Carla Occaso
Antiquing in central Vermont has a group of devotees creating community and friendly competition around items from the past. Two local enthusiasts talked to The Bridge about this flourishing pastime.
Susan Walter said she started as a child when her father would pretend the car would break down in front of antique stores. He would then drag the kids inside while he shopped and give them coins for spending money; Walter remembers buying her first antiques, such as getting her nonsmoking mother an antique ashtray.
Now, with years of antiquing under her belt, Walter finds herself specializing in antique or vintage stuffed animals from the German company Steiff. Walter explains, “They make dogs, cats, dinosaurs, lizards, bats, snails, lobsters, rabbits, also dolls, but they are most known for their Teddy bears. When I was very young, my mom gave me a Steiff Dalmation dog, and that is what started my interest in these animals.”
Walter isn’t alone in her love of antiques. There is quite a large group of people also vying to find treasures in local spaces. Those interested in antiques gravitate toward the same events, bringing their individual “vibe and specialties,” Walter said. She also hopes more young people will get interested in the hobby to keep it alive to honor the past.
Those with no previous experience should know that if you are buying or selling, it is best to focus on specific items, such as paintings or something extremely rare. “It is good to start with a simple focus, otherwise, it may be overwhelming, since there is so much stuff out there,” she said.
And while searching for rare antiques sounds like it could be a tedious experience of rummaging through piles of meaningless junk, finding a treasure is like striking oil. Walter remembers one of her most memorable finds when she got her hands on a 1917 Boston Marathon medal, a 1940s Manchester United Soccer program, and a baseball glove from the early 1900s. Although her most remarkable finds have been sports-related, she does not typically specialize in sporting goods.
The most exciting antiques event is the Montpelier Antiques Market (montpelierantiquesmarket.com), according to Walter, who said it runs November through March at the Canadian Club in Barre. Another notable recurring antiques event is the Waterbury Flea Market, which runs from spring to late fall on U.S. Route 2 in Waterbury.
Alvah Newhall, EastRise Credit Union’s Montpelier branch manager, also loves collecting antiques. Newhall specializes in jewelry, antiques from Asia, and art.
“I’ve been collecting antiques since I was 14 years old,” he told The Bridge recently. “Collecting antiques is a link to the past. It brings back things before we were here.”
He shares the observation of Walter that central Vermont has an active community of antiquers (collectors and dealers), but his sources are broader. Yes, he goes to the Montpelier Antiques Market and the Waterbury Flea Market, but he also sings the praises of finding valuable items in unexpected places. And you don’t have to start out with a lot of money, either. Newhall has found treasures at garage sales, thrift stores, and even free piles.
Newhall says he started out with almost no money with his now-94-year-old friend, Gloria. He remembers going to a garage sale in Barre and getting his hands on a beautiful jade libation cup for which he paid $2.
“It just caught my eye because of the craftsmanship. Years later he found out that $2 cup was worth a few thousand dollars and that it originated from China.
Newhall notes there is definitely a local circuit where antiquers inhabit and build networks. You have to educate yourself and build up a network to the point where people know your interests and may call you if they see something they know you are looking for.
“One of my specialties is jewelry,” New-hall said. Not all gold is marked, so you have to know how to identify it anyway. Newhall reads Maine Antiques Digest and the Cobbles Antique Guide to keep abreast of the antique world.
He also keeps in touch with local antique aficionados, such as Juliana at the Montpelier antique shop J. Langdon.
“She is such a wonderful resource,” Newhall muses.
Newhall then named items he is regularly seeking, such as old bank bags, bank memorabilia, little silver boxes, advertising items, old photos, and old 16-mm film. “I have one of Amelia Earhart landing at the Berlin Airport,” Newhall said.
He also said he loves Vermont art, such as paintings by Bessie Drennon of Woodbury or James Franklin Gilman of Montpelier. Newhall has an etching of State Street that Franklin Gilman made in the 1800s. Franklin Gilman is known to have stayed at different homes in the area and paid for his room and board with his artwork. Therefore, many old homes and farmhouses in and around Montpelier have his original works inside. And Newhall feels that paintings by Thomas Waterman Wood are still affordable enough for someone starting out.
Newhall describes his average weekend, where he gets up early to make his rounds.
As for the Waterbury Flea Market, Newhall says you have to get there by 6 a.m. to find anything, or the other antique experts will beat you to the good stuff. And things can get competitive at other places as well. Newhall recalls being at a church sale when a fellow antiquer tried to snatch the jewelry he had his eye on, but she was too late. He got there first.
“I don’t collect antiques for the investment. They are colorful. They bring me joy,” Newhall said wistfully. “It brings you a connection to the past.”
But, like anything, there can be a dark side to collecting beautiful treasures. Newhall, sadly, experienced this first hand in 2023.
“I had extensive collections,” Newhall said. “My problem was I used to wear my jewelry in public.”
“You can’t now,” he said. He has always shared his interest in antiques to anyone who seemed interested, but, “there is a lot of crime in this area.”
He had befriended an employee at one of his favorite thrift stores, which was known for hiring people with criminal backgrounds.
But the worst happened one summer night in 2023. “It was a Sunday night at midnight. I heard this pounding. The door swung open. I panicked. I started throwing things,” Newhall recalled. Before long, someone stabbed him in the leg and proceeded to “clean the house out.” Newhall is grateful they did not hurt his 87-year-old mother, for whom he provides care.
Newhall said the culprits drove all the silver and gold to the black market in New York City that night. “I’ll bet I had $100,000 in gold and silver. I have been collecting it for 35 years.” All three were finally arrested by October 2024, according to news reports.
Since that experience, Newhall has installed a top-of-the-line security system. “I have alarms everywhere. I have cameras everywhere,” he said, warning others of the dangers of being known as a valuables collector. “I still do collect gold and silver, but I keep it in my safe boxes. Not at home.” And Newhall said he can no longer be as “exuberant” about his jewelry as he had been before the crime.
But his obvious love of the treasure hunt lives on and is still contagious.
