PORTLAND, Ind. — Antiques continue to play an integral role in the annual Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Assoc. show. The world’s largest engine and tractor show, which was Aug. 24-28 this year at the Jay County Fairgrounds, again included an antique show with dozens of dealers.

Terry Drake of Muncie, Ind., was among the outdoor dealers offering a general line of merchandise, from a circa-1950s Willys Army jeep pedal car with a front-mounted machine gun, priced $750, to an 1849 Indiana coverlet by John Muir, blue and white, having some holes, at $250.

A Wayne visual gas pump was tagged $2,250; oak Columbia Grafonola, $425; A Short History of the Bible and Testament, published in 1817 in Hartford, Conn., $475; “Larkin Products Sold Here” self-framed, lithographed-tin sign in orange and blue, $185; and a vintage Buster Brown mechanical giraffe store display covered in velvet, about 4-feet high, was $375.

A 1962 Marx Fred Flintstone and Dino battery-operated toy was $350, while a 1920s composition Mickey Mouse doll, a souvenir from the Cincinnati Zoo, with an early photograph of a child holding the doll, was $255.

Several buildings are used, allowing the antique show to be held regardless of weather. Among the merchants with a roof overhead was Myron Huffman of Hoagland, Ind. He offered a star-shaped, gilded-brass badge, “Souvenir, 1st Rough Riders Reunion, Las Vegas, N.M., 1899, June 24-27,” priced $250. With the badge was a New York Times article describing the event, which was attended by Teddy Roosevelt.

Advertising included a Prudential Insurance Co. 1903 calendar having a woman’s portrait, marked $225; state map of New York compliments of Parry Mfg. Co., Buggy Manufacturer, Indianapolis, Ind., and H.A. Odell Edmeston, N.Y., showing a bird’s-eye view of the buggy plant, $350; and a 1937 calendar promoting products made by The F.E. Myers & Bro. Co., Ashland, Ohio, about 4-feet high, depicting dozens of cast-iron water pumps, was $450.

Other items ranged from a November 1930 copy of American Poultry Journal, tagged $17.50, to an 1884 lithograph of The Battle of Gettysburg, unframed, at $285.

A Hoosier Poet cigar box depicting author J.W. Riley was $45; and a cabinet card picturing world champion horseback sharpshooter Miss May Lillie with Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show, circa 1897, stains, was $135.

Osterman Oddities of Muncie, Ind., was among the specialty dealers, selling vintage and collectible jewelry. A flip-frame having an 1890 silver crown on one side, while the other showed a classical scene of a warrior on horseback battling a griffin or dragon, was $225.

Cameos were said to be selling well recently. A 14k gold cameo with an Asian scene was $500, while a silver-framed shell cameo of three classical women was $400.

A Naja squash blossom turquoise necklace was $700; turquoise and feather bracelet marked “Zuni Angie C,” $90; 10k gold Ball Brothers service pins, $60 each; Napier clip-on costume earrings, $5; carved Bakelite bracelet in tan, $40; and a Weiss rhinestone bracelet was $30.

Carl and Linda Greenlee of Anderson, Ind., brought thousands of postcards. Particularly fitting was one promoting the St. Louis Lightning Rod Co., St. Louis, Mo. It pictured dead livestock outside a barn. The text noted, “Killed by lightning July 9th 1913 property of Isaiah L. Fielder, Elnora, Ind., RFD #3, This barn was not protected by lightning rods.” The postcard was $100.

Stoner brought a selection of items made by the Model Flint Glass Co. of Albany, Ind. – better known simply as Albany glass. Examples included a Ribbed Spiral square bowl priced $55; green Pride toothpick, $120; green Pride square bowl, $85; clear Pride square bowl, $45; clear Pride fruit bowl, $45; clear Shepherd’s Plaid spooner, $40; clear Shepherd’s Plaid toothpick, $55; clear Hawaii cologne bottle with stopper, $65; clear Tacoma spooner, $55; and a clear Albany bowl was $40.

While the antique show is located in and around a number of buildings and pavilions on the fairgrounds, an outlying field contains multiple rows of merchandise from hundreds of dealers selling everything from tractor parts to vintage advertising to fishing tackle. Shopping the fields involves plenty of walking – often dodging a frustrating number of lawn tractors, golf carts and ATVs moving up and down the aisles. However, it can be a rewarding hunt thanks to the diverse nature of the goods for sale.

Among the items found this year were a figural cast-iron Case eagle on a globe, about 5-feet high, repainted, of the type used at Case dealerships, priced $5,850; floor-model wooden corn sheller in original red paint with black lettering, Little Giant, Ohio Rake Co., Dayton, Ohio, $250; football-shaped hog oiler, $80; 1965 Sears Allstate motorcycle, $2,200; Fire Chief pedal car, $200; hot-air fans powered by kerosene or alcohol, $2,600 and $4,400; and a cast-iron water pump, Baker Mfg. Co., Evansville, Ind., was $150.

Next year’s Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Assoc. show is set for Aug. 22-25. For more details, visit www.tristate gasenginetractor.com