A buyer carries a Victorian lamp table to his vehicle.

Gambling has pumped millions of dollars into the economy in southern Indiana, in part leading to significant improvements to the local fairgrounds. World War II-era buildings have been replaced with modern facilities that have translated into a better experience for both buyers and sellers at the Tri-State Antique Market.

With about 125 dealers under cover, the show is held rain or shine. When it does rain, the event is dampened but not drowned. "The May show this year we got hit with one of those all-day rains -- the kind of thing that will kill an outdoor show," said Metzger. "Our attendance was half of what it was normally. But I remember a day when hardly anyone would have come in that kind of weather. I looked in the parking lot, and they were pulling up, popping umbrellas and heading for the gates."

The compact nature of the fairgrounds means buyers have to do a minimum of walking. There's a lot to see in a little area. What shoppers aren't likely to find, however, are newer items. All merchandise must be made before 1975. Metzger's staff vets the show, culling out merchandise that doesn't fit the guidelines.

What the dealers bring runs the gamut from high-quality items, such as a $1,200 lithographed-tin sign for "Forwood Shoes, Cincinnati, O.," shown by Phil Perdue of Crestwood, Ky., to inexpensive collectibles, such as a nameplate from a Pinto, tagged $7.

Mimi Morgan of Bryn Sion Antiques, Florence, Ky., was among the more recent additions to the show, having set up for the first time last year. She described the event as "outstanding" and "well-managed."

"Bruce takes care of us," she said. "Customers come expecting to find high-class merchandise, and they get it."

Top-quality advertising at the show included this sign for Forwood Shoes. It was priced $1,200 by Phil Perdue of Crestwood, Ky.

Two fox terriers decorate this circa-1915 German plate priced $49 by Mimi Morgan of Bryn Sion Antiques, Florence, Ky.

Since Morgan is active in animal rescue, it wasn't surprising to find several shelves full of dog collectibles in her booth, including a 19th-century reverse-painted portrait of "Midas, Highland White Terrier," about 5 by 7 inches, at $158, and a Royal Doulton sheepdog figurine designed by Warren Platt, priced $115.

Just down the aisle was Earl Russell of Fairfield, Ohio, who has been doing the show for years. Russell offered a selection of American art pottery, including Rookwood. That's not surprising, since Lawrenceburg is so close to Cincinnati.

That Rookwood included a pair of white owl bookends from 1945 at $210, and a 10-inch vase, also from 1945, at $215. Although he occasionally gets artist-decorated pieces, the Rookwood he offers at Tri-State Antique Market tends to be production pieces priced from $100 to $230.

Affordable collectibles included an assortment of Whitman coloring books shown by O. Rodger Harris of Just Records, Winchester, Ind. "You don't see them at these shows, and if you do, people just guess at the price," he said.

Among his inventory were a Flash Gordon Coloring Book, 1952, 10 pages used, $25; Tarzan Coloring Book, 1957, unused, $20; Superman Color by Number, 1966, half used, $12; The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Coloring Book, 1955, six pages used, $10; National Velvet Coloring Book, 1961, three pages used, $10; and Patty Duke Coloring Book, 1966, half used, at $8.

Harris noted that other paper items that are selling well include pin-up art, puzzles, Big Little Books and cowboy comics. "If it's a funny book, you can't sell it. But if it has a cowboy on it and a horse, you can."

Paper ephemera offered by O. Rodger Harris of Just Records, Winchester, Ind., included a Flash Gordon Coloring Book, 1952, 10 pages used, priced $25, and a Patty Duke Coloring Book, 1966, half used, tagged $8.

The variety in this market was well illustrated in one booth, which offered a table full of swanky swigs next to several tables of antique firearms, including a Winchester Model 1890 rifle at $1,200. From kitchen cabinets to LP records, and from decorated porcelain to fishing tackle, the show had a strong mix of merchandise.

The Tri-State Antique Market is held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month, May through October. Admission is $3. Early buyers are allowed into the show beginning at 5 a.m. for the same fee.

The final show of 2004 will be Sunday, Oct. 3. For more information, contact Bruce Metzger at Queen City Shows, (513) 738-7256 or visit www.queencityshows.com.

Don Johnson is a freelance writer from Indiana