Philadelphia Antiques Show 2016_

✷ 127 ✷ FROM THE COLLECTION OF… FROM THE COLLECTION OF… BARBARA ISRAEL BARBARA ISRAEL GARDEN ANTIQUES, KATONAH, NY e Hallowell Doll Cupboard is 1848 Philadelphia three-shelf doll cupboard proved to be a complicated acquisition that required perserverance and luck! I viewed it for sale at Pook & Pook years ago and arranged a phone bid. On auction day I was at the beach, my phone nearby. Suddenly, there was an in ux of hundreds of small sharks that drew us to the water’s edge. Of course it coincided with the lot coming up and I missed my bid. Still I would not be denied. I told the auction gallery my phenominal story and got the buyer’s information. ough my “shark” tale and o er were good ones, once contacted he said no, adding he wanted to keep it altogether. I hung my head and moved on. Four years later, the buyer found me by asking the auction house for the “shark lady” and then accepted my o er. Finally I have my dream house! Like every homeowner I’ve made improvements—adding period dolls and decorations. Installing lighting and running up curtains—and no, it’s not for sale! STEPHEN & CAROL HUBER OLD SAYBROOK, CT In the 1970s during setup for the Connecticut Antiques Show in Hartford, we drove a customized Mercedes 300 SEL into the Armory. We had just acquired it in a trade for a sampler. Frances Phipps, who with Betty Forbes ran the Hartford Show, stopped us at the door. e following conversation ensued. Fran: “Steve I want to buy your car.” Steven: “Fran, if I sold you this car I’d have to get a new wife.” Fran: “Wives are easier to get than a car like this. How much is it?” After a few laughs, Carol and I decided to sell the car. A few days after the show we delivered the car, parking it in Fran and Betty’s driveway next to the house, facing the road. In the house, I noticed this charming 18th-century courting mirror and thought it would be the perfect gift for Carol, knowing we would cherish it, especially after Fran’s wives verses cars quip. Steven: “Fran, I’d like to buy this courting mirror.” Fran: “ e mirror isn’t for sale.” Steven:“Well, neither was the car.” Fran: “------- OK.” Note: e car was used almost every day but never moved from the spot where I left it. Fran later explained that she and Betty just enjoyed sitting in it while having cocktails.