The Annual Augusta New Year's Day Show
January 1st, 2015
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Preliminary drawing of the Mystic Whaler, a 78' long schooner designed in 1963 by V.B. Crockett in Camden, Maine. It was $50 from dealer Dana McKinney of Rockland, Maine.
The sign from the early 1940s was for the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. It was $150 from Pete Pardoe of Alna, Maine.
Charming unmarked doorstop with an elephant, lion, monkey, and giraffe, $45 from Roland Jellison of Jellison Traders, Augusta, Maine.
The make-do Chinese export teapot with a silver spout, circa 1760, was $265 from R.C. Bowen of Kennebunk, Maine.
The painted chest was found in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and was $850 from Kelly Quinn of Main Street Antiques, Wells, Maine. |
Augusta Armory New Year’s Antiques Show, Augusta, Maine
The annual Augusta Armory New Year’s Antiques Show, held at the armory on Western Avenue in Augusta, Maine, on January 1, is a bargain for shoppers, who pay only $3 admission and get to see approximately 45 exhibiting dealers. “That’s less than a dime a dealer,” promoter James Montell joked before the show opened. It’s also a bargain for dealers, who pay $100 for a long-running, well-established one-day show that runs for only five hours, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“When we opened, we had 140 people in line,” Montell said. “That’s one thing that encourages promoters: to look out into the lobby and you see a line. That’s a good feeling, and most of them come every year.”
This is the 24th year Montell has produced the New Year’s Day show, and you won’t find a more affable show promoter in the business. When Montell sits at the admission table selling tickets, everyone gets a smile, a heartfelt “thank you,” and usually a little joke or an anecdote. He frequently calls his customers by name and knows what they collect.
“I thought it was an interesting show. We know it was not the most gorgeous show—it’s not the Ellsworth show—but it was most interesting. It had a myriad of things that were offered for sale,” said Montell. “I was happy with the crowd—and you always hope a large crowd means good buying.” The gate was almost a 50% increase over the year before.
Montell thinks the New Year’s Day date is good for shoppers who are weary of the holidays. “One: they have the time. And two: they have some money as a result of gifts. I think they finally want to buy something for themselves.”
It’s a home-grown show. “The crowd—to my knowledge—were all Mainers. The dealers were all Mainers,” he said. “I depend on people coming from a radius of fifty to sixty miles.... I was missing some regulars because of illnesses and family reunions, but I was fortunate to get some replacements.”
Montell is an old hand at promoting shows in Augusta. “I’ve had over a hundred shows in that building,” Montell said. “I know that building like my own house. If stuff goes wrong, I know how to fix it.”
Some dealers did very well, according to Montell. “Some did well. Some did as usual. It depends on the stock, and it depends on the people that walk in the door. I was pleased with the turnout. I was pleased with the diversity of things. What more can you say? I’m blessed.”
Montell’s next show at the Armory will be on April 26. For more information, call (207) 582-2849.
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Three large Royal Doulton character mugs. From left: Toby Philpots, $85; Don Quixote, $90; and Sancho Panza, $95, from John Reinhardt, who runs the Highnote Bed and Breakfast in Wiscasset, Maine.
The rustic frame with six photographs and a postcard of campers at Square Lake Camps in Aroostook County, Maine, was $150 from Maryann Tiemann of Augusta, Maine.
Painted and stenciled sled in green paint by Paris Mfg. Co., South Paris, Maine, $165, from Gerry Bourgoin of Portland, Maine.Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2015 Maine Antique Digest
