Full Text:

HEART OF BUCKS ANTIQUE SHOW

(with cuts)

By J.M.W. Fletcher

NEWTOWN, PENN. -- Under the management team of Bob Lutz and Ellen Katona, the

George School was again the site of the Heart of Bucks Antique Show on

November 21 and 22.

The event, according to Lutz, has been conducted at that venue "since probably

'89 or 1990." The show itself, however, is in its 26th year, and Lutz and

Katona have managed it for the last 17 years.

"For the first time we have a dealer [with] new books, [Garden State Books,

N.J.], on antiques and collectibles," Lutz continued,"and we have some new

dealers, [including] Brad Selinger, from Maryland, and Bob Carrabs, New York

state." Lutz also doubles as an exhibitor with Katona; they were the only

dealers at the show from as far away as Maine. The pair participate in 24

shows each year, of which they promote and manage seven.

Fifty-two exhibitors from a six-state area gathered for Heart of Bucks,

featuring a plethora of Nineteenth and Eighteenth Century country furniture,

folk art pieces, stoneware, toys, quilts, fine china, wooden-ware, brass

candlesticks, Canton, prints and maps, as well as toys and a smattering of

silver.

Unique late Nineteenth Century children's toys and smalls are always to be

found in the booth of Carolyn Hills, Lawrenceville, N.J. Shown was a custom

three-piece upholstered dollhouse living-room set, circa 1920. Nancy

Thayer-Haggerty, Sparta, N.J., specializes in American early decorative pieces

and furniture, and featured a good unsigned genre painting, dating about

1830-1850.

An eight-time exhibitor at the show, Lynn Oppenheimer, of Antiques in Yardley,

featured a good small primitive pewter cupboard with original blue gray paint,

and a small grouping of Flow Blue and Staffordshire china.

First-time exhibitor Brad Selinger, Union Bridge, Md., brought a large and

varied group of primitives and collectibles. Included was Pennsylvania hanging

cupboard, a set of Pennsylvania plank seat chairs a grain-painted blanket

chest, a table-top cupboard, and an American pewter flagon.

Another first-time exhibitor, Joe Zarrl, of After The Fox Antiques, Stevens,

Penn., featured a Nineteenth Century standup desk in curly maple and an

interesting document signed by James Monroe.

Marilyn Roberts, of Garden State Books, offered a large selection of books

about antiques art, and collectibles.

Map & Print dealer Margaret Perry provided an interesting conversation when

she admitted to being the show's oldest exhibitor. The Rushland, Penn.

exhibitor has done antiques shows for ten or more years and, at 84 years

"young," still cuts her own grass.

Carol J. Brown, Staten Island, N.Y., specialized in vintage textiles and

linens. A seldom-seen, large collection of architectural banks was shown by

Rich Suydam, Lahaska, Penn.

Ingrid Campione, Staten Island, N.Y., had a fine, Ohio 12-tin frame pie safe

with its original mustard over blue paint; a Pennsylvania dry sink; and a New

England blanket chest.

"The big stuff is harder to sell than the little stuff," said Campione.

Temora Farm Antiques, Newtown, Penn., offered shoppers a large Nineteenth

Century portrait of a lady; a Nineteenth Century cupboard in old mustard

paint; a flame-decorated blanket chest; a mahogany wood floor chest, circa

1820; and a sampler made by Jane Delaney (English). A good pie cupboard from

Bradford, Penn., was seen in the booth of ten-year exhibitor Alan Goodrich,

Erwinna, Penn.

In discussions regarding the antiques business in general, dealers' main

complaint seemed to be a lack of inventory.