There were 250 antiques and collectibles dealers at the 2012 show organized by long-time promoter Norm Schaut at Lehigh University. The Antique City Fun Fair was held in the field house on the hilly campus in Bethlehem, Pa.

The weather was beautiful, the booths were attractive and you could find quality examples of many collectibles. We saw plenty of costume jewelry, precious stone jewelry, advertising, arcade games, folk art, sideshow banners and purses, but only a small amount of decorated porcelain or art pottery.

We videoed many dealers, and you can see more on our YouTube channel, YouTube.com/kovels. The Fun Fair featured “steampunk,” a creative idea that involves making new things from old parts. The dealer offered everything from cabinets to bikes to clocks. A steampunk “fantastical” clock ran about $1,200, and so did a new-old picklock.

Dealers were selling lots of toys—this show is known for toys—but they also brought vintage clothing, including old neckties that looked out of style, too narrow or too wide for 2012. Prices were $15 to $20. The dealer said they were popular with high school and college boys.

There were three booths with nothing but purses. Most popular were alligator, metallic mesh and those with famous brand names like Leiber or Chanel. One booth had odd, humorous, very colorful purses from the 1960s and ’70s. They were priced about $25 to $50.

Another booth was filled with picture frames with no pictures—just blue liner papers to enhance their appearance. The frames, most of them made in France between 1890 and 1910, sell for $75 to $400. The dealer was also selling “piano frames.” Each one has a black enameled strip within the metal decoration on the frame. Collectors call them piano frames because they were usually filled with family photos, particularly wedding portraits, and displayed on a baby grand. Most were 8 1/2 by 11 inches, the traditional size of a bride’s portrait, and dated from the 1920s through the ’40s.

In a nearby booth was a notebook filled with plastic pages that held printed handkerchiefs. Many were made for children and decorated with pictures of animals or cartoons. They were $15 to $20 each. A duck hanky was $18.

The “sweetheart jewelry” dealer attracted much attention. She had a selection of World War II pins that were probably gifts from servicemen to their girlfriends or mothers. There were planes, boats and insignias. Most amazing was a 4-inch pin made of red, white and blue rhinestones that was a replica of the Statue of Liberty’s hand and torch. But it was $950—so I didn’t buy it.

The pins that confuse those who do not remember the war years are the ones that say “Remember – Harbor.” We spotted several versions. The slogan was completed with a large pearl set in the middle so we can all “Remember Pearl Harbor,” the 1941 Japanese attack that propelled the United States into World War II. A 2 1/2-inch brass pin was $110. A similar pin is being sold today at the Pearl Harbor gift shop.

to be continued …