The American International Fine Art Fair ended its six-day run on Feb. 8, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

Good sales and a robust attendance are reported for 70 international dealers at the fair, which attracted a total attendance of 24,000. Reported sales range from $5,000 to $5 million.

Wilbur and Hilary Ross, Tom Quick, Mario Buatta and Pauline Pitt, served as co-chairs of the AIFAF Collectors & Connoisseurs committee. Both Ross and Quick and hosted pre-fair events in New York and Palm Beach.

Among the prominent designers and collectors attending the fair were Scott Snyder, Brian McCarthy, Matthew Patrick Smyth, Betty Sherrill, Stephanie Seymour and Peter Brant, William Koch, Earl Mack, Stephen Schwarzmann, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Shirley, Iris and Carl Apfel, Michel Witmer, Nancy and Walter Racquet, Maura Benjamin, Maureen Donnell, Diana Wister, Robert Nederlander, Pat Cook, Gigi and Harry Benson.

The following is a partial listing of sales reported prior to the fair’s closing: Adelson Galleries (New York), Winfield’s Porch by Andrew Wyeth; ARITA Eduardo Cohen (Buenos Aires), Mexican shell and turtle inlaid enconchado sold to the Monterrey Museum of Historical Art; Artmosphere (Salzburg/London), Andy Warhol painting and two photographs of Marilyn Monroe by Lawrence Schiller; Michael Goedhuis (New York/London), China Hans Dynasty bronze.

For a complete listing or additional information on the AIFA fair, see www.aifaf.com.

Parker Brothers Shotguns, Meriden, Connecticut

Legends were born in Meriden, Connecticut. One such story is Parker Brothers Shotguns, known and avidly collected around the world.

Recently the "Czar Parker gun" sold for $287,500 at James Julia Auction in Maine.

Related advertisements, catalogues, and related memorabilia are being sought by a corporate business. For details, e-mail the editor.

About Mr. Hubbard's Park

Character is destiny.

The landscape of Connecticut would not be the same without the life of enterprising Walter Hubbard.

Born Sept. 23, 1823, in Middletown, Conn., Hubbard was raised on a farm. At 18, he "secured a position as clerk in a country store where, by his thrift, his energy and his strict attention to his employer's interests, he was enabled to accumulate enough capital to embark in business for himself."

And he never looked back. First he opened a small store in Meriden. Then, along with his brother-in-law, Bradley, Hubbard founded the Bradley and Hubbard Manufacturing Company, growing it from clock making to quality lighting and other goods. By 1888, the company employed more than 1,000 workers and had showrooms in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago.

Commuters and travelers on busy Interstate 691, which bisects the park (Hubbard would have objected to its construction) see his signature castle high on the rocky crag of the Hanging Hills of Meriden. Castle Craig, a rook-like stone tower, commands attention, though many have no idea how to access the mountain road, nor why the landmark exists.

Walter Hubbard is why. He is the man who gifted some 1,800 acres to create a the buffer of land, water, pathways and woods, long before the age of open space preservation. Today known as Hubbard Park, it is only one of his park legacies. Hubbard was intelligent enough to donate the with the stipulation that "everything connected with the park was to remain free of charge for the people of Meriden, and that no concessions for profit were ever allowed within the park area."

The point being that one human in business can change the face of a community, a state. If Hubbard was not a successful entrepreneur, the parklands would not be preserved.

At present, the park is Meriden's crown jewel, a Central Park-like oasis. The roads around Mirror Lake are festooned with seasonal light displays for the holidays and attracts thousands of visitors who can delight in the reflected beauty.

Today, Bradley and Hubbard lamps and other goods are highly collectible. Beautiful and well crafted, they, like Hubbard's work, stand the test of time.

More about the park roads, access, and hidden park features in an upcoming story.

Quest for Tolkien Collectible

A first edition of a book can have many shadings of value. Hardcover? Paperback? United Kingdom edition, or the one released in the United States? And it goes on from those basic questions.

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien was first released in 1954 and is the second volume in the beloved trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Randy White, owner of The Book Barn in Niantic, says he sees a first edition in this condition "every five years or so." Cost is $1,265; call direct to see if the book is still available.

Book lovers will delight in the more than 350,000 books on site at The Book Barn, a peaceful haven for readers of every stripe. The main barn is chockfull of books sorted by category, organized, warm and comfortable for browsing. They even have coffee and snacks. The smaller sheds and nooks are scattered about the property. The business celebrates its 20th year in Connecticut (it opened in April 1988). Don't miss the downtown Niantic storefront location, a short drive away from the main barns on Route 1, locally called West Main Street. Inventory at both is constantly changing. Books and bought and sold; call for details and an appointment.


As White says "you never know what treasure you may find" on a visit. Those seeking for a particular title may call ahead to check inventory. The Book Barn staff? Knowledgeable, helpful and prompt with returning calls. These folks know books and love them.

The Lord of the Rings was originally published as 3 separate volumes due to post-World War II paper shortages and size and price considerations.

Author J.R.R. Tolkien lulled his oldest son (who had trouble falling asleep) to by telling him stories about a boy with red hair who "climbed into a cuckoo clock and went off on a series of strange adventures."

J.R.R. Tolkien, a scholar of the English language, specialized in Old and Middle English, and was twice Professor of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) at the University of Oxford. Other than The Lord of the Rings trilogy, his most famous work is The Hobbit (1937).