Early Birds Can Sleep Late for This Tag Sale

Early birds wishing to snap up 1950s-era Dansk tableware or elegant majolica earthenware ceramics at this year’s East Hampton Historical Society tag sale can sleep in a little later this year, since by village law, the gate won’t open until 9 a.m. anyway.

But don’t sleep in too late, as many of the best finds are snatched up quickly at the tag sale, if last year’s experiences are indicators. The second annual “Trustees’ Tag Sale” will be held on Saturday, May 28, from 9 a.m. to noon on the Historical Society’s Osborn-Jackson House grounds on Main Street.

“So much is sold within the first hour,” said East Hampton Historical Society Director Richard Barons during a recent interview.

He described the event, now in its second year, as “fun and family-friendly.”

Admission to the sale is free, according to Lynn Stefanelli, the society’s press person. She added though that there will be many extraordinary items for sale.

“You can come with $20 in

your pocket. It’s not an academic event,” Ms. Stefanelli said. “We want the general public to bring their kids and enjoy the day. Trustees, both past and present, have scoured their attics, barns and garages to unearth a cornucopia of treasures guaranteed to titillate the avid tag sale shopper.”

This tag sale will offer many items previously secreted behind the doors of the homes of the society’s trustees, Mr. Barons said.

“What makes it fun is that all our trustees are interested in history and art,” Barons said. “Last year, one of the trustees cleared out two guest rooms and brought wonderful lithographs priced at $85. They sold out in a half hour.”

According to Mr. Barons, of particular note in this year’s sale: “A 1930s oriental lamp popular during the art deco period that still has the rattan on it—it hasn’t fallen off. And in this age of vampires, how can you not have, above your bed, dragon sconces, probably faux-Victorian,” he said.

He also noted that several items will be arriving from a well-known interior decorator, who wishes to remain anonymous, who is bringing items from his Locust Valley house and treasures from his mother’s Palm Beach abode. Memorabilia, pictures, shell accessories and vintage silver knick-knacks will be part of that donated swag, he said.

Chip Rae, society vice president and trustee, and his partner Mark Olives, a former trustee, will bring items from the storage barn of The American Wing, the Bridgehampton store frequented by lovers of rattan, wicker and bamboo furniture, which closed after 15 years in January 2010.

“We came up with the idea of a trustees tag sale as an alternative to the high-end ‘Antiques Show’ in July,” Mr. Rae said. “It will be short and sweet. Last year we had 10 booths, and 25 people were standing at the gate when it opened. Shoppers were amazed at the quality of the goods. For example, if it’s kitchen—it’s Dansk.”

Items for sale will include household goods, lighting, books, tools, garden items and decorative objects, according to Ms. Stefanelli.

But there will also be a few more unique items included in the tag sale. One of the more eccentric objects up for the discerning bargain-hunter is an antique baby buggy, Mr. Barons said.

“It’s rickshaw-style, so probably made in England around 1910 for a nanny to roll over the gravel roads with Little Lord Fauntleroy,” he laughed.

Mary Kay Jaroff, a former board member who will have a booth this year, described having seller’s remorse at last year’s inaugural sale when “someone bought an evening purse I had purchased in Asia from me for $5, then told me later it was worth $500,” she said. “I thought, ‘I should have charged her $10.’”

For the sale on Saturday, Ms. Jaroff promised to bring an ironwork table and chair “that are quite comfortable and nice.”

The proceeds from registration—each trustee pays $100 for a booth—go to the beautification of the property at the Osborne-Jackson house. The lion’s share of the money raised has been earmarked to benefit the lawn and irrigation system. Many of the trustees also give their proceeds directly to the society, although that is not a requirement.

The free second annual “Trustees’ Tag Sale” benefiting the East Hampton Historical Society will be held on Saturday, May 28, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Osborn-Jackson House in East Hampton. For more information, call 324-6850, email info@easthamptonhistory.org or visit easthamptonhistory.org.