Antiques Road Show – Delmarva Style

For all of you who have been keeping a special little treasure in your attic, or in the back of the china cupboard, or maybe even in your freezer [!!] – we have just what you have been looking for!

On September 13, Sunday, from 10 to 4, in the Hebron Lions Club Building on W. Church St. in Hebron, five experts will be discussing, identifying, and evaluating your antiques and collectibles. This local version of the popular TV show “Antiques Road Show” will offer the chance to learn more about the many varieties of things we collect, as well as learn of their value. Local Eastern Shore folks who are native to the area often have family items that have been passed down over four, five, or six generations. For much of the area’s history families seldom moved away, and until the latter 20th century there were not large numbers moving in. The result is that it is not unusual to find folks still in possession of a great-great-great grandmother’s mourning veil or a special framed picture. This is what makes this program fit into Westside’s Saving Our Traditions series of public programs exploring our Eastern Shore traditions. It is open to the public and admission is free, though there is a fee for items you might bring for evaluation. The fee is $10 for the first item, and $5 for each item beyond the first. No items will be sold or bought at the show.

Experts who will be offering their insights and sharing their great knowledge at this show are Charlene Upham, Steve Blumenthal, Bill Simms, Jay Banks, and Kathi Beauchasne. The doors will open at 10 am, and it is not necessary to pre-register for the show. Simms, Banks, and Beauchasne each will make brief presentations about their particular collecting focus – Simms on old bottles, crocks, and jugs; Banks on ephemera and advertising collectibles (especially local Lower Shore business ad items), and Beauchasne on old hand-made baskets.

Simms is well known locally as “the man to go to” if you want to know more about old bottles, crocks, and jugs. His own collection numbers in the hundreds, and he has bought and sold even more! He will be bringing some of his collection with him. Banks also collects crocks, but more recently has focused especially on ephemera, or advertising art. This field includes not only advertisements but all sorts of printed graphics, including post cards and greeting cards, among other things.

Upham and Blumenthan, with almost 65 years of combined appraisal experience between them, also have special interests—Upham’s in fine paintings and art, silver, glass, textiles, quilts & coverlets, and collectibles, and Blumenthal’s in coins, currency, and old ships. Should you have a piece of furniture that is too large to bring along, a clear photo of the item will do. Both are themselves collectors of a variety of Eastern Shore collectible items, including old ship hulls! Ms. Upham holds a B.A. in American History and is a second-generation antiques dealer in business since 1978, continuously participating in major East Coast and Midwestern antiques shows.

Dr. Kathi Beauchesne is owner and director of the Center for Research in Basketry Inc., based in Baltimore. For the past several years she has been racing to save the disappearing craft of basket making and with the assistance of the Maryland State Arts Council she has been identifying and recording baskets throughout Maryland. Local folks are invited to bring in their own handmade baskets to have their pieces studied, documented, and evaluated. She especially is looking for baskets from and information about the Marvil Packing Company, fishing baskets, eel pots, household baskets, farm baskets and any other kinds of baskets that have been handed down in Delmarva families for generations!

Light lunch and refreshments will be available from the folks with the Hebron Railroad Station Museum preservation group. Reservations are not required but evaluations will be done in the order of arrival. For more information, email westsidehistorical@gmail.com or phone 410-726-8047.