Northeast Antiques

As today’s pundits and prognosticators consider the impact of technology on the twenty-first century, they might ask themselves, “What would Mark Twain think?”

After all, it was the nineteenth-century author and humorist who puzzled at just those sorts of situations. Twain’s uneasy, often critical attitude toward a rapidly modernizing society became a recurring theme throughout his body of work.

This fall, to coincide with the 175th anniversary of Twain’s birth (and, perhaps not coincidentally, with the centennial of his death), The Morgan Library & Museum in New York will present Mark Twain: A Skeptic’s Progress. The exhibition will run Friday, Sept. 17 through Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011.

More than 120 rare books, letters, notebooks, diaries, photographs and drawings associated with the author’s life and work will be on display. The show combines the stellar holdings of the Morgan’s Twain collection as well as items from The New York Public Library.

Recent Auction highlights

Rock Island Preview
The premiere collectors’ firearms
auction of the year

Compiled by Judy Penz Sheluk

MOLINE, IL – Sept. 10-12
Rock Island Auction Company premiere collector’s firearms auction of the year will be held at their facilities in Moline, Ill. This sale is astounding with its condition, quality and desirability. From outstanding one of 1,000 Winchester Rifles, amazing custom and antique knives, high condition sporting arms, superb antique arms to the finest military collection ever offered at auction.

Rock Island Auction Company,
4507 49th Avenue, Moline, IL 61265,
1-800-238-8022, www.rockislandauction.com.

Reminders of summer’s end are all around us. The blistering heat of July and August has come and gone; the days are becoming shorter; and the farm stands are bursting with fruits and vegetables of all shapes, colors and sizes. The stalls sit prominently at the head of dusty dirt roads leading to centuries-old farms.

Weathered stands are heaped with tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, cabbages, potatoes and bell peppers, and the farmer is nowhere in sight. Just like when I was a kid, a glass jar is set to one side where you can make your own change and pay for your items on the honor system. This plan seems to work just fine for rural folk.

Sept. 18 has been labeled as Mushroom Picking Day. Find some fresh mushrooms that day, and celebrate with some hors d’oeuvres from Betty Crocker.

Our first recipe is from Betty Crocker’s The Good and Easy Cook Book, the first book in what was soon to become a popular spiral-bound series of books. The back cover described it as “an entirely new kind of cook book” both in design and content. Rather than having people make everything from scratch, the book frequently employed canned and frozen food in its recipes. The book grew in popularity after its initial release, prompting General Mills to issue several more in the series over the next few years, including: Betty Crocker’s Cook Book for Boys and Girls; Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two Cook Book; Betty Crocker’s Guide to Easy Entertaining; Betty Crocker’s Party Book; and Betty Crocker’s Outdoor Cook Book. Families considered these to be so important that they were reissued several times in different formats; most are still available today.

Brimfield is the place to be for just about everybody who buys and sells antiques and collectibles. The markets that recently celebrated their 50th anniversary happen in May, July and September. Business this year was much better than in previous years. Many sellers told me it felt like the old days (except the prices were higher).

READ MORE...

On The Trail
Summer in New England

With Tom O'Hara

Howdy Folks!
This is a tough month, with more shows to do and to visit than we can keep up with, but we did attend a great many and we’ll try to fill you in on what we saw.

Summer in New England has been for many years a place to shop for antiques in shops, at auctions and of course, at shows. While there are a great many less shows than there were 10 or 15 years ago, there are still plenty for the summer visitor to wander around. Add to the picture that many dealers, sellers and friends see one another, perhaps the first time since last summer, and the antiques show becomes a part of Americana itself, often with the local church supplying the hot dogs and fresh berry pie.