On the trip to fish the Pennsylvania streams, I had the fun of doing one of my favorite things: poking around the antique shops in the small towns along the way. As they should be, each was cluttered with TONS of stuff, so taking the boys along was, er, a little nerve wracking. (Why are antique shops so filled with glass and china? OK, I admit it, I did give my men the stern, “You break it you buy it” talk. Interestingly, their eyes glazed over. Huh.)
Some shops took just a minute — until that shop. You know that “one”: it’s the shop whose “gatherer” seems to have somewhat similar sensibilities to your own — and you recognize that place as soon as you walk in. This one happened to be in the little town of Hawley, PA.
When you go into an antiques shop, it’s probably best to have an idea of type of things you’re looking for. In my case, I’ll always brake (not break) for decoys — there’s the chance it’s a special one. This guy was old, but not over the top, and his price tag suggested he was more special than he actually was. (Watch out for this — it’s tag read, “antique decoy, probably Maryland). Probably? Hardly what one could call provenance*. Nice, but not worth the dollars.
I’ve always loved the china I grew up seeing at all the old plantations nearby: a pattern called Furnival’s Quail and in fact, it’s so familiar and special to me that I’ve started to build a set for Alligator Hall. It just so happened that there on that bottom shelf, hidden in a corner…
Bummer. I’m looking for it in brown. Nevertheless, it’s a fun find, and the price was right for this antique transferware.
The great thing about rural antiques shops is you’ll often find things totally out of the ordinary, like some taxidermy (other than the requisite deer heads and largemouth bass). We have a blank wall over a stairway that needs something tall, and I’ve been hoping to find red stag antlers with no luck. But now this…THIS might be just right:
I mean, Kudu?! Yes! Perfect.
On second glance…
Faux? Two hundred twenty??
It pays to really give it a look (and speak a little French, I guess). Nope, I’ll pass. Not because they’re fake — they’re actually well done — but the price in this rural antiques shop suggested a pretty savvy “gatherer” and I suppose some shoppers with loose purse strings.
But then, heyyyy …
Yes. Look for tarnish. It often masks something interesting…
Three dollars. Tarnished pewter with divets and dents. There’s always a place for antique trophies. Read the post on antique trophies — some can be quite valuable.
No, we didn’t have to buy anything the boys broke, and we didn’t break the bank for anything new (or old). But this antique shop, like so many, was was well, well worth the stop.
*Provenance: the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature. Webster’s Dictionary