Page 31 - 2019 August The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
P. 31
•The materials used – sterling silver, mother of • Select a favorite color and look for notions that
pearl, and bone are generally desirable in tools are in that color, regardless of subcategory or era.
and implements.
• Pick a theme, such as “items found in a sewing
•Unusual/rare forms will almost always fetch a basket” or “items used for mending.”
higher price than a common form, even if the
condition is not as pristine as its more pedestrian • Collect items made of a particular material,
counterpart. such as sterling silver, bone, or Bakelite.
•Country of origin-some items may be consid- Collecting sewing notions can be a wonderful
ered more valuable if they are French, English or hobby that offers a wide variety of intriguing possi-
American. It depends on the item in particular. bilities. Since beauty truly is in the eye of the
beholder, your own personal aesthetic will dictate
•Of course, provenance can always play a role in how you choose to go about collecting, curating,
determining value. Did someone famous own and displaying your collection. The collection can
the piece? Can its origins be traced to a group or be extremely budget-friendly or it can be on the
organization that is generally considered inter- “serious collector” end of the spectrum. It really
esting in its own right, for example, the Shakers doesn’t matter the reason you enjoy it, the price you
or the Amish? paid, or the value it holds in someone else’s eyes –
the essential thing is that you get pleasure from
If you are just starting a collection, it can be having it in your life and in your personal space.
Graphics on sewing packaging a bit daunting as the scope of sewing notions is
quite broad. It is often a good strategy to make When not working at her day job as a clinical
some decisions about your collection early on, laboratory scientist, you can find author Judy Nixon
narrowing your focus to keep the collection from Kent tending her Etsy shops, Elegant Farmhouse and
overtaking your space. There are a few ways to The French Laundry, or hanging out with her
do this: husband, two teenage sons, and two middle-aged
Yorkshire Terriers in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• Pick a subcategory to hone in on and collect
one type of item. Buttons, thimbles, pincush-
ions, lace trim, or measuring tapes, for example,
make very interesting collections and offer exten-
sive options.
• Choose an era. Collect various items from the
Victorian period, or a particular decade, such as
the 1920s.
A Marie Antoinette
A collection display based upon color figural tape measure
Continued from page 26
The mill itself was cast iron but the canister that held
the coffee beans on top of the mill was clear glass. A sec- Enterprise Mfg. Co. No. 218 Red-painted
ond much smaller glass container caught the ground cof- Floor Standing Coffee Grinder, Philadelphia,
fee at the bottom of the mill. Because these glass canisters late 19th century, the tin funnel with gilt
were easily broken and not the nearly indestructible as a eagle finial, atop foliate-stenciled body and
cast iron base, inspect the glass and speak with the dealer legs, (losses to side), 69” high, 24 1/2” wide,
to learn whether it is original to the piece or a reproduc- 35” deep photo: Skinner Auction
tion created to look like the original.
The Enterprise Manufacturing Company, founded in
Philadelphia in 1864, was one of the leading makers of purpose, today
both large and small coffee grinders. Enterprise made they are collected
heavy-duty grinders for grocers, retailers, and wholesalers. and valued for
While many of these wall or table-mounted machines had their design, size,
side crank handles, its largest grinders had handles that raw materials,
attached to flywheels. Enterprise made one- and two- maker, craftsman-
wheel grinders. The most ornate examples were made in ship, adornment,
the late 19th and early 20th centuries with eagle finials embossing, paint,
atop the urn-shaped hoppers and a pair of flywheels.
