Tickets Now on Sale for Inaugural Pennsylvania Antiques Show

Reported on Friday, March 20, 2026.

Pictured Above: Oliver Garland. Photo Credit: Contributed.

NEWSROOM POST: TRAPPE, PENNSYLVANIA

Historic Trappe Brings Nationally Renowned Dealers, Scholarly Programming, and a Landmark Conestoga Wagon Exhibition to Valley Forge, April 23–26, 2026

Trappe, PA — Tickets are now on sale for the inaugural Pennsylvania Antiques Show, a major event celebrating the best of Americana, fine art, and decorative arts in advance of America’s 250th anniversary. The show will take place April 23–26, 2026, at the convention center at Valley Forge Casino Resort, just minutes from Valley Forge National Historical Park.

Presented by Historic Trappe, the Pennsylvania Antiques Show will feature 64 of the nation’s leading antiques dealers offering exceptional examples of fine and decorative art, including Americana, garden antiques, paintings, silver, ceramics, jewelry, European and Chinese decorative arts, and important works spanning the 17th through 20th centuries.

Tickets can be purchased for a special Preview Party on Thursday, April 23, ranging from $175-450, where attendees will enjoy early access to the show floor and the opportunity to engage directly with dealers before the public opening.

General admission tickets for Friday, April 24, through Sunday, April 26, range from $20-25 and are free for guests under 18. Admission includes entry to the show as well as access to Historic Trappe’s museums, including the Center for Pennsylvania German Studies in the Dewees Tavern; the Muhlenberg House furnished to the Revolutionary War era; and the newly restored Speaker’s House, Frederick Muhlenberg, the first speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, which will celebrate its grand opening on April 11, 2026, following a 25-year restoration.

Pictured Above: Art by Antique show exhibitor, Blue Mango Books and Manuscripts. Photo Credit: Contributed.

“This show reflects Historic Trappe’s commitment to scholarship, education, and connecting people with history through objects,” said Lisa Minardi, executive director of Historic Trappe. “By bringing together leading dealers and a range of lectures, panels, and presentations, we’re creating space for collectors and new audiences to engage directly with the material culture that continues to shape how we understand the past.”

A Landmark Loan Exhibition: The Conestoga Wagon

A signature feature of the show will be the loan exhibition, The Conestoga Wagon: A Pennsylvania Icon, showcasing a full-scale Conestoga wagon from a private Lancaster collection.

First developed in Lancaster County during the early 1700s to haul farm produce and other goods to market, these wagons were the equivalent of today’s tractor trailers and were often decorated with highly ornate ironwork made by local blacksmiths.

In 1976, the Conestoga wagon was the focus of the Bicentennial Wagon Train, in which wagons from across the United States converged at Valley Forge on July 4. Fifty years later, the Pennsylvania Antiques Show once again brings visitors from around the country back to Valley Forge to celebrate the nation’s history through material culture during the U.S. Semiquincentennial.

Pictured Above: Antique French Fine Art Andre BARBIER Bords de Seine. Photo Credit: Contributed.

A National Roster of Distinguished Dealers

The Pennsylvania Antiques Show will host 64 of the nation’s most respected antiques dealers.

Among the distinguished exhibitors are: Arader Galleries; Barbara Israel Garden Antiques; David A. Schorsch–Eileen M. Smiles; Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge; H.L. Chalfant American Fine Art and Antiques; Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques; Jeffrey Tillou; Kelly Kinzle; Lillian Nassau; Nathan Liverant and Son; Olde Hope; and Schwarz Gallery.

The show intentionally brings together seasoned leaders alongside an emerging generation of dealers, reflecting Historic Trappe’s broader effort to engage younger collectors and broaden participation in antiques and material culture.

Robust Scholarly and Public Programming

In addition to museum-quality objects available for purchase, the Pennsylvania Antiques Show will feature a dynamic schedule of scholarly lectures, panel discussions, and dealer-led presentations throughout the weekend.

On Friday, Emily Sneff, Ph.D., consulting curator at Historic Trappe and a leading historian of the Declaration of Independence, will speak about her forthcoming book When the Declaration of Independence Was News. Michele Craig McDonald, Ph.D., recent director of the Library and Museum at the American Philosophical Society, will present Sunday on her book Coffee Nation: How One Commodity Transformed the Early United States, exploring how global trade shaped early American identity.

A featured Saturday morning panel on collecting for private and public institutions will bring together Michael Diaz-Griffith, director and CEO of the Design Leadership Network; Lisa Minardi, executive director of Historic Trappe; Matthew Monk, the Linda Eaton Associate Curator of Textiles at Winterthur Museum; and moderator Allie Kochinsky, host of the Grandma’s Silver podcast.

Throughout the weekend, dealers will host “booth talks” on topics including Revolutionary War artifacts, American manuscripts, Impressionism, French silver, folk art, furniture, and more – offering attendees direct access to expertise and connoisseurship.

Tickets and full event details are available at: www.paantiquesshow.com

About Historic Trappe / Facebook/Instagram: @HistoricTrappe
Historic Trappe is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the historic places, landscapes, and heritage of southeastern Pennsylvania. The organization maintains five historic properties, four of which are open to the public. The Center for Pennsylvania German Studies, located in the Dewees Tavern, has five galleries featuring a wide variety of furniture, fraktur, textiles, and other objects as well as a changing special exhibitions gallery and research library/archives. The Muhlenberg House is a fully furnished museum interpreting the families of Lutheran pastor Henry Muhlenberg and his son General Peter Muhlenberg during the Revolutionary War. The Speaker’s House, home of Frederick Muhlenberg, is an ongoing restoration project and the site of a Pennsylvania German kitchen garden. The St. Luke’s Cemetery was founded in 1742 and includes many prominent local figures and military veterans. Historic Trappe is also the owner of the Muhlenberg parsonage, built in 1745 and currently undergoing architectural study in preparation for restoration. To learn more, visit HistoricTrappe.org.