REHOBOTH BEACH, DE—A new look and professional management had dealers giving words of praise for the 60th Anniversary All Saints' Antiques Show in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The show was held July 29-August 1 at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center.
“This is the first time they’ve hired a professional show manager and it really paid off,” says Jerry Taylor of Last Chance Antiques in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. “I’ve been doing the All Saints’ Antiques Show for fifteen years and this was a beautiful show— the best. In fact it was the best show I’ve had anywhere in the last couple years.”
Among the items Taylor sold at the show was a R&W Wilson coin tea service, sold for $8,000.
Taylor wasn’t the only dealer to find success selling silver. Sue Robinette of Sue Robinette Antiques and Silver says she sold a large, early dome for a silver platter and a large number of matches for sterling flatware sets. Robinette was a new dealer for the show and said without hesitation she would return.
“We usually rely on a mailing list and didn’t have one for the All Saints’ Show,” Robinette says. “If they ask to have us back, we’ll be right there.”
Among the items sold by Gary Manlove, Manlove’s Choice Antiques in Greenwood, Delaware were a Hepplewhite chest, a Mark Leavenworth pillar and scroll clock, three Windsor chairs, an empire chest of drawers, cherry wash stand and Currier and Ives print.
“There was no question the appearance of the show was improved from previous years,” Manlove says.
One showcase item brought to the show remains unsold. John Tompkins of John R. Thompkins Antiques brought a rare Delaware sampler. The sampler was worked by Priscilla Talley of Talleysville, in 1839, when she was fifteen years old.
"There are a great many samplers out there for sale," says Tompkins, "but it is rare to find one with such lush composition and color— and with a great history as well. There are many Pennsylvania samplers, but Delaware examples are rarely on the market."
While it didn’t sell at the show, Tompkins says it’s not uncommon for a rare and valuable item to take some time to find the right home. Moreover, he’s confident connections made at the show could lead to an eventual buyer.
The show was sponsored by All Saints' Episcopal Chruch and managed by Jay Melrose and Matt Duddy of Poland, Ohio.
More information on the All Saints Antiques Show is available at www.rehobothantiques.com
