Reborn "Burk" York Show Does a Test Run
May 17th, 2013
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Richard Axtell of Deposit, New York, tagged his circa 1905 Weller pot, depicting Indian Chief Pontiac and signed by artist “L.J. Burgess,” $12,500 (left). The one on the right, depicting Indian Chief Joseph, was also $12,500. They were purchased from Weller in 1905. The Plume & Atwood library lamp was $650, and the pair of Rhode Island armchairs was $8500.
Alice and Art Booth are collectors and dealers from Wayne, New Jersey. They do a select number of shows each year including both York shows and the semiannual Elverson shows. The couple’s Amish quilt was $3200. The wall box on the right was $2100, the box in center was $395, and the salt-box on the left, $1995. The painted bench with cutout legs was for display purposes.
David Good of Camden, Ohio, had an outstanding booth. This Delbert Hudson pintail in a flying pose was $9300. The signed “Bacher” redware wall pocket with no restoration was $13,500, and the lidded sugar bowl, attributed to Bacher, was $3750. The scissor-cutting from Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, was priced at $3900. |
York, Pennsylvania
“Next year’s May dates won’t be the same as Brimfield,” stated Bob Bockius of Mitchell Displays, Inc., the Greater York Antique Show’s new owner and manager, who has long supplied showcases for the show. He inherited the dates of May 17 and 18 when he took over the long-running show from Donna Burk several months ago. Bockius has kept the show’s original name and continues to work with the York County YMCA to have the show serve as a fundraiser for the organization’s youth services programs.
Having the show dates fall on Brimfield week drastically hurt the roster. Over half of the regular exhibiting dealers went to Brimfield, leaving the show with 32 booths. Attendance was affected as well, yet moderate sales were made and spread out among the dealers.
Eric Kramer had a booth, while his father, Greg, was in Brimfield. Ceramic specialist William Shaeffer shared a booth with Elinor Penna instead of his usual partner, Margaret Johnson Sutor. Kris Johnson held down a spot while his mother, Tex Johnson, was doing the new Penn Dry Goods Market show held in association with the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center. That event included lectures, workshops, and 20 dealers exhibiting antiques and textiles, focusing on the latter.
The “Burk” show is at a point where it needs to build itself up again, and it can do that. It will obviously take work and investment, and both show attendees and exhibiting dealers seem to be rooting for Bockius to succeed. Every dealer stated how easy he was to work with. The show brochure, which has suffered from misspellings and a general lack of information, was overhauled and modernized. It looked professional and was an improvement, but it still would be enhanced if it included dealers’ phone numbers. “I think we had a good start,” remarked Bockius following the show.
The fall show will take place next door in Memorial Hall West on November 1 and 2. “I don’t want to conflict with Wilton,” said Bockius. The spring dates will be the first Friday and Saturday of May (May 2 and 3, 2014), and the show will be back in Memorial Hall East, according to Bockius.
For more information, contact Mitchell Displays, Inc. in Westville, New Jersey, at (856) 686-9000; Web (www.burkantiqueshows.com).
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Donna Burk came to support the show’s new owner and manager, Bob Bockius of Mitchell Displays, Inc. on opening day.
Johanna Antiques, Kingsville, Maryland, asked $5800 for this framed oil on canvas by Alice Kent Stoddard (1883-1976).
Doug Robinson asked $3500 for this folk art birdhouse with lift top in the form of the Salem Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Robinson was also selling artifacts from the Civil War-era church.
Sonny Ideker and Steven Martin of Atlanta, Georgia, were first-time exhibitors in York and are antiquarian book dealers. In the forefront is an opened 1736 Martin Luther German Bible. It was $8000. “I was impressed with the clientele that came in,” remarked Ideker. “I’m sure we will be back. Sales were not great, but adequate, considering it being our first show.”Originally published in the August 2013 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2013 Maine Antique Digest
