John Lord and Sons, Wells, Maine
Review and Photos by Tom O’Hara
SPRINGFIELD, OHIO – More than 2,400 dealers flocked to Clark County Fairgrounds for the September 13-16 weekend with their antiques and early collectibles for the Springfield Antiques & Flea Market Extravaganza. They were followed by more than 22,000 shoppers who, over the next four days, perused their collections and purchased from the selection of antiques ranging from early Georgian furniture to Midcentury Modern décor and collectibles from the last 300 years.
Country Folks Antiques, Ludington, Mich., specializes in the Nineteenth Century furniture made in oak and maple, in many cases in their home state. This month, the owners, Becky and Rich Coffin, brought about a half dozen sewing spool cabinets, the kind that were used in stores for display and sale of the sewing materials. There were also several kitchen cupboards from the same time period, and a collection of other household furnishings.
In contrast, nearby Lock Box Finds was busy most of the weekend with a very different inventory. From Parma, Ohio, this exhibitor was offering Twentieth Century advertising, primarily store signs and some road side signs for all manner of products; there was chewing tobacco, an oil company sign board showing prices for services at a station, tires and a great deal more. This dealer also carried fine gold and silver jewelry.
Dr Robert McIntire, from Walnut, Iowa, was in his usual spot with all his advertising materials. This retired medical doctor has an extensive collection of advertising, both the big signs and the tiny things such as the little pocket giveaway’s from the Nineteenth Century made by match stick and soap companies. One entire showcase was devoted to early clothes’ irons.
John Lord and Sons, Wells, Maine, was having fun all weekend with the collection of store fixtures and early advertising. John has been doing this for a long time, and now with his adult sons he seems to be having more fun at it. Chris and Mike join him at most of the shows, as they did here, selling early showcases, clocks with advertising, signs from a hundred years ago.
Don Sievert, Milwaukee, Wisc.
Steve Peterson has a full-time shop in Dunreith, Ind., but even so, does a great many shows. They are his opportunity to find more customers for his extensive line of estate jewelry and Nineteenth Century collectibles, as well as a good place for him to find more inventory. Such was the case this weekend, with good sales and a number of purchases.
Norah Gracie Antiques has a shop just about a mile away in Springfield, Ohio, but they do very little selling there. Their forte is finding pieces that need help, giving them that fix and reselling. One of their sales this weekend was a late Nineteenth Century desk, some debate about the maker, but in walnut with dozens of compartments when it was slid open; some small and others for those archaic ledger books from the past. The price tag read $2,400 and it sold.
American Heritage Antiques is the antiques business of Bill and Kay Puchstein from Frankfort, Ohio. They came in for the weekend with a double load of American country-style antique furniture and accessories. Kay especially loves early painted furniture, so that is often the focus of their collection. Here this week for example, there was a very large kitchen hutch with decorative cut outs in blue milk paint, a 150-year-old blanket box in faux grain paint but with a country scene in shadows in view and a very large saw buck table with what were believed to be Pennsylvania paint-decorated chairs. After this show they were running up to Burton, Ohio, where they manage a show of their own and then off to Florida for another.
Nice Things, which really is the business name, deals in nice jewelry and nice silver and nice gold. Coming to the show from Miami, Fla., it is a family affair for Fred, Karen and Sean Bunnell. Their sales included fine examples of estate jewelry and also some early fine glassware from Europe.
Victorian furniture was popular at the show as several exhibitors were selling well with it. American Eagle Auction Company from Circle Hill, Ohio, offered a variety of both American and English pieces. There were also several Victrolas in its stock. Steve Oberlin, Canton, Ohio, was selling furniture from the same period, but with simpler lines, and American made.
This is a popular show for late Nineteenth Century quilts. Kim Snyder, Cygnet, Ohio, had several tables filled with the cotton quilts, all hand stitched in very good condition. In the Arts and Crafts Building, Sharon Green Antiques, from Sharon, Conn., also had a large selection, which were cataloged by their region of manufacture, dated and the materials used. There were many other exhibitors that included quilts in their inventories as well.
Steve Jenkins Antiques, Shelbyville, Ind., had three rocking horses and sold all of them over the weekend. He was set up with Sharon Green Antiques, Sharon, Conn.
At the center of the fairgrounds, there is a large paved courtyard area. At the Extravaganzas, this is used for a special show in a show kind of display, called the Vintage Market Place where the exhibits are more along the line of repurposed and industrial.
Twig, from Erie, Penn., showed a turn-of-the-century glass top hutch, repainted in bright white, behind a midcentury table also repainted and covered with accessories. Sparkle and Rust, Lancaster, Ohio, took furniture from the 1950s-60s, repainted it in fresh colors and added new hardware; with added accessories, it was ready for a new life. Valley View Farm, Richwood, Ohio, sold a set of vintage theater seats with a fresh finish on them.
Steve Jenkins is the owner of the show but increasingly, he has been letting his sons, Jon and Jason – together with the show manager, Janie Rogers-Murphy, manage the operations while he spends more time having fun in his own exhibit selling antiques. This weekend was a great success as he sold all three antique rocking horses; they had been made in Massachusetts about 1880. Sales also included a unique miniature chest of drawers, cherry in red wash with a hidden drawer.
Jenkins was especially pleased with the results of the show because the weather cooperated this month, unlike May when there was heavy rain, which allowed for near record attendance each day of the show. He said dealers were also reporting to him good sales and they did sign up in very good numbers for upcoming shows.
Springfield Antiques Show and Flea Market is held nine times each year, on the third weekend of most months but there are no shows in January, February and July. Extravaganzas are only May and September with the 2,500 dealers and many thousands of shoppers. The next shows are October 20-21, November 17-18 and December 8-9. For more information, www.springfieldantiqueshow.com or 937-325-0053.
