The clouds said rain, but I gambled on the weather. It was 8:30 a.m. when I arrived for early bird admission at the Western Reserve Academy antiques show in Hudson, Ohio. It is a popular show held outdoors on school grounds and features close to 100 dealers. It is what I call a “country show.”

This year it was very “brown.” Lots of wooden tools, wooden furniture and wooden boxes and very little white painted furniture, wicker, porcelain, rugs or brightly colored textiles. Lots of firkens (small wooden barrels). Could that be because of a recent article on firkens in Early American Life magazine?

There were a number of figural inkwells, too. Perhaps because several recent auctions have included dozens of inkwells. Sewing utensils, from spool holders to tape measures, were plentiful and well-priced.

There were also small silver spoons in many booths. This is a show that does well not only with practical furniture but also with items that can be used as gifts or tabletop accessories. Many customers are parents of students in the school, so they’re shopping as supporters of the fundraiser, not as traditional antiquers.

I saw two unusual eggcups (perhaps more properly called egg holders) that I liked but didn’t buy. One was a 10-inch Staffordshire “tray” with six holes for eggs. It had a Crown Staffordshire Porcelain Co. mark that dated the tray from 1906-30. It was priced $72. There was also a tole egg warmer that was probably mid-19th-century. It held water and a rack for two eggs and had a two-part lid. Fill the container with boiling water, wait about 10 minutes and your eggs are cooked. A rarity priced at $1,200.

Pigs were popular, too. A family of four wooden folk art pigs, the largest 18 inches long, was marked $1,385. The set was in almost perfect condition and might have been made recently, but I had no chance to ask the dealer. Late in the show I saw another similar wooden pig.

to be continued…