Lake Reidsville's Antiques Treasure Trove 'a success'

Joining the boaters, fishers and campers at Lake Reidsville on Saturday were antique collectors. Saturday’s “Antiques Treasure Trove” was the first event of its kind at the lake.

Anthony Galloway of Reidsville, an avid collector, brought an 1863 coin silver pocket watch and a two-dollar note from 1886 to the Antiques Treasure Trove. Tony Bachman appraised the two-dollar note at a value of $300 and the pocket watch at approximately $175.

“Everything collectible I collect. Anything that’s old,” said Galloway. “I collect porcelain, toys, trains, old coins, dolls, jewelry, comic books, pottery, baseball cards…”

Galloway’s wife Teresa can attest to her husband’s enthusiasm for collecting. She said his collectibles are scattered all throughout their house. Galloway’s favorite piece is the two-dollar note, which he bought at an auction.

Gene Arthur, a Reidsville jeweler, said the most astonishing piece of antique jewelry he had seen Saturday was a one-and-a-half-carat diamond engagement ring. Mary Haddix of Summerfield brought in the ring, which originally belonged to her mother.

“It was an old mine-cut diamond. It had a cushion-cut center. It was really unique,” said Arthur. He appraised the diamond ring between a value of $4,000 and $5,000. Haddix also brought in two ruby rings, one authentic and one synthetic, and a 22-karat gold bracelet from Egypt.

“It was a gift. My (childhood) governess gave it to me as a birthday present,” said Haddix.

Haddix’s neighbor Joyce Sneyd also brought some items to the Antique Treasure Trove for appraisal. She brought in a diamond and a ruby ring. She also brought in some old books that her father bought at an auction in Indiana years ago, among them “Lucile” by Owen Meredith.

“It’s a leather-bound, gold-gilded book. I would say it dates back to the late 1800s, but there’s no copyright,” said Roger Hayes, owner of Hayes Carpet & Fenton Art Glass in downtown Reidsville. He said the item with the highest value that he appraised Saturday was a 22-inch cobalt blue funeral vase in the Rustic pattern. The vase dates back to the 1920s or ’30s and is worth $1,400, according to Hayes.

Charles Archer, a Mayodan auctioneer, was impressed by a radio brought in by Junior Neal of Reidsville. The radio dates back to the 1940s, and it still works. Neal’s aunt gave him the radio 25 or 30 years ago.

“This is the Americana,” said Archer. “This is what we used to be. They made it to last.” Even the toys made in the 1930s and ’40s were high-quality.

Arnold Rakes, a self-described “buyer, seller and collector of toys,” said he was impressed by some of the toys he appraised at Saturday’s event.

“We’ve had a number of toys from the ’30s that came through. The Amos & Andy Fresh Air Taxi goes back to the ’30s. It’s probably in the $600 to $800 range,” said Rakes.

Every antique at the Antiques Treasure Trove had a story. Bentley Stadler of Reidsville brought in a neckerchief with a Scout patch dating back to the early 1970s.

“It’s a rare piece. A member got this once per lifetime,” said David Pugh, who has been involved in scouting for 40 years. He estimated the neckerchief’s value at $150.

Strader said he got the neckerchief at a Cherokee Council Scout reservation. His fellow Scouts picked him to be a member of the Order of the Arrow and the neckerchief was one of the items he received.

Harry Brown, director of Reidsville Parks & Recreation, said Antiques Treasure Trove is one of the first events of the summer to celebrate Lake Reidsville Recreation Park’s 25th anniversary.

“We wanted to put together a variety of program activities and offerings,” said Brown. “We tried to put together unique activities that would attract a clientele that might not ordinarily come to Lake Reidsville.”

Judged on the diversity of people the antiques treasure trove brought out to the lake, Brown called the first-time event “a success.”

“It’s been a wide variety of folks, young and old, whose interest is not in outdoors but in antiques,” said Brown. He said the city plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the Antiques Treasure Trove to determine whether or not the program will become an annual event.

The next event the city has planned to commemorate Lake Reidsville’s 25th anniversary is the lake’s Independence Day celebration, which will feature a performance by Chairman of the Board and a fireworks display.

Staff writer Miranda Baines can be reached at mbaines@reidsvillereview.com or 349-4331, ext. 35.