Antiques — Americana — It’s All About the People

Each year, on the Fourth of July, somewhere between the hot dogs and the fireworks, we will reflect for a moment on that remarkable event that happened in Philadelphia 236 years ago.
I hope most of us will reflect long enough to appreciate just how radical an act the Declaration of Independence was. Most of the established world order considered the men who signed that document to be evil, very wrong, or just plain crazy. Nobody gave it a chance. Imagine, a nation, a government, of, by and for the people, equal people.
Collecting Americana is all about the people, too. Collectors look for items related to how the American people lived, what they made, how they spent their time and amused themselves. It has become a very popular field of collecting not only here at home, but internationally.
Americana is as inclusive, varied and democratic as the nation of people it celebrates. But each year the focus shifts. A few years ago, everyone was looking for weather vanes, before that it was Dedham pottery or Bennington, then it was Pennsylvania Dutch slipware.
In the field of textiles, quilts, because they are uniquely American, have always been popular, but they have lost ground recently because of imports from China, and continued domestic production.
Samplers, are still collected, but they are hard to find, especially those made before 1830, when the printed patterns were introduced.
Primitives, old American homemade and handmade furniture and utilitarian household wares are as popular as ever the carved wood kitchen items called treen.
As for crockery (utilitarian ceramics), the very old, grey stoneware with brush-decorated cobalt is getting expensive, but yellow ware with blue or brown stripe decoration may be easier to find and more affordable.
All sorts of old advertising, wherever it appears, is always very desirable – on furniture, ceramics, bottles, tins, trade cards, posters and signs.
Anything to do with the Civil War has gotten so hard to find and expensive that some military collectors, especially those in their 20s and ‘30s have turned to the two 20th Century world wars.
Of course, since this is a presidential election year, political memorabilia will be showing up again like the cicadas do. But anything to do with American’s historic political personalities has enduring appeal, especially George and Abe.
If collecting or decorating with Americana is something you think you might want to learn more about, go to www. maineantiquedigest.com, the website of The Maine Antique Digest. It one of the most important trade publications in the antique trade, but specifically calls itself, “The Journal of Americana.” If you subscribe, you get access to their enormous database of auction prices.
The Cape May County Historical Society Museum on Route 9 in Swainton is an absolute treasure trove of Americana. If you haven’t been there lately, make it your patriotic duty to show up soon.
Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions and appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.