Brimfield May 2016?

[TheYellowHobbit]

Is anyone planning on going to the Brimfield antique show next week? I'm planning on going, probably on Thursday May 12. I hear they sometimes have fountain pens.

[inkstainedruth]

I went to Brimfield once, years ago (I wasn't looking for pens then). Wear comfortable shoes -- you'll do a LOT of walking. I did about a third of it in depth, and avoided places where you had to pay for entrance (people could have anywhere between five and twenty or so dealers in their back yards, depending, from what I remember -- but it's been roughly 20 years since I've been, so don't know what it's like now).

One of the guys my husband and I were with zoomed through the entire thing -- he was only looking for old vinyl records. Dunno if he bought anything, though (it couldn't have been much -- there were five of crammed into a VW Bug).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for typos

Edited May 5, 2016 by inkstainedruth

[TheYellowHobbit]

I plan on wearing hiking boots and a big hat to keep out the sun. (Though with the way the weather has been around here, the latter might not be necessary.) I've been once before, though that was 3-4 years ago and I wasn't looking for pens at the time, but was looking at spinning wheels. Pens are a lot smaller.

[inkstainedruth]

I plan on wearing hiking boots and a big hat to keep out the sun. (Though with the way the weather has been around here, the latter might not be necessary.) I've been once before, though that was 3-4 years ago and I wasn't looking for pens at the time, but was looking at spinning wheels. Pens are a lot smaller.

 

Yup, they are. The time I went to Brimfield I talked to a dealer from Rhode Island about a great wheel he had, which actually still had the spindle on it. But $175 was a bit pricy for me at the time. Plus, I had gone with my husband and 3 other people in a VW Bug....

I was also looking a bit at china. There was one dealer that exclusively had Franciscanware. I wish I still had the person's contact info -- I could have sold the stuff my mother inherited from my grandmother (and despised so much that she used it in the hopes it got broken...). Me? I'm meh on Desert Rose -- don't care one way or the other. I DO wish I could find replacements for the missing pieces out of my great aunt's Ahrehfeldt Limoges, though. I keep looking, but have never seen anything like it (either in MA or western PA/eastern OH). Have a bad feeling that I need to be looking in the greater NYC area instead.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Shaporama]

I have never been, but the owner of a nearby antiques store attends it regularly and says that there are pens to be found but only a relatively few vendors sell pens and you have to get there early with the other serious buyers. Also, I believe that the show is so large that you need a strategy focused on attacking only one area in a day otherwise you will drive yourself nuts. If you do go, please give us some feedback as I would like to make the trek myself one day.

[Lloyd]

I've been several times but I doubt I'll get there until the September week, if then. There will likely be FPs that are a good deal and those that are overpriced, those that have been restored and those that look like @$#%@#. There may be one or more booths that are dedicated to FPs (probably a bit pricy) and they'll be a few "odds&ends" boxes with some. It's hit or miss. I've bought a few things there. I've always enjoyed the search; many nice vendors to chat with and nice photo opportunities as there are some wild things being sold.

 

I regret passing up an amazing portable desk my first year. It was $700 but it was magnificent. I've never seen another one remotely like it. Last time I was there, I saw a solid gold, nearly unused, Skyline but I didn't want to spend $800.