As published in the October 2018 issue of Maine Antique Digest:

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Amelia Jeffers to Conduct Sale of Peter Chillingworth’s Collection

On  October 19  and 20  auction  veteran Amelia Jeffers will conduct an on-site auction of the inventory and personal collection  of  Peter  Chillingworth,  longtime antiques  dealer  and  show  promoter,  of Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania. Chillingworth is best known for carrying antiques  and  decorative  accessories  from the Federal period, with an emphasis on the region he has called home and where he has had a shop since 1961. 

Jeffers  reenters  the  auction  scene  a  year after  having  left  Garth’s  Auctioneers  & 
Appraisers, Delaware, Ohio, a company she co-owned and helped to run for more than 20 
years. “It is such an honor to be approached by Peter and Cappy to conduct this auction,” Jeffers stated. “The Chillingworths are longtime friends, and I can’t imagine many more exciting reasons to jump back into auctioning  than  this. As  everyone  in  the  business knows,  Peter  has  wonderful  things,  is  an icon in the Americana world as a dealer, and is a very successful antique show manager. That he is offering a serious and extensive collection on site and absolute just translates into  a  fantastic  opportunity  for  everyone involved."

“Peter  has  been  a  student  and  a  champion, not only for antiques and collectors in general, but for preserving and respecting historic and decorative objects of western Pennsylvania.  From  vine-inlaid  furniture to  silver,  glass,  and  artwork,  it  just  made no sense to pull these objects out of their native  region,”  explained  Jeffers  on  the choice to conduct an on-site auction. “Jim Frio and Shane Stack (personal friends and auction  veterans)  from  nearby  Wheeling [West Virginia] have signed on to help run the auction. I simply could not have gotten it done alone—their help sealed the deal.”

Chillingworth  has  served  as  the  show manager  of  many  longstanding  shows, including two that he will continue to manage for the foreseeable future: the Brandywine River Museum of Art Antiques Show in  Chadds  Ford,  Pennsylvania,  and  the Oglebay Institute’s annual Antiques Show and Sale in Wheeling, West Virginia. The  auction  will  be  conducted  on  the grounds  of  the  historic  house  and  barn Chillingworth shares with his wife, Kathryn (“Cappy”), in Scenery Hill. Chillingworth  came  to  the  antiques industry  honestly.  “I  had  a  great  interest in  antiques  from  a  young  age  thanks  to my mother. I started out portering for her in  my  teens  when  she  managed  a  much-loved  antique  show  held  for  years  at  the Episcopalian  church  in  Indiana,  Pennsylvania,”  he  explained.  “When  I  got  out  of school,  and  in  an  effort  to  seek  approval from my future father-in-law, I took a job at  J.C. Penney in management. I lasted about eighteen months before I decided I did not want  to  retire  as  a  J.C.  Penney  associate. So with my wife’s permission, and because she had steady income as a schoolteacher, I left Penney’s and opened an antique shop in March of 1961,” Chillingworth continued.  “And it has been open ever since; until now, of course. I’ve come to the realization that it is time to move on. I will still be buying and selling antiques but on a limited basis.”

For more information, visit (www.thechillingworthauction.com),  call (740)  815-7016,  or  e-mail  <chillingworth@ameliajeffers.com>.