Maine Antique Digest, March 2017

22-C Maine Antique Digest, March 2017

SHOW -

22-C

Richmond, Indiana

Heartland Antique Show, Fall Edition

by Don Johnson

here was a problem at the fall

edition of the Heartland Antique

Show, held November 19, 2016,

on the Wayne County Fairgrounds at

Richmond, Indiana. A number of them,

actually. But it wasn’t the show that was

at issue.

The challenges, so to speak, were found

in the booth of Jeff and Carol Reinhard

of Plain City, Ohio. The couple offered

several examples of Depression-era

schoolwork with a folk art twist, each

having a story problem accompanied by

a watercolor decoration on ledger paper.

The works have been attributed to Samuel

Erb, a teacher at the Carlisle Indian

Industrial School in Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania. One example pictured a

seated blue cat overlapping concentric

rings. The question was this: “Seven men

bought a grinding stone of 60 inches in

Diameter, each paying 1/7 part of the

Expense; what part of the Diameter must

each grind down for his Share.”An answer

and explanation filled out the page, which

was housed in a contemporary paint-

decorated frame and tagged $175.

Having served as a school principal

for 40 years, Jeff Reinhard was naturally

attracted to the works. “It’s interesting

that we’ve discovered ‘creative thinking,’

and this is the type of story problem we

want kids to be able to do,” he said.

It seemed fitting to have folky math

puzzles offered at the show. Jennifer

Sabin, who has managed Heartland since

its inception in 1990, has been doing some

calculations of her own lately. However,

they largely involve the summer show.

Some background is in order. Heartland

began as an annual June show 27 years

ago. Over time a fall show was added.

Changes in the trade led to fluctuations in

the number of dealers at the events. The

June show, still Heartland’s main event,

grew to about 200 dealers before sliding

to the present level of a little more than

100.

Although Heartland’s origins involved

livestock barns, a large canvas tent, and

outdoor spaces, it eventually transitioned

to two modern climate-controlled

buildings on the fairgrounds—the

Kuhlman Memorial Center and the Tom

Raper Expo Center. The smaller fall show

has always been housed in just the Tom

Raper Expo Center.

Beginning with this year’s summer

show, to be held on June 3, Sabin will

consolidate all the dealers in the Tom

Raper Expo Center. The announcement to

her dealers was met with mixed opinions.

Sabin is confident it’s for the best.

“The idea is to create energy by having

them all in one building,” she said. “This

is a proactive thing I’m doing.”

Sabin said the consolidation allows for a

floor plan with more uniform spaces. The

summer show will feature just over 100

dealers. The autumn event will remain

unaffected by the summer assimilation.

At the 2016 fall show, it was business

as usual with 80 dealers and a respectable

crowd. After the June show, where the

gate was down and sales were slow, things

were back to normal in November, spurred

by a good-size crowd of enthusiastic

buyers who weren’t shy about pulling out

their checkbooks.

Story problem with watercolor decoration on ledger paper,

attributed to teacher Samuel Erb of Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania, contemporary paint-decorated frame, $175 from

Jeff and Carol Reinhard of Plain City, Ohio.

Steiff camel pull toy, 1912, $1550; zoo sign,

single-sided, painted wood, from Tonawanda,

New York, 1940s, approximately 14' high, $4750

from Don and Marta Orwig of Corunna, Indiana.

Two-part octagonal table in yellow paint, the legs chamfered, 55½"

wide, $1200 the pair from David Cotton and Heather Malott of Cotton’s

Antiques, Wabash, Indiana.

Hooked rug promoting Stag brand potatoes of Maine, 18¼" x 27¼", $650

from Brenda Daniel of B. Hannah Daniel Antiques, Athens, Alabama.

Early butter churn in

original celery-green

paint, with buttonhole

loop banding and

original dasher, $1450

from Brendan Edgerton

of Country Cupboard

Antiques, Princeton,

Wisconsin.

“It’s one of the best shows we’ve done

in quite a while, both buying and selling,”

said Tim Chambers of Missouri Plain

Folk, Sikeston, Missouri. “A hooked rug

that didn’t sell at the New Hampshire

Dealers show sold here…. I bought

two things walking down the aisle this

morning, and they were the first things I

sold.”

He was equally enthusiastic about the

changes coming to Heartland this summer.

“I’m excited to have the June show here in

one building,” he said, noting confidence

in the promoter. “There’s nobody I’d

rather have at the helm than Jennifer.

Nobody takes it more personally.”

Heartland has a solid reputation for

great country antiques and Americana.

That was evident once again across the

floor. Items ranged from a Kentucky

sugar chest in cherry, circa 1820, having

turned legs and its original finish, priced

at $5800 by Claude and Sharon Baker

of Baker American Antiques, Daytona

Dartboard meant

to spin, 18" diameter,

sold by Jim and Toni

Stoma of Latcham House

Antiques, Waterville, Ohio.

“The idea is to create

energy by having them

all in one building.”