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$3,250 (46 bids, 18 bidders): Antique Unique, Brass Double Spinning
Lawn Sprinkler, Industrial Design. I have looked everywhere on this
unique brass lawn sprinkler looking for a name, but it is unsigned.
Measuring 14 1/2 inches between the three curved feet by 11 inches tall,
this brass sprinkler has a pierced top and two spinning bars. The smaller
spins easily, but the larger is a little stiff. Also, the legs screw into the body
of the sprinkler. If I tighten the legs, they are not in the right position.
There are no other problems to this rare, industrial-designed lawn
sprinkler. (Photos courtesy of eBay seller wwolst12.)

PH: Almost anything can fall into the collectible category, and items of
industrial and utilitarian use and design are no exception. Quality and
uniqueness of design are often the drivers (even if the item didn't live up to
functional expectations). Colorful, fanciful, and figural examples of animals
and children seem to attract the most interest, but basic, functional designs
PH: Brienz is a village in Switzerland
where a famine in the early 19th have a following, too. This example does seem to fall into the rare category as
century sparked an economic move- I could not locate another similar one, and the value is probably consistent
ment based on the timber industry to with that rarity. It is not unusual for the most collectible sprinklers to bring
create new jobs in an impoverished in the $5,000-$7,000 range.
area. By the mid-1880s, Brienz had
become a stop on the Grand Tour
circuit which launched the develop-
ment and founding of the Brienz
School of Woodcarving in 1884.
Interestingly, most of the carvings of
forest animals, Alps’ animals, hunters,
and even some personified bear figural
furniture referred to as "Black Forest"
originate in Brienz.
This bear, a popular subject, in a large size and in good overall condi-
tion would be an attractive prize for a collector. I was able to locate an
auction sale of a slightly larger bear, about the same age, pose and quality
of carving that sold for $5,250 in 2019 and a life-size version that realized
$23,000 in 2018.

$1,446 (24 bids, 8 bidders): Antique, Large Spade Suit of Cards
Cast Iron Shooting Gallery Target. This spade target has a wonderful
surface. You can see where there is a white surface under the red surface.
There may even be two red surfaces. The center white shows several layers
of paint as well. These are rare. These are rare with no paint! These are rare
with one color of paint! Try to find them with two colors of paint. This
target is absolutely fantastic. (Photos courtesy of eBay seller hat-trick.)

PH: In this instance, we are speaking of arcade targets from fairs, carnivals,
and amusement parks. They range in size from small squirrels to bull’s-
eyes, and the larger ones such as this which would have been part of a game
that included the other card suits. Sadly, many iron targets were sold for
scrap iron during WWI and WWII.
I located a listing that suggests that these card-suit targets were made by
John T. Dickman Co. of Los Angeles. Other manufacturers of these targets
included: C.W. Parker of Kansas, William Wurfflein of Philadelphia, and
Chicago manufacturers Evans, Hoffmann, Mueller, and Smith. Other
targets were made of sheet metal rather than cast iron.
It looks as though the buyer got a buy on this one as I located three
various card targets selling at public auction in 2018 ranging in price from
$2,250 to $3,250 in similar condition.

Philip Hawkins, ISA AM, AAG is an accredited member of the International
Society of Appraisers and a founding member of the Appraisers Association of
Georgia. He can be reached via the ISA website or at 404-320-7275.
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