patina, and condition. Design and embellishments have
These more industrialized versions would be mounted on allowed coffee grinders to be viewed as pieces of art, and
a waist-high, decorative, cast-iron stand. increasingly valued as such; however, more so at shows
Landers Frary and Clark of New Britain, Connecticut and markets than the prices realized at auctions. With a
The Peugeot family has been making things began coffee grinder production in the mid-1870s
for over 200 years – well before creating few notable exceptions, you can expect to pay around
$60-$150 for an early, primitive, well-used example of a
their innovative automobiles. Founding and made mills of all kinds: box, side, wall canisters,
box-shaped, wall-hung, and table-mounted grinder as
father Jean-Pierre (b. 1734), who two-wheelers, and electric. Of note: a tin canister wall
established a grain mill and an oil mill mill introduced in the late 1890s that was cost effective compared to a few hundred more for a nice, well-made
as well as weaving and dye works, was the to build. Also, a series of cast iron coffee mills were made and decorative free-standing one-wheel or two-wheel
first of a line of innovative Peugeots and and patterned after those made by Enterprise Mfg. Co. grinder. Larger-size wheel grinders from particular
in 1810, brothers Jean-Pierre II and They were introduced around the turn of the century companies, and those that have been restored, can fetch
Jean-Frédéric, founded” Peugeot Frères,” and featured a unique six-spoke design on the double- several thousand.
which began their engineering legacy that wheel models. There are a number of YouTube channels dedicated to
continues to this day. Back in the early Other notable American manufacturers include Logan
1800s, brothers Jean-Pierre II and and Strobridge, The Charles Parker Co., Steinfeld, the restoration of cast iron objects including coffee
Jean-Frédéric took their father’s grain mill Wilmont Castle, and Wrightsville Hardware Company. grinders. This typically includes stripping them down to
and transformed it into a steel foundry, their metal, bringing them back to working order, and
where they made products as diverse as saws, giving them a new coat of paint. The
springs, umbrella frames, as well as pepper THE COST TO COLLECT result is a working, decorative display
and coffee grinders. This coffee grinder Google “antique coffee grinders” and dozens of websites piece that is now valued as art and
dates to the mid- to late-1800s and was pop up, from eBay to Pinterest (for beauty shots), Etsy as a piece of history – an object of
imported in volume into the U.S. (for restoration and reproduction projects), collector sites, everyday life, then and now.
and auction houses. Once valued for their intended
August 2019 29
pearl, and bone are generally desirable in tools are in that color, regardless of subcategory or era.
and implements.
• Pick a theme, such as “items found in a sewing
•Unusual/rare forms will almost always fetch a basket” or “items used for mending.”
higher price than a common form, even if the
condition is not as pristine as its more pedestrian • Collect items made of a particular material,
counterpart. such as sterling silver, bone, or Bakelite.
•Country of origin-some items may be consid- Collecting sewing notions can be a wonderful
ered more valuable if they are French, English or hobby that offers a wide variety of intriguing possi-
American. It depends on the item in particular. bilities. Since beauty truly is in the eye of the
beholder, your own personal aesthetic will dictate
•Of course, provenance can always play a role in how you choose to go about collecting, curating,
determining value. Did someone famous own and displaying your collection. The collection can
the piece? Can its origins be traced to a group or be extremely budget-friendly or it can be on the
organization that is generally considered inter- “serious collector” end of the spectrum. It really
esting in its own right, for example, the Shakers doesn’t matter the reason you enjoy it, the price you
or the Amish? paid, or the value it holds in someone else’s eyes –
the essential thing is that you get pleasure from
If you are just starting a collection, it can be having it in your life and in your personal space.
Graphics on sewing packaging a bit daunting as the scope of sewing notions is
quite broad. It is often a good strategy to make When not working at her day job as a clinical
some decisions about your collection early on, laboratory scientist, you can find author Judy Nixon
narrowing your focus to keep the collection from Kent tending her Etsy shops, Elegant Farmhouse and
overtaking your space. There are a few ways to The French Laundry, or hanging out with her
do this: husband, two teenage sons, and two middle-aged
Yorkshire Terriers in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• Pick a subcategory to hone in on and collect
one type of item. Buttons, thimbles, pincush-
ions, lace trim, or measuring tapes, for example,
make very interesting collections and offer exten-
sive options.
