Staff photo by John Rawlston/Chattanooga Times Free Press – Nov 28, 2010
Gail Army, of Soddy-Daisy, looks at an item from a display by Carter Stine Auctions during the Chattanooga Market’s Antiques and Collectibles Day at the First Tennessee Pavilion.Robert Salinas and his friend, Mary Jane Anderson, were happy with their purchase Sunday of an antique quilt made by Mennonites in the 1920s.
“It’s an unusual style, one that’s very labor intensive and one that you don’t see very often,” Salinas said. “There’s a lot of history; there’s some provenance to it.”
Salinas, 56, and Anderson, 43, traveled from Huntsville, Ala., to participate in the Chattanooga Market’s annual Antiques and Collectibles Day.
They strolled with hundreds of other marketgoers beside tables featuring antique jewelry, dolls, clothes, knives, tools and various other knickknacks.
“It’s our answer to Black Friday — to have vintage stuff you can’t really find anywhere else,” said Paul Smith, the market’s general manager.
One of the 25 vendors was Hixson resident Don Sharp, co-owner of DND2 Sales antique business. The vast majority of Sharp’s old-time goods have a quality that isn’t seen as often in today’s stores — they were made in the USA, he said.
Sharp lifted up one of his favorite items: A 1930s-era wooden measuring tool from what is now known as The Stanley Works tool company. Unlike the retracting metal tape measures of today, the wooden measure unfolds.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous — the way it’s made and the craftsmanship — and it’s still functional today,” he said. “The way that one’s made, it’ll probably last another hundred years.”
Another notable collectable Sharp pointed out was a set of milk bottles from Lebanon, Tenn., dating back to when milk was delivered door to door.
“That’s a complete set with 12 bottles,” he said. “You don’t see those very often.”
Sharp discussed how many items made today won’t one day be considered antiques simply because they can’t stand the test of time.
NEXT SUNDAY AT THE MARKETThe Chattanooga Market will be collecting donated coats as part of the Coats For Kids effort.
“I honestly don’t think [today’s products] will be around 100 years because of the workmanship in a lot of it,” he said.
Along with selling goods, vendors also valued items. Dave Baxter, a 51-year-old Chattanooga resident, had the experts take a look at three old radios. The one that came out on top was his dad’s 1950s transoceanic radio, valued at $200.
Today, as more and more radio stations clog the airwaves, it is nearly impossible to pick up frequencies over long distances, Baxter said.
“Even about 15 years ago, I could still hear either Chinese or Japanese people talking on it.”
Contact staff writer Michael Stone at mstone@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6673.