When the show opened, more than three hundred people were on line and ready. Photo courtesy Katherine Bovard.
Review & Photos by Rick Russack
DEERFIELD, N.H. — Rachel and Josh Gurley’s show at the Deerfield Fairgrounds was the second of the five shows of New Hampshire’s Antiques Week on August 7. One indication of the quality people have come to expect was demonstrated by the fact that at 7:15 am there were already 10 people in line, waiting for the show’s opening at 9 am. By then, more than 350 shoppers were ready, with an additional 200 paid admissions throughout the day. The weather was a concern, but light rain held off until buyers had the opportunity to shop the outdoor dealers. Then one of those “Acts of God” occurred. Rachel Gurley later said, “In our over 30 years of running shows, we thought we’d seen it all, but this was a first.” She was referring to the local power company choosing to replace a transformer, cutting all electrical power to the fairgrounds at about 11:45 am. It was out until after 1 pm, and the fairgrounds management had not been consulted or informed. Shoppers and exhibitors inside the buildings used flashlights to shop and fortunately no one was injured.
While there was good folk art throughout the show, the standout item, especially to someone working for Antiques And The Arts Weekly’s parent company, The Bee Publishing Company, was a 3-foot-wide wooden trade sign for a beekeeper. It was assembled from several pieces of weathered wood, never painted, in the form of a large, lifelike honey bee with wings, antennae and legs. Unfortunately, little was known of its history other than it had come from a beekeeper’s farm in central New Hampshire. Gurley Antiques, Scarborough, Maine, priced it at $3,200.
Perhaps the most unusual trade sign at the show was this 3-foot-wide example for a beekeeper. Gurley Antiques, Scarborough, Maine, priced it $3,200.
The show is known for its diverse offerings of folk art and country Americana, with many dealers offering both, plus a variety of other quality items, depending on what they were able to buy. However, one of the booths had a very consistent “look” of primitives: treen, burl, baskets, early furniture, etc., presented by Mary DuBuhr, Downers Grove, Ill. DuBuhr said, “I only buy what I love, that’s why it all goes together.”
Among the assortment of treen in other booths were some unusual pieces. Ken and Robin Pike, Nashua, N.H., had a lapped two-handled keeler with thick sides in old red paint. It would be hard to find a better one and they priced it $850. Josh Lowenstein, New York City, had an early Twentieth Century covered burl bowl priced at $350. Brett Cabral, Salem, N.H., had a selection of early wooden ware and several trade signs.
Weathervanes were available in several booths, but one stood out. ZK Antiques, Lexington, Va., had a full-bodied copper horse weathervane modeled after “Hales Green Mountain,” the Morgan horse considered to be the breed’s ideal, matching all the confirmation points. It was 31 inches long and according to the history provided by the dealer, only 15 of these were made. They were ordered by the Morgan Horse Association for members around 1910. The price was $17,500. Their booth also displayed an attractive folk art portrait of a well-dressed woman, ex Peter Tillou collection, that was priced $3,250. These objects were joined by a slip-decorated redware dish for the 1880 presidential campaign which read “Hancock For Ever.” In that election, Republican James Garfield defeated Democrat Winfield Scott Hancock.
Al Benting, Benting and Jarvis, Barrington, N.H., had what might have been the earliest piece of furniture at the show. It was an English court cupboard, dated 1604 and was priced $3,975. Their booth also had a selection of early Westerwald jugs. Josh Farrin, Gardiner, Maine, had a large, early harvest table with a one-board top. Gurley Antiques sold an early hutch table, and there were other pieces of furniture in their booth.
Benting and Jarvis, Barrington, N.H., filled a large tent with early furniture and accessories. Dated 1604, this English court cupboard may have been the earliest piece of furniture in the show. They were asking $3,975.
There was more than traditional Americana and folk art. Mike Lord, Wells, Maine, had a historical baseball photograph, showing all the members of the USS Maine baseball team in uniforms. In 1897, the team won the Navy championship baseball game played in Key West, Fla. On February 15, 1898, the Maine blew up in Havana harbor, sparking the Spanish-American War. Two hundred sixty members of the ship’s crew were killed, including all but one of the men in this photograph. Lord was asking $2,500 and said it had been found in the home of a veteran of that war. Casey and Erin Waters, Exeter, N.H., oversaw a booth with dozens of daguerreotypes. Asked about their favorite, Casey selected a full plate daguerreotype of an unidentified couple, in fine condition and in a leather case. Its price was $5,250 and the others were priced from $195. Casey Waters is one of the few photographers making daguerreotypes today.
Early cloth dolls were available in several booths. Emily Lampert, Salisbury, Mass., had one priced at $395. Bittner and Bock, Medford, N.J., had a small collection of Native American clubs, priced between $200 and $300. Joe Martin from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom had an iron and gilt Odd Fellows Hall sign dated 1856, priced $4,000, from a lodge in St Johnsbury, Vt. Ralph and Lynn Ridolfino, AA Antiques, Hammondsport, N.Y., as well as others, had several pieces of stoneware. There were at least two pairs of alligator shoes — one pair in Ken and Robin Pike’s booth that appeared never to have been worn, was priced $285. Joe Martin had an alligator handbag with a wallet, also in fine condition, priced $1,200.
Dennis Erb, Lancaster, Penn., not only had a wonderful selection of early Halloween items, but a large selection of stone fruit. Bunches of grapes in different colors were priced from $125, as well as a very unusual piece — a large piece of Swiss cheese for which he was asking $595.
Rachel Gurley, with her brother Josh run the show and have a booth for their Scarborough, Maine, shop. Photo courtesy Katherine Bovard.
After the show, Rachel and Josh Gurley said, “Our dealers were really wonderful when the power went out. We work really hard to get everything just right for this show, and then something like a power failure happens. In spite of that, the exhibitors did well. We think the quality was exceptional for this show and we saw stuff being sold as soon as the gates opened. We had a food truck with really good food, and we had a band playing. But the important part is that we had great dealers and the word we’d use for the buying activity would have to be ‘voracious.’ This will be one of the shows we will all tell our children about.”
For additional information, www.gurleyantiqueshows.com, Rachel Gurley, 207-396-4255 or Josh Gurley, 207-229-0403.