• Choose an era. Collect various items from the
Victorian period, or a particular decade, such as
the 1920s.
A Marie Antoinette
A collection display based upon color figural tape measure
Continued from page 26
The mill itself was cast iron but the canister that held
the coffee beans on top of the mill was clear glass. A sec- Enterprise Mfg. Co. No. 218 Red-painted
ond much smaller glass container caught the ground cof- Floor Standing Coffee Grinder, Philadelphia,
fee at the bottom of the mill. Because these glass canisters late 19th century, the tin funnel with gilt
were easily broken and not the nearly indestructible as a eagle finial, atop foliate-stenciled body and
cast iron base, inspect the glass and speak with the dealer legs, (losses to side), 69” high, 24 1/2” wide,
to learn whether it is original to the piece or a reproduc- 35” deep photo: Skinner Auction
tion created to look like the original.
The Enterprise Manufacturing Company, founded in
Philadelphia in 1864, was one of the leading makers of purpose, today
both large and small coffee grinders. Enterprise made they are collected
heavy-duty grinders for grocers, retailers, and wholesalers. and valued for
While many of these wall or table-mounted machines had their design, size,
side crank handles, its largest grinders had handles that raw materials,
attached to flywheels. Enterprise made one- and two- maker, craftsman-
wheel grinders. The most ornate examples were made in ship, adornment,
the late 19th and early 20th centuries with eagle finials embossing, paint,
atop the urn-shaped hoppers and a pair of flywheels.
patina, and condition. Design and embellishments have
These more industrialized versions would be mounted on allowed coffee grinders to be viewed as pieces of art, and
a waist-high, decorative, cast-iron stand. increasingly valued as such; however, more so at shows
Landers Frary and Clark of New Britain, Connecticut and markets than the prices realized at auctions. With a
The Peugeot family has been making things began coffee grinder production in the mid-1870s
for over 200 years – well before creating few notable exceptions, you can expect to pay around
$60-$150 for an early, primitive, well-used example of a
their innovative automobiles. Founding and made mills of all kinds: box, side, wall canisters,
box-shaped, wall-hung, and table-mounted grinder as
father Jean-Pierre (b. 1734), who two-wheelers, and electric. Of note: a tin canister wall
established a grain mill and an oil mill mill introduced in the late 1890s that was cost effective compared to a few hundred more for a nice, well-made
as well as weaving and dye works, was the to build. Also, a series of cast iron coffee mills were made and decorative free-standing one-wheel or two-wheel
first of a line of innovative Peugeots and and patterned after those made by Enterprise Mfg. Co. grinder. Larger-size wheel grinders from particular
in 1810, brothers Jean-Pierre II and They were introduced around the turn of the century companies, and those that have been restored, can fetch
Jean-Frédéric, founded” Peugeot Frères,” and featured a unique six-spoke design on the double- several thousand.
which began their engineering legacy that wheel models. There are a number of YouTube channels dedicated to
continues to this day. Back in the early Other notable American manufacturers include Logan
1800s, brothers Jean-Pierre II and and Strobridge, The Charles Parker Co., Steinfeld, the restoration of cast iron objects including coffee
Jean-Frédéric took their father’s grain mill Wilmont Castle, and Wrightsville Hardware Company. grinders. This typically includes stripping them down to
and transformed it into a steel foundry, their metal, bringing them back to working order, and
where they made products as diverse as saws, giving them a new coat of paint. The
springs, umbrella frames, as well as pepper THE COST TO COLLECT result is a working, decorative display
and coffee grinders. This coffee grinder Google “antique coffee grinders” and dozens of websites piece that is now valued as art and
dates to the mid- to late-1800s and was pop up, from eBay to Pinterest (for beauty shots), Etsy as a piece of history – an object of
imported in volume into the U.S. (for restoration and reproduction projects), collector sites, everyday life, then and now.
and auction houses. Once valued for their intended
August 2019 29
