TIMONIUM, Md. – On a weekend when other regional antique shows had been canceled, collectors, shoppers, and the curious flocked to the Maryland State Fairgrounds for the inaugural Baltimore Big Flea. Even rain did not dampen enthusiasm as treasure hunters streamed through the cavernous Cow Palace and the Exhibition Hall, filled with some 1,050 booths offering a wide variety of wares.

Joan Sides of D’Amore Promotions noticed several trends among the large crowd that attended the show. She said that the earliest shoppers on Saturday seemed to be men, who appeared to be adding to their collections of paper, toys, and guns. “The women came in a little bit later,” she smiled. “Baltimore is always a good city for silver and toys,” she added. A fair amount of seasonal items were offered – decorations for Halloween and Christmas, and also items like hand sanitizers “in fab fragrances,” a nod to the looming flu season.

Even for shoppers with but one dollar to spend, there were several options. A bag of jewelry (mainly plastic-beaded necklaces), a postcard, a vintage lady’s handkerchief, a box of Christmas ornaments (showing some wear): these were among the treasures priced $1. For those looking for something a bit more extravagant, there were massive corner cabinets, artistic oil paintings, and Tiffany lamps. The majority of the items offered for sale were somewhere in between.

“Happy, colorful, cheerful, retro, comforting, useable” – that’s how Lori Todd Trishman described “Depression Obsessions,” a business she shares with her husband Dennis. “We buy what we like, and you either like this sort of thing or you don’t.” Period music drifted through the booth in the middle of the hubbub of the show.

“We are very green,” she continued, noting that the vintage objects she sells from the 1950s and 1960s still work. Plastic Sessions electric clocks in the shape of a teapot “run great and function very well.” They were tagged at $68. A black Princess phone, refitted to accommodate call waiting and other modern phone uses, was $125. Trishman explained that originally, Princess phones were available only in pastel colors, but when Jacqueline Kennedy moved into the White House, she requested the model in black.

Especially appealing to the Adamstown, Pa., dealer is Melmac. “It’s dishwasher safe,” and she particularly favors pieces in a spatterware design. What was once a cafeteria tray is now for sale at $20; “we use them to serve hors d’ouevres.”

Pyrex is another favorite among her customers. The Trishmans only sell pieces in perfect condition: that means, everything is clean with no chips or scratches (“hold it up to the light,” Dennis Trishman demonstrates). The fact that it can go from refrigerator to oven (or microwave) makes it a good choice for modern cooks, he added. The “Butterprint” pattern is popular with Pyrex collectors; the Trishmans priced a set of four nesting bowls, white with turquoise design, at $75.

And Vera remains a good choice, Lori Trishman said. ’Vera was the Martha Stewart of the ’70s, designing home goods for Saks Fifth Avenue.” Depression Obsessions sells Vera tablecloths for $50 and up, dishcloths starting at $18, and aprons from $25.

“I sell girly things, things for ladies,” explained May Nasehi of Pittsburgh. At the Baltimore Big Flea, that meant primarily fur coats. Buying vintage furs, she said, is a great way to recycle. “I love animals, but these have been long gone. If no one is using them, it is a waste. This way, I recycle.” Judging from the knot of women trying on coats and stoles, jackets and hats, the former civil engineer has hit upon a winning formula. Mink, Persian lamb, and fox are the most desired skins: “they are the most luxurious furs, the most beautiful furs.”

“I hand pick my furs,” she continued. “The condition is the most important thing. The lining has to be perfect. The fur itself must be soft and supple. You should be able to squeeze it and it will not break.”

Among the garments she offered was a black mink coat in mint condition, “worn once and like brand new.” It was tagged $1,300 and featured a button so decorative that Nasehi said another dealer had offered her $50 for the closure alone. “But I would never remove it from this coat.”

On the other end of the price spectrum was a rabbit jacket, $75; a white mink stroller trimmed with silver fox (“tuxedo style”), $100; and a variety of stoles that are “easy to wear, just like a wrap,” priced from $75 to $200.

Nasehi offered some advice to her customers. Furs should contrast with a woman’s hair coloring for the greatest impact. She said that her furs could be worn at night, or tossed on over jeans during the day. “I shovel snow in mine.” She paused. “Every girl should have at least one fur coat. It makes you feel glamorous.”

For dog lovers, Leonard Brook of “dogtreasures.com” offered pictures, books, and canine-related trinkets and accessories, “anything with dogs, but all antiques,” for sale at the Baltimore show. A hand-colored engraving taken from the painting by Sir Edwin Landseer of a Newfoundland was offered at $2,000. Beautifully matted and framed, the imposing picture was termed “top of the line.” Brook added that Landseer’s name was subsequently given to multi-colored dogs of this breed, and that the artist helped to popularize art that depicted dogs as pets.

Among the smalls offered in the booth were an Austrian bronze of an Airedale dated 1900, $450; and a sterling silver representation of a sleeping setter, about 4in in length, $250. An 18th century brass dog collar was marked $850.

Other pieces of dog art included a 1930s hand-colored Leon Danchin etching of a black Belgian sheepdog (“as a bit of an artist, I know that painting a black dog is a real challenge,” said Brook), $850; and an 1830s hand-colored engraving of red and white setters with “a look to it, a good feel,” $650.

Having worked as a trainer and supplier of dogs for plays, movies, and television shows, Brook, of Coatesville, Pa., has been dealing in dog treasures for some 15 years. He is particularly pleased to be offering for sale the estate of Francis Fretwell, a well-known breeder, judge, and author of dog-related books; the estate includes 15,000 books on the subject of dogs, Brook said.

Many booths offered an array of costume jewelry, most of which was carefully exhibited in flat boxes with dividers. In the back corner of the Cow Palace was Grandma’s Jewelry Box. Cheryl Hilker (“I’m Grandma”) featured an array of jewelry. Pieces ranged from Bakelite bangle bracelets, including a carved green bracelet, about a half-inch in width, $42; to bib-style glittering necklaces. Indeed, it was her inventory of Czechoslovakian crystal jewelry that was most eye-catching. One particularly stunning set featured green and aurora borealis rhinestones. Dating from the 1950s, the massive necklace and shoulder-dusting earrings were priced at $165.

In addition to cameo pins priced at less than $200, Hilker also offered some older pieces. An antique jet and silk watch chain was $15, and a brass necklace, dating from the early 1900s, with turquoise spun glass beads in a grape motif, was tagged $70. A 1920s sterling necklace with cabochon semi-precious stones designed to resemble a basket of flowers was $100.

Sarah Coventry continues to win favor among collectors, the Colonial Beach, Va., dealer explained. Among the examples in her booth was a “Blue Lagoon” demi-parure, pin and earrings dating from the late ’60s to early ’70s, $42; and “Midnight Magic,” a 1960s demi-parure of pin and earrings with “an Oriental look,” slate gray with pink stones, $45.

klonopinrx247.com