Trash or treasure?

The blue skies, fluffy white clouds and the hills of the Cherry Valley Turnpike framed the scene in Bouckville as vendors bargained and antique hunters strolled from tent to tent. The annual Madison-Bouckville Antique show was underway with its typical collection of old stuff that someone didn’t want anymore. The owners of the old stuff that someone didn’t want anymore were keeping fingers crossed that a person would come along who suddenly wanted that same old stuff for their house.

It’s a fun walk to take. Old signs, sheet music and postcards take you back to generations before. Roll top desks, sideboards and thick legged wooden tables remind us how homes were once furnished. Each person walks the lanes of the assembled tents with a different eye for what has value.

I find myself seeking out hickory shafted golf clubs, old musical instruments and antique desks and office pieces. I’m not an expert at any of them, but having that target in mind gives one some focus when sifting through the junk.


Over the years we have walked a lot, but bought little at Bouckville. We compare prices. We consider. Then we decide whether we really need that little something in our house. Often the decision is no, we really don’t. But, there are exceptions.

Shoppers at Bouckville

There is that old country window with the mirrored glass, the boat oars that hang on the wall. This year we added a small mantel piece to our collection of purchases. I wonder whose house used to be home for the detail in that carving.


If you haven’t been – give it a try. Poke around. Have some lunch. Wear your sneakers and a hat. Bring a bottle of water. Be prepared to bargain. Don’t ever pay the sticker price without engaging the proprietor. If you plan to pay what they’re asking up front, don’t buy until they say the magical phrase, “I can do a little better on that for you.”