A year or so ago, I offered for sale an oblong, tiger maple bowl (not the large early maple treenware piece shown here--one of the best bowls ever!) at the twice-annual nationally known antiques fair where I exhibit the finds of my year-long treasure hunt. In the course of marking all my wares before the show opened, I labeled the tiger maple bowl simply, "Early Bowl". Some time on the first day of the show, three women walked into my booth, and I noticed them looking at the tiger-maple bowl. One of them asked in all innocence, "what does early mean?" Oh for a photo of the surprise on my face as I looked at her and answered the question, "it means old". She continuing looking at me, her puzzled expression causing me to say, "this is an antiques show". I smiled then, and shook my head (but only in my mind) and I just smiled again as I typed this memory of a world changed--that is, the world of collecting and offering for sale early American utilitarian and decorative arts.
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