The 49th annual Collectors Fair will be held this weekend, with plenty of rare, unique and historic items on offer at the Cowra Showground Pavilion.
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The Collectors Fair, presented by the Cowra Gem and Collectors Club Inc, will see hundreds of collectors come to Cowra from all parts of Australia and internationally.
Joan Christians from the Cowra Gem and Collectors Club Inc said it’s one of the few shows left of its kind in NSW.
“It’s the only show like this between Sydney and Victoria, other towns used to have them,” she said.
Despite fewer shows being held, collectors fairs are attracting more and more people each year, and Cowra's will be no exception. Well over 500 people are expected to visit the show over the weekend, many from outside Cowra.
There will be over 100 displays of bottles and all kinds of collectables to see, as well as many sales stalls – in fact 740ft (225m) of sales tables.
Collectable items include Victorian glass, whisky jugs, Australiana, kitchenalia, old tools, pie funnels, salt and pepper shakers and much more.
Some of the bottle displays which visitors find most attractive are ink bottles and items from old chemist shops, while some feature all kinds of bottles from a particular town. Many of these bottles were dug over the years by the people who display them.
With such an array on offer, it is easy to spend several hours just looking, although items can be found to buy from $5 upwards.
Exhibitors and sellers come from all around NSW as well as from Brisbane, Victoria and there is even a gentleman from Germany who comes every second year.
Some of these have been attending this event almost from the beginning, while others are more recent participants.
Joan said, “A lot of younger collectors are probably not aware of shows like this but people have been inspired to start collecting, by coming and seeing what’s there.”
“If you are at all interested in older things of any kind or things out of the ordinary, this is the place to go,” she said.
“It’s all these things we don’t see any more and unless you go to the show, you don’t see them.”
The Collectors Fair will be open on Saturday, May 20 from 9:30 until 5:30 and Sunday, May 21 from 9am until 1pm.
Admission is $5 for adults with children free.
Proceeds from the fair go to Cowra Lions Club.
