By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
Not sure how much that glass candy dish is worth? Not even sure it’s an antique? Find out at the antiques show. Maybe you want to buy an 1880s Victorian desk. The antiques show is a good place to look for that, too.
The show, the 56th of its kind in as many years, opens Nov. 13 at 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and is also open Nov. 14 10 a.m.-5 p.m. There is a patrons party Nov. 12 from 6:30-9 p.m. The cost is $5.50 in advance and $6 at the door.
The party features a preview dinner and silent auction. The tickets for the preview dinner are $85 and can be purchased at the Rowan Museum, 202 N. Main St.
All shows will be at the Salisbury Civic Center, 315 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.
The show supports the Rowan Museum, Utzman-Chambers House and the Old Stone House. This show has always been the Museum’s biggest fundraiser to plan. Scores of volunteers organize, contact dealers and even make lunch.
“It provides a good cross-section of dealers from across the Southeast,” said volunteer Virginia Robertson.
There are 19 dealers participating in show, four of whom are from Salisbury. There are five new dealers.
“There are always shoppers and some people come to just look and enjoy seeing everything,” said volunteer Trudy Thompson.
She said everything is volunteer; the food, including soups, desserts and sandwiches, are homemade.
“These pieces are an investment and are in a sense recycling,” Robertson said.
The silent auction sells items that have been donated.
Some of the items in the past have been dinner parties. People donate their homes and food to host a party.
“Not all of the items are expensive. There are some high-end pieces, though,” Thompson said.
She said many of the dealers will take questions about their pieces or items customers already own.
David Jackson is one of those dealers. Jackson and his wife, Marian, have been in the business 24 years. This year is their first time participating in the Salisbury show.
They participate in five or six shows a year. The Jacksons were recommended to be a part of this year’s show.
Marian and David, who are from Gastonia, carry lots of books but specialize in Victorian Furniture.
The books are novels, school books, cookbooks, history and poetry. “The oldest book is about 1830 or 1840, and the average dates to the late 1800s,” David said.
The couple plan to bring an 1840s sideboard, 1180 Victorian desk and other furniture.
The quality of older furniture is a cut above newer pieces, David said.
Scott Goldsmith has been a dealer for five years. His parents were dealers, and after his father retired and later became sick, Scott stepped in to help. His mother, Joan, is now his business partner.
The two mostly have sterling silver, such as goblets and tea sets and candelabras.
“We are heavily into baby cups, baby spoons and fork sets,” he said.
Everything is vintage, 1950s and older, Goldsmith said. He also has some mid-1800s pieces. He plans to bring about 4,000 pieces.
He has friends who’ve been a part of the show. He’s done shows in Atlanta and Charlotte, where he lives.
The Salisbury Emporium, which has participated in the show eight years, will feature some country primitive pieces, mostly walnut, floor manager John Giudice said.
One of those pieces is a Pennsylvania dry sink, which is a classic from the mid-1800s. Dry sinks were used to wash dishes in a dish pan and for storage.
“Most people use them to hold pottery,” Giudice said.
There will also be some china, Civil War items and pottery. “We try to keep things that are pretty much from North Carolina or in Rowan County,” he said.
Owner Mickey Black is a Civil War buff, Giudice said, so they always have some pieces from that era.
Pat Holder of Holder Antiques, Ltd., has always wanted to participate in the show, but she always had a conflict.
Many of her pieces were bought in the New England area where she and her husband, Gene, have found Chinese and Japanese export ware from the 18th and 19th Centuries, which are primarily porcelain. The couple carry Japanese Satsuma and Japanese Imari.
Holder has been a dealer 24 years. Her grandfather dabbled in antiques. She and her husband both love antiques and began collecting.
“It is a passion that turned into my business,” she said.
Holder continues in the business because she loves protecting beautiful things.
“It’s a very green thing to do. We recycle beautiful furniture and decorative items,” she said.
The dealers this year are 1839 Antiques, Salisbury; Elaine Miller Collection, Raleigh; Inglis Hale Antiques, Tryon; J. McIntosh, Ltd, Denver; Jackson’s Antiques, Lynchburg, Va.; Bellflower Antiques, Camden, SC; Lillian’s Library & Antiques, Salisbury; Old Sarum Gallery, Salisbury; The Brass Lantern, Greensboro; The Clock Shop, Concord; The Salisbury Emporium; Victorianna, Rocky Point; Windsor House Antiques, Charlotte; Holder Antiques, Asheboro; Laurinda’s, Florence, SC; Scott Goldsmith, Charlotte; Lillie Antiques & Collectibles, Ltd., Charlotte; Chestnut Galleries, Spartanburg, and Marian & David Jackson, Gastonia.
Tickets are available at the Rowan Museum; A Step in Time, 5 Easy Street; Queen’s Gifts, 221 S. Main St.; and the Salisbury Emporium, 230 E. Kerr St. For more information, call the Rowan Museum at 704-633-5946.