A Pennsylvania Antique Adventure

If you’re an Antiques Roadshow lover, then you’ll probably recognize this name: Pook & Pook, a highly regarded auction house. Dealers from this enterprise frequently provide appraisals on the show, and I had hoped to spot one of them, such as audience favorite Noel Barrett, the toy guru, for example. Alas, he was nowhere to be found.

When I learned that they put together a luncheon and gallery talk about small painted boxes at their Pennsylvania headquarters, I was all-in. However, we decided to take advantage of their proximity to Lancaster and do a little vintage shopping first.

Vintage Shopping in Lancaster: First, we stopped into Vintage Kitchen and Antiques outside of Adamstown. Upon entering the shop, we noticed right away that they organized their merchandise in a unique way: displays are arranged by color or type. For example, they displayed row after row of stunning Pyrex, many in full sets.

To my delight, everything in the shop on this particular day in early June was 20% off! I walked out with a pink child’s pitcher and glass set for $9.50 (value: $20-25), among several other purchases.

Before we left, the owner directed us across the plaza to TomKat’s Antique Annex. This shop sells the overflow items from Vintage Kitchen, with each item amazingly priced at just $1. I picked up a stack of antique guidebooks and other items, totaling $27.

Next, we hit an outdoor flea market at Old Stone Barn Antiques and marveled at the breadth of shopping opportunities this destination had to offer.

In addition to outdoor tables filled with bric-a-brac, we found across the street a huge building dedicated to fruits and vegetables, alongside another selling small farm animals like chickens and rabbits. You could hear the incessant crowing of roosters throughout the market.

The presence of Amish folk both buying and selling goods made this a fascinating, countrified event.

My favorite find at this flea market: a unique Flemish art box for $5 (value: $20-30) that holds a deck of vintage playing cards. Flemish art uses a heated tool to inscribe designs on soft wooden objects like boxes and wall art.

We made our final stop at ReUzit on State, a thrift store run by Mennonites to support the needy in over 40 countries. This extremely large shop contained a seemingly endless selection of household goods (and clothing) to pick and choose from.

My heart went pitter-patter as I walked through the front doors. I came home with a small collection of fun finds, none of which cost more than $2: a Blue Onion gravy boat, an ironstone dish, a lustreware pitcher, and MCM melamine salad servers (values: $10 to $ 30 each).

Pook & Pook Auction House: On June 10th, we arrived at Pook & Pook a bit early to preview the Americana auction scheduled for the following two days.

It was our first time taking in an auction filled with such high-quality objects. The array of beautiful, historic pieces took our breath away. This particular display captivated us, particularly with its primitive hooked rug and its pair of large birds (sold: $1900).

Hooked rugs were well-represented, as were weathervanes, including this handcrafted horse example (sold: $1300).

Nothing says “Pennsylvania Dutch” like a painted chest. This sale did not disappoint in that department, as seen here with this blue and red painted dower chest, featuring popular motifs, including tulips and other flowers (sold for $550, which was under its $800-1200 estimate).

Above it hang a number of fraktur paintings in bright colors and period frames. Both accomplished painters and school children painted these naive watercolors, often commemorating births, marriages, and deaths (values: $375-3200).

Interestingly, a painting by Pennsylvania Impressionist W.E. Baum was on offer (sold: $8500). I say interesting because going back a few years, I stumbled across a piece of art from this same school by painter Melville Stark–at a garage sale for a dollar.

Crazy right? At the time, I reached out to a gallery owner in New Hope, PA who had advertised that he was in the market for pictures by these artists. After authentication, he made me a beautiful offer of $1500!

I had had my doubts about its authenticity since the signature appeared scratched into the surface. The dealer explained that after the artist’s death, his son had taken the liberty of etching his father’s name into pictures lacking his signature. Fortunately, it did not reduce the value of his work.

I was delighted to see several band boxes offered, including the adorable set of four above. They reflect the period wallpapers of the time and showcase a handicraft used by some women to support themselves.

After previewing the auction, we sat down to a lovely luncheon of croissant sandwiches, fruit, and delicious desserts. We shared a table with a fascinating couple, Bev and Doug Norwood, who’ve been in the business of selling high-end antiques for over 40 years under the name The Norwood Spirit of America. Their merchandise can be seen at the Delaware Antiques Show in November.

Folk Art Painted Box Lecture: Lisa Minardi, Executive Director of Historic Trappe and a Pennsylvania Dutch expert, gave the luncheon talk. She focused on painted Pennsylvania Dutch boxes and introduced us to four important types.

She first discussed Mennonite carpenter John Drissell. He constructed and painted about two dozen boxes for family and neighbors and specialized in boxes with slide lids.

He typically decorated all sides and added the name of the recipient to the lid. Often they had a hidden drawer, making them especially appealing.

Next, Minardi discussed boxes that have come to be known as “Bucher boxes”, so-called because this name had been painted on a specific box whose maker was, and still is, unknown. Over time, other boxes with similar characteristics and unknown makers began to be referred to as “Bucher boxes”.

These boxes tend to be square or oval and are often domed, like the one in the photo (sold: $24,000).

Next, Lisa mentioned Jonas Weber, the maker of this delightful box featuring a primitive house and 1850 date. Weber’s boxes, usually rectangular, typically have black or yellow backgrounds and sometimes have feet, like the one in the photo.

The last sort covered by Minardi was compass boxes, where artists used a compass to create near-perfect circular designs like those on the box seen above.

They date to 1820-1840, and the background color is usually blue, though sometimes red. You’ll find domed examples as well as some slide-lidded.

Minardi also answered a question I had been percolating in my mind: whether there is a crossover between the small painted boxes and the larger, decorated blanket chests, and yes, there is.

Some artisans made and decorated both sizes with common motifs like florals and birds, often along with recipient names and dates.

We thoroughly enjoyed taking in all the antique goodness that Pook & Pook had to offer. From the preview to the luncheon to the lecture, the day was well spent learning about lovely, old objects from the American past.

To read another of Diana's adventures, click the link below.

Brimfield Bound