Connie Helwig, Salisbury, Mass., did historical research for Portsmouth, N.H., dealer Hollis Brodrick so she is not new to the world of antiques, but this was the first show she was doing. The reproduction great chair in front of her was used in the 1996 film The Crucible and was priced $1,200.
Review & Onsite Photos by Rick Russack
HAMPTON, N.H. — Peter Mavris’ 2024-2025 season of shows is well underway, taking place one Sunday a month, through April. Mavris takes full advantage of the space the Best Western can offer, and the November 24 edition had 35-40 exhibitors, many of whom do not miss a show.
This show featured three experienced dealers who were exhibiting in a Mavris show for the first time, and Connie Hellwig of Salisbury, Mass., who was doing her very first show. The exhibitor list also included several of the top dealers in New England. Peter Mavris said, “this show is one of New England’s best kept secrets.”
If your collecting habits focus on early ceramics, you would have found Sixteenth Century Sieburg stoneware, including one example from Brian Cullity of Sagamore, Mass., that was dated 1566. There was plenty of Delft and Eighteenth Century English creamware and pearlware. If you prefer early iron, you may have found favor in a Seventeenth Century iron lavabo that Samuel Herrup of Sheffield, Mass., was offering. Several dealers could accommodate those whose interests leaned toward early brass candlesticks. Or, perhaps you would have liked the folk art carved wooden mechanical bank that Joe Martin of Northeast Kingdom, Vt., was showing. There were also some unusual firearms, textiles, furniture, burl, historical documents and more. It’s the kind of show where buyers move slowly from booth to booth because there are small rarities to be found in all. And it’s also the kind of show where dealers bring items directly from someone’s barn or attic.
Brian Cullity had the earliest stoneware in the show. More properly called “proto-stoneware,” it had been made in Sieberg, Germany. The tall mug in the front, had three applied decorated panels and was priced $3,250, while the smaller, undecorated pieces, some with traces of the ash glaze were in the $600-$700 price range. Sagamore, Mass.
Stephen Corrigan and Douglas Jackman, Stephen-Douglas Antiques, Rockingham, Vt., said that every item in their booth was fresh to the market and all were reasonably priced. They had early furniture, painted chests and much more. A large New England ladder-back chair, with sausage-turned legs, stiles, stretchers and large turned finials was only $195.
Derry, N.H., dealer Hercules Pappachristos was another of the dealers with fresh merchandise. He had a table full of Victorian board games that looked as though their original owners had passed away long ago. A selection of 11 still banks were grouped together in a cardboard box and offered that way; needless to say, it was a very busy booth. And, on the topic of toy banks, Joe Martin brought a mechanical example that was very likely unique and suited to collectors of either folk-art or mechanical banks. It featured a large carved and painted bird, which had an open mouth waiting for a coin to be placed in it, balanced on a perch opposite a large, jointed alligator, carved with very large scales, that had an open mouth and prominent tongue, also was waiting to receive a coin. It was made of pine and walnut and the bird’s carved crest was painted yellow. Martin said that he had found it in New Hampshire and was asking $7,500. He said, “I saw it in an auction listing, and I went to that auction telling myself, ‘I want that bank.’” Martin also had a bird tree with about 10 small carved and painted birds and was one of the dealers with a selection of early brass candlesticks and lighting items.
Early iron items were also in plentiful supply with several dealers. Herrup’s Seventeenth Century iron lavabo was very heavy and resembled a teapot with two spouts. He said that it was used as part of a church service, and, indeed, a Google search indicates that during a Catholic Mass, the lavabo is used for the ritual washing of the priest’s hands before the offertory. He was asking $1,500.
Samuel Herrup, who does almost all of Mavris’ Hampton shows, had a Seventeenth Century iron lavabo, which was used in some Roman Catholic church services. He was asking $1,500. Sheffield, Mass.
Elliott Snyder, South Egremont, Mass., had a selection of late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Century Continental iron. Greg Hamilton, Stone Block Antiques, Vergennes, Vt., had an unusual pair of iron andirons in the form of dogs sitting upright, for which he was asking $650. Early brass candlesticks were offered by Connie Helwig, among others. She presented a pair of Seventeenth Century Dutch mid-drip pricket sticks priced $2,200 and another pair of mid-drip Dutch colonial sticks priced $1,200. A selection of brass candlesticks was with Ross Levett, Thomaston, Maine.
As mentioned above, Cullity had a selection of Seiberg stoneware, made in Germany, during the most productive years of the potters in the region which were the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Seiberg ware is unglazed and ash fired. On some, the ash glaze has settled on the surface of the jug or pitcher, adding some color to the piece. One of the pieces offered by Cullity was dated 1566. It was a tall mug with three applied decorative panels and was priced $3,250. The smaller, undecorated pieces, some of which had traces of the ash glaze, were in the $600-$700 price range. Much of this ware was exported and recovered from archeological digs in Great Britain.
Cullity, along with several other dealers including John Hunt Marshall (Westhampton, Mass.), Bob Withington (Cape Neddick, Maine) and Oliver Garland (Falmouth, Mass.), had several pieces of early Delft.
The day after the show, Peter Mavris said, “I’m really excited with the way the show went. We filled all the available space and I think the dealers who exhibited are New England’s best. Joe Martin, who was doing this show for the first time, told me expects to do each of the upcoming shows. That’s the kind of comment a show manager loves to hear.”
For additional information, www.petermavrisantiqueshows.com or 207-608-3086.
