Melvin Arion just concluded the 144th semiannual York Antiques Show and Sale at York Fairgrounds. The show, conducted January 28-30, featured 98 dealers with early American furniture and Americana.

The antiques on offer covered all styles of early American design, form and function. John Long, Mineral, Va., exhibited a Mid-Atlantic country look with a farm table surrounded by a set of early Pennsylvania banister back chairs. In the background, he had an early fireplace surround salvaged from an old home complete with its mantel and reeded trim.

Pottles and Pannikins, owned by Marvin and Barbara Eliot of Windsor, Conn., displayed cooking and fireplace equipment, lighting and some tools. “We’ve been doing it for about ten years and it is usually good,” stated Marvin, a retired post office manager who began collecting and doing shows some 30 years ago.

Brad Selinger, East Berlin, Pa.

Most of the dealers in the show are full-time collectors aswell as dealers. Brad Selinger from East Berlin, Penn., featured anearly painted blanket box in original paint with the date 1822,which he presumed was the year made, probably in Pennsylvania.Among the many pieces of painted furniture, Terry and BrendaDaniel, Newville, Penn., offered a pie safe painted in a brightyellow pitch and decorated with stars on each of the six tins.

John and Robin Settig, Shawnee on the Delaware, Penn., were very pleased with their sales. The furniture dealers had sold a set of chairs and some needlework and were offering a large cupboard in apple and cherry woods circa 1830. In contrast was Don Heller of Heller Washam who was offering more formal furniture.

Brey Antiques, York, Penn., was proudly displaying a sold tag on a four-poster bed in maple. The posts were lathe turned and the head and footboards had scroll cut tops; in contrast, Chuck White, Mercer, Penn., had a finely carved cigar store Indian by Thomas V. Brooks, circa 1860-70.

The show featured several dealers with early porcelain, pottery and stoneware. Gregg Ellington, Wilmington Ohio, carried a large collection of English porcelain and American stoneware. Jim Lawrence, Hebron Hills Antiques in Salem, N.Y., had a large collection of redware while his partner Dolores DeLia brought porcelain.

Charles Antiques, Lancaster, Pa.

Bill Shaeffer, Glyndon, Md., had an assortment ofStaffordshire figurines called “bocages” along with some porcelainfor the dining table; and early English transfer ware was the mainfeature in the booth of Margaret Johnson Suter, Lower Gwynedd,Penn.

Small antiques are also popular at the York show. Ben Scherer, Williamsburg, Va., has been in the business for many years and specializes in small accessories and small iron objects. Lancaster, Penn., dealer Charles Antiques had two early toleware coffee pots in original paint decorations for the serious buyer. Pat and Don Clegg, East Berlin Penn., had an early shelf, painted and shaped like a whale’s tail, filled with a variety of duck decoys.

“Visitor traffic was great Friday and Saturday and furniture was moving better than in the recent past,” stated Arion. The York Antiques Show and Sale repeats itself over the Labor Day Weekend, on September 2-4, and according to Arion, “We are full for the fall show.”

For information, 302-875-5326.