Gates Mills, Ohio-Hawken School, Part I

There are some shows we try to visit every year. We went to a large one-day Ohio show we’ve always liked because the dealers bring fresh merchandise they’ve saved for this show.

This year the show, which is usually held on an outdoor campus, was inside the new school gymnasium-which was fortunate, because it rained. Same good food, even better antiques, and lots of familiar faces and friendly collectors. Many buyers were wearing their new costume jewelry purchases. One dealer featured plastic flower pins from the 1960s and she must have sold dozens. We bought a well-known costume jewelry necklace-a gold chain holding a small solid plastic fishbowl filled with tiny goldfish.

There was surprisingly little American art pottery, although the less-formal stoneware and redware were featured in some booths. Iron tools and hardware seemed popular. A 6-inch iron frog was $85. We liked a pair of low iron Christmas candleholders shaped like holly leaves and berries priced at $125.

A bright turquoise beaded footstool similar to one we own was marked $325. Ours has a London label. One of Queen Victoria’s favorite colors was turquoise, and beaded furniture was very popular during her reign. Stools, screens, and even chairs were completely covered with tiny beads to make a surface that looked like a piece of embroidered fabric.

An old safety gate to prevent a child from going upstairs or into a forbidden room was for sale. The dealer had attached a note to it explaining that the gate is not considered safe nowadays, but it could be mounted high on a wall and decorated with hanging toys.

to be continued…