To those who aren’t serious about antiquing, New Year’s Day may seem like a strange time to have an antiques show, but, as anyone passionate about antiques can attest, it is the perfect day to hold a show, and Bob Barrows’ 32nd annual Glastonbury Antiques & Collectibles New Year’s Show drew big crowds, as it does every year.
“Good crowd” was a common refrain heard from many dealers, who several hours into the show, were still busy selling as the show’s ample aisles were still clogged with buyers and most every booth still had at least three to four shoppers perusing merchandise. By noon, there was still a line of a dozen people at the ticket booth, and the traffic in and out of the show showed little sign of abating.
The show, run by Barrows Show Promotional, Ltd, and benefiting the Glastonbury Exchange Club, packed 135 dealers into the high school gym and offered a great mix of antiques, from Americana and primitives to textiles and prints, with a smattering of furniture, jewelry and toys.
A “man’s booth” (as one buyer happily proclaimed aloud) was that of Carole and Richard Pleines. Though their Killingworth, Conn., business is named Old Hickory Furniture of Connecticut, they had a good selection of knives on display, which piqued the interest of many male buyers in attendance.
Beverly Dutton, West Hartford, Conn., had already sold some Waterford and large print an hour into the show. “This is a very good show,” she said.
Fine examples of Americana could be found throughout the show, from a folky blanket box, circa 1820, with three pots of tulips on the front, at W.S. Korzick Antiques, New Haven, Conn., to a large two-door cupboard with five shelves at Hirsh Antiques, Pleasant Valley, Conn., where Christmas ornaments were selling “like hotcakes” in the morning, along with treen. The dealer had not sold any furniture yet when we visited but had gotten much interest in the cupboard.
Sugar Princess, Montville. N.J., always has an eclectic booth, and interesting pieces this time included early football items, a Beware Of Dog sign and a rooster weathervane.
Early sales at Nook-n-Cranny Antiques, Chicopee, Mass., included some painted boxes, a miniature blanket chest, and a Windsor chair. Skip and Elaine Antiques, East Haddam, Conn., had sold mostly painted items by midmorning as well as a Royal Doulton figure and a cutlery box.
Connecticut milk bottles were selling well at Domestic Cow Antiques, South Glastonbury, Conn., and the dealers were also happy to report the sale of a propeller-style egg beater with glass bowl. Other kitchen tools could be found hanging from blue painted shutters in the booth of Ryan’s Antiques, Harwinton, Conn.
Interesting marine offerings were a US Navy ship’s bell from the 1940s at Michael’s Antiques & Collectibles, North Franklin, Conn., and a whale boat model from New Bedford, Mass.
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