gould. Hietala said that Gould only made six of these tables and the other five are all in museum collections. We suggest interested readers contact Hietala for additional information on the table.
Martin Ferrick, Linconville, Maine, had a classical card table, circa 1830, with a pineapple-carved center post priced at $1,100. He also had a Sheraton tambour sideboard with oval and line inlay; circa 1820, it was priced $1,950. He had several other pieces of furniture, all in fine condition, ready to go into their new homes.
Martin Ferrick had an attractive Empire pedestal table ($1,100) next to a Sheraton tambour sideboard ($1,950). Linconville, Maine.
Goosefare Antiques, Saco Maine, offered a Nineteenth Century four drawer chest for $975 and a late Sheraton secretary, for which they were asking $595.
American art pottery — and some mid-century studio pottery — were available from multiple dealers. Pat’s Pots, Westport, Mass., had a large representative selection that included signed examples of Rookwood, different types of Weller, several pieces of Roseville in various patterns and much more. Mike Hingston, Manchester, N.H., had several pieces of Rookwood. Susan Baker, Essex, Mass., had a fine example of mid-century studio pottery by an under-appreciated potter, J.David Broudo of Beverly, Mass. For 40 years, Broudo was an art professor at Endicott College and his pots were accepted for competition in the juried Ceramics National exhibitions at least nine times, starting in 1946.
If Dedham pottery was of interest, there was one dealer who had nothing but Dedham. For decades, Dedham, Mass., resident Jim Kaufman, who is also the president of the Dedham Historical Society, has been collecting and researching Dedham pottery and other works produced by Hugh Robertson, the creative force behind the pottery. Kaufman loves to share his knowledge and even prepared a four-page hand-out about the pottery. He informed us that there are about 75 different border designs used on Dedham pottery as well as many other Asian-influenced designs, that although scarce, can be found. Values of Dedham pottery depend upon the scarcity of the border pattern, the condition and, since all pieces were decorated by hand, nuances of the execution of the decoration. Prior to the founding of the pottery in Dedham in 1896, Robertson worked for several years at his Chelsea Keramic Art Works Pottery in Chelsea, Mass., where he developed some of his award-winning glazes that were widely exhibited. Dedham pottery was considered a luxury item, retailed by stores such as Tiffany & Co. Kaufman had a dinner plate with a lobster design that was marked $300, a celery or bacon tray with a rabbit border was listed at $225, a 10-inch Snow Tree plate was tagged $245 and was asking $500 for a rare Poppy plate. This is the only antiques show that Kaufman.
Most booths offer various categories of material. Not so in the booth of Jim Kaufman, Dedham, Mass. His entire booth was devoted to Dedham pottery, which he has been buying, selling, collecting and researching for more than 40 years. If you have any questions about Dedham pottery, or its predecessors, Kaufman is the person to ask.
Decoys — both bird (shore birds and ducks) and fish — were offered by Raven’s Way Antiques, North Kingston, R.I. A large Long Island-type feeding black bellied plover was tagged $550.Made by contemporary carver Brian Piccirillo of Stafford, Conn.,, it had been “antiqued” to appear older. Another modern decoy at the show was a red breasted merganser made in the 1960s by New Jersey carver David Rhodes, which was priced $285. Mason decoys were available in various grades; a standard grade Black duck made about 1920 by the Mason Decoy Factory was marked $400. Decoys used for ice fishing were priced starting at $45 while an unusual salamander, made in 2004, was tagged $65.
Peter Luke, New Baltimore, N.Y., who has been in the business for more than 40 years, does not do many antiques shows now, but he’s a fixture at book and paper shows. His inventory is vast, and the patient shopper will find many unusual items. In addition to broadsides for a variety of goods and services, he also likes those relating to the execution of Nineteenth Century criminals. They make for fascinating reading and sometimes have engravings or woodcuts of criminals on the scaffold. At this show, he had an assortment of pocket maps dating to the early and mid Nineteenth Century. He explained that the value of these early maps often depends on the area depicted. For the early maps, the further west one goes, the more likely the map is to be scarce. Many maps depict territories before they became states and many show towns and features that no longer exist. The same holds true for early guidebooks. His booth had early wall maps, cased maps, a large assortment of early newspapers, trade cards and sheet music, among other things. His is often one of the busiest booths at a show.
Peter Luke filled his booth with a large assortment of ephemera and maps. He especially liked this North Castle to Port Chester stagecoach broadside, for which he was asking $2,500. It had engraved images of both a stagecoach and the very early New York and New Haven Railroad train which the stage connected with. New Baltimore, N.Y.
Greg Hamilton, Stone Block Antiques, Vergennes, Vt., had a small collection of Chinese and Japanese art from a multi-generation private collection. Centered on the back wall of his booth was an impressive late Eighteenth Century Japanese six-panel folding screen that measured more than 10 feet wide. The scene depicted an early spring landscape with a pair of nesting Red Crested cranes with five hatchlings, rocks and flowers. The scene is associated with the New Year’s holiday, one of Japan’s most important celebrations. He also had a cased pair of Tang dynasty ceramic horses that were each about 12 inches tall. The Tang dynasty spanned from 618-907 CE and Hamilton believed this pair dated to the Seventh Century. There were more items from the same collection, in addition to his usual varied inventory.
After the show, show promoter John DeSimone commented, “most dealers said they had a good show. Our gate was about the same as last year; Liz and I are working to increase that. We had a good retail crowd, and we added two new dealers this year. One, Peter Luke, specializes in ephemera and that’s a plus for us. This was our last show of 2024 and we’re expecting a strong 2025. Customers are ready.”
For additional information, www.goosefareantiques.com or 800-641-6908.
