Antiques in the Valley is a quality antiques show held in the scenic rural countryside of Berks County, in Oley, Pa. This year marked its 10th year, and the show was held June 20 and 21 at the Oley Valley Middle School.
The Oley Valley has a rich agricultural heritage and numerous historic stone farmsteads and mills. In 1983 the township was named a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. It marked the first rural municipality to be listed in its entirety.
The country show serves as a fundraiser for the Oley Valley Community Education Foundation and is run by the Berks County Antique Dealers Association. The local group of dealers that form the show committee are Peggy and John Bartley, Gene Bertolet and Chris Mabry, Harry and Audrey Moseley, Susie and Brian Hart, and also Kelli and Mark Saylor.
There were 53 dealers this year. The company that publishes the Berks County Living Magazine also had a booth and the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center in Pennsburg, Pa., had a booth and display case. The selection of fraktur on display from the collection at the Schwenkfelder Library was stunning and worth the price of show admission for anyone interested in the illuminated manuscripts of this regional group. The museum offered books, cards, magnets and other small gift items for sale at the show.
Dealers took great care in designing their booths, and they showcased some great objects. The majority of exhibitors came from the southeastern Pennsylvania area. A few came from New England, including Carlson & Stevenson, John Rogers, and Pewter & Wood, to name three.
“Attendance was steady on opening day and probably slightly off on Saturday compared to last year,” said committee member John Bartley following the show. “The weather was fantastic.”
Larry Ward of Museum Books LLC specializes in antique reference material including auction and exhibition catalogs. “The interest has been steady for me. I’ve had a good deal of interest in reference material here, and sales were good,” said Ward. “I’ve heard several people who had never been here before say it was a nicely presented show with quality objects.” Among Ward’s sales was a Hattie Brunner (1889-1982) winter scene watercolor. It was the fifth one in the past year he has sold from a collection.
Ray Mead of Mead & Mead Antiques had an excellent show, selling well both days and at set-up. “I was very encouraged,” commented Mead following the event.
“I thought there were important people there. I think there was business done and an ample amount of the right people, but still mixed results,” stated Robesonia, Pa., dealer Greg Kramer. Like many exhibiting dealers at the show, Kramer brought regional material local to Berks County. One of Kramer’s sales included a rare southeastern Pennsylvania redware bank in the form of a rhinoceros. The buyer was Bucks County, Pa., collector Paul Flack. The bank came from the Seamen’s Bank collection, which sold at Christie’s in 1991. It was also once part of the William Kelly Young collection. There was a repair to an ear.
Franklin H. Eshelman was a painter known for Berks County scenes of farmsteads and rural landscapes. Kramer offered an exceptionally large example of Eshelman’s work for $4,500. It was dated 1955. Eshelman’s works have a three-dimensional quality and are painted with vibrant colors. Most of his work was done over a long period of time throughout the first half of the 20th century. A 26-by-42-inch identified farmstead by the artist, signed “FHE ‘97,” sold for $18,720 at the Richard and Rosemarie Machmer sale in 2008 at Pook & Pook.
This year’s show was dedicated to the late Dennis Moyer. Moyer passed away in February. He and his wife, Linda, were past exhibitors at the show. He was an author and well-known collector of Pennsylvania German decorative arts.
An upcoming show that the Berks County Antique Dealers Association is also involved with will be the Kempton Antiques Show to be held on Saturday, Oct. 25. The show is slated to become an annual event, and Carol Buzzard is the manager. Another upcoming event is the long-running popular Elverson Antiques Show, to be held Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8 and 9. Tom Hess is the manager. For information, call either John Bartley at 610-779-0705 or Gene Bertolet at 707-310-4488.
Photos courtesy the author.