First Person – 43rd Annual Antique Peddler’s Fair

What do a vintage gas station sign, a metal Coca Cola tray, old wooden chests and treasure-hunting, bargain-loving people all have in common?

All were congregating in Folsom Sunday for the 43rd Annual Antique Peddler’s Fair.

In February, however, there was some concern that the event may not happen. The promoters were expecting between 10,000 and 15,000 people along with 150 vendors to attend, so it was imperative that they received the help from the community that was so desperately needed.

The city of Folsom, the Folsom Chamber of Commerce and Teichert Construction all stepped up and made sure that, during the yearlong Sutter Street revitalization project, events being held in this notable old town would go on as planned. Even though the road showed visible signs of recent construction, there were barricades everywhere and you probably had to park several blocks away, the folks I spoke with were all having a blast.

Wandering through the vast camping ground of pitched tents and knickknack-strewn folding tables, a guy walked by me with a brass spittoon in his hand. This I had to know about.

“It’s for my brother – he wanted one,” said Dave Rogers as he made sure he didn’t lose his wife in the crowd. “I don’t know if he is going to use it or collects them. Other than that, I’m carrying the pocketbook for the wife.”

I saw his wife, Jo Jo, across the way scanning a table for goodies. When I asked her what was in the bag, she was happy to relate.

“I found some of my great aunt’s dishes . . . I already had some and found some of the supplemental pieces that I didn’t have,” she exclaimed. “It’s worth something, it’s from Hummel.”

I got lucky, as it was something I knew a little about. My great aunt also collected Hummel trinkets, but she preferred the little boy and girl figurines that they are famous for producing.

A rack of mostly wedding dresses grabbed my attention, and I had to ask the owner if they all belonged to her. I was rather surprised at her response.

“I collect them,” said Lori Sanden, of Folsom. “My boyfriend is a little concerned that I’m collecting them. The funny thing is, I’ve never been married.”

In checking with her about how brisk sales and foot traffic has been, she replied, “Business seems pretty good even though we have a threat of rain.”

So what do collectors collect? Sanden’s personal stockpile is of vintage hats, vintage purses and vintage bottles.

At a smorgasbord such as this one, you can find almost anything the heart desires. There were tables and booths full of things like old trunks, dolls, old dishes, coins, musical instruments and even aged electronic testing equipment. I think the guys on “American Pickers” would have a field day. I saw several old roadside signs and gas station signage as well, that I'm sure they would have bartered for.

Speaking of which, I was able to get a feel for what kind of impact television shows like “Pawn Stars” and the aforementioned “American Pickers” have had on the collecting and antiquing environment.

The on site expert was Gary Cox, who has billed himself as The Antiques Answer Man. Cox was offering verbal appraisals for only $5. He said the best item he has seen so far that day was a tri-foil enamel piece of jewelry from about 1870 that had a real wonderful enamel plaque in the middle that was worth about $3,000. Cox agreed that the current “reality show” programming has even crossed over into his segment of specialty.

“Those shows had stirred some interest and made people aware that they really need to check out what they have,” Cox said. “In a lot of those shows, people are coming in and finding out either the item is not worth what they thought it was or it was worth quite a bit more. In terms of my appraisal business, it’s made an impact.”

When questioned about the percentages are as far as how much people’s expectations have been met when he values the item, Cox was fair in his response.

“It’s probably about 70 percent of folks that have those high, high hopes that never get realized.”

Besides mingling with the wandering strangers, I checked in with some of the local shopkeepers and found out what kind of impact this fair was having on their businesses.

American Visions Art Gallery seemed to have several people roving around inside. I tracked down Giovanna Stark, the friendly owner of the gallery, to talk shop.

“The fair brings in a huge crowd,” Stark said. “(They’re) people that we normally don’t see. I’d say maybe even 50-60 percent more.”

As I noticed the Michael Godard collection, being the great marketer that she has to be in these hard times, she made sure to tell me about his visit to her gallery on Dec. 11 later this year. I told her I’ll be there with bells on, as having him at her shop is quite a catch.

The weather held, and plenty of folks found their way to Historic Folsom. A couple of musical guests also helped make the day – Matt and George and their Pleasant Valley Boys as well as Bolivian master flutist and guitarist Oscar Reynolds were on-hand for the festivities. I even found a face painter in the crowd. And, of course, the event also had several food options, and all the restaurants in the area were ready and waiting, literally.

Cheryl Brenner from Newcastle summed up several people’s feelings.

“I try to come every year,” Brenner said. “I’ve got empty bags to fill, and I always find a good treasure.”

Photos courtesy of Cheryl Mullick