Agrarian FindsAt The Bouckville Antique Extravaganza

Dateline: 14 August 2013

Early 19th Century Sugar Nippers. Price: $585

Marlene and I drove to Bouckville, N.Y. earlier today to spend some time antique hunting at the Madison-Bouckville Antique Week. We had heard from others that it is an amazing assembly of antique vendors, and that it was. I don't think we've ever been to a larger or better venue for antique picking.

I was looking for agrarian tools from America's past and I thought I might find some more old copies of Blair & Ketchum's Country Journal magazine. I didn't see a single Country Journal, but agrarian tools were in abundance.

I am drawn to the old, hand-forged iron tools, to woodenware, and to tinware. The pictures that follow give you an idea of some of the treasures that I found at the show (but did not buy). At the end I'll show you what I did buy.

—click on pictures to see enlarged views—

The tag said, "Very early large piggin." Price: $335

There were plenty of crocks, baskets, and hand-carved dough bowls at the show, all of which were a delight to behold, but that wooden shelf in the picture caught my eye. A closer look at the tag revealed that it was a "bucket bench c.1840." Price: $1,100

I studied the three reaping hooks in that box for some time. I don't see hooks like those very often and I debated with myself (in my mind) about spending $40 to buy one. In the end, I decided not to. But they sure are beautiful agricultural implements. There is no reason they couldn't be sharpened and put to use again for harvesting grain.

Shaker cheese cutter. Price: $550

A jack jumper from the early 1900s. I've always wanted to try jack-jumping. Click HERE to watch a YouTube clip of someone using a jack jumper.

A classic wheelbarrow. Price: $285

Herb "boat" grinder. Price: $525

I've always wanted an old roll-top desk like that one, but I didn't buy it. Price: $3,195

This old cider press was the find of the day. The man selling it said he got it out of a barn in Sherrill, NY. He said that all he did was pressure wash it. I remarked on how well it was crafted and he showed me the penciled layout marks still visible on the wood. I've never seen a cider press like it and I think it is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. I told the man it should be in a museum and he agreed. The asking price was $2,300.

The bottom tray of the press had hand-carved grooves to collect and channel the juice.

French coiled wire sifter (with wooden sides).  Price: $148

What I Bought

In the midst of a sea of so much great old stuff, the only thing I bought at Bouckville was a little, old, "noise maker" toy. It was priced at $12. This toy hearkens back to an age when there were no mass-produced plastic toys for children. It was an impulse purchase on my part but I was thinking of using it as a pattern for making a similar toy for my grandson. When I got home I showed him the old noisemaker and how it worked. He like it it. 

You may be wondering what Marlene bought. Well, she didn't buy anything. I was the big spender of the day. It's not like she didn't see things that she liked. It's just that we don't have room to put much more stuff. 

My Dream Shop?

On the way home from the show I saw this quilt shop and stopped to take a picture. I 'm thinking more and more about someday building a workshop/warehouse/shipping center/retail store for my Planet Whizbang business. I don't know if I will ever actually be able to do it, but I'm thinking and praying about this next step with my home business. It is getting mighty crowded around here, and it seems like a good idea. The quilt shop looked about the right size. I like the batten siding, and and I like the row of windows at the top. Architecturally speaking, that row of windows is called a clearstory.