A show that has earned its stripes in just nine short years, the Wethersfield Antiques Show opened on November 20 to a large and enthusiastic crowd. This one-day show, Saturday, November 21, has expanded its hours and the level of interest for serious collectors by adding a preview party on Friday evening.
Proceeds from this annual show support the educational programs of the Wethersfield Historical Society and its flagship museum at the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center.
One of the largest crowds in recent memory flocked into the show for preview on Friday evening. Music, good food and a great selection of antiques proved to be a crowd-pleaser. Traffic on the floor was also heavy on Saturday, and many of the dealers reported good sales from start to finish.
“Wethersfield is a very good-looking show and the crowds certainly came,” commented Steve German, Mad River Antiques, North Granby, Conn. “It is a fun show and we really enjoy doing it,” he said. The dealer reported sales that included “a ton of Christmas stuff,” with quite a bit selling during preview and more on Saturday.
German’s observations are true; Wethersfield is a good-looking show with a diversified assortment of materials. Merchandise ranged from an Eighteenth Century two-drawer blanket chest in old red paint in the booth of Derik Pulito, Kensington, Conn., to an equally early William and Mary chest offered around the corner at Jan and John Maggs, Conway, Mass.
A selection of game boards in good early paint, an unusual wooden elephant trade sign in a weathered surface and a sack back Windsor armchair in black paint filled out Pulito’s booth. A selection of delft, early brass candlesticks and an Eighteenth Century joined chest were featured at Maggs’.
Robert Baranowsky, Portland, Conn., featured an oversized and overstuffed leather club chair in the front of his booth, as well as a triple-shell carved custom Chippendale-style chest that had most likely been made in the Wethersfield area. A folky carved wooden clown added an eclectic look to the booth, as did a spotlight in the form of an old-time movie camera.
Dave and Sue Ryan, Harwinton, Conn., offered an early gate leg table in an old finish alongside a country Queen Anne armchair with bold turnings.
Davidian Americana filled a portion of its booth with its usual fare of select American furniture and accessories, while a small display area across the aisle was utilized for its holiday collections and toys. A nice hobbyhorse in old paint was being ridden by an early teddy bear, a colorful child’s sled was on the wall, and a feather tree filled with ornaments occupied the corner.
A large selection of Bennington pottery was attracting shoppers at Charles and Barbara Adams, South Yarmouth, Mass., and a varied assortment of pewter was being shown by Ron Chambers, Higganum, Conn., including a rare and desirable small-sized Boardman coffee pot.
Folk art items shown at Doug Ramsay included a Bellamy-style carved wooden eagle, a grain painted blanket chest with bootjack ends, a colorful Parcheesi board and several paint decorated boxes.
Hilary and Paulette Nolan filled their stand with a good assortment of Americana, including a setter weathervane, a trotting horse weathervane and an unusual wooden steamboat vane in paint. A set of bow back Windsor armchairs surrounded a sweet Queen Anne table with a round top and slender cabriole legs.
A selection of colorful potato-stamped Indian baskets were featured at Linsey-Woolsey Antiques, Noank, Conn., while across the aisle first edition books and posters were featured at Colebrook Book Barn, Colebrook, Conn.
A couple stylish highboys appeared on the floor, with Joe Collins, Cobalt, Conn., showing one, while William Bakeman Antiques, Wilbraham, Mass., offered the other.
The dates for the 2010 show have already been announced as November 20, with a preview the previous night. For further information, contact the Wethersfield Historical Society at 860-529-7656 or www.wethhist.org .
