Page 59 - Nov 2020 JOA

By Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel

hildren’s toys are often miniature copies of full-sized objects in the
Collecting Tip:
house. They like to imitate Mom and Dad’s work. A recent Bertoia
Cauction sold the toy icebox with its original pristine box for $1,440. Hardware on old furniture should be removed carefully. Terry Kovel
Wrap pliers with masking tape to protect the brass.
The Gurney toy refrigerator made by Arcade is only 5 1/2 inches high. It is a Old brass is often soft.
copy of a 1840s icebox. Although the first refrigeration method was patented
in 1809, the icebox for home use dates from the 1840s. The toy has a square Q. I’m trying to find some information on a figurine that belonged to my grand-
door on the right side that covered the compartment that held a block of ice, mother. It’s a woman wearing an off-the-shoulder, long blue dress, posed as though
which was delivered by an iceman in a horse-drawn wagon. Food was kept in she’s dancing. It’s marked “Created by Goldscheider” over a large capital letter “G”
the large compartment, and the small section on the right is where the water and below that “Goldscheider-Everlast Corp.” I’ve seen several that resemble it but
from the melting ice was collected and discarded each day. A modern electric not this exact one. Can you tell me an approximate age and value?
refrigerator was made by General Electric Co. in 1927. It is named for the A. Goldscheider was founded by Friedrich Goldscheider in Vienna, Austria, in
Monitor Top. It remained popular until the 1940s. Today’s refrigerators can 1885. Members of the Goldscheider family moved to England and the United
be dated by the special States when Germany annexed Austria in 1938 and took over the factory.
section for frozen food Goldscheider started factories in Staffordshire, England, and in Trenton, New
introduced in 1924. All of Jersey. The name of the New Jersey factory was Goldscheider-Everlast
the styles have been copied Corporation from 1941 to 1947, when it became Goldcrest Ceramics Corp.
for toys. The Vienna factory was returned to Goldscheider in 1950 but closed in 1953.
The New Jersey company is now Goldscheider of Vienna, Inc. It’s a wholesaler
This toy refrigerator can be of religious art imported from Italy. The mark on your figurine indicates it was
dated by the square section that made between 1941 and 1947. Some of the older figurines made before World
held a block of ice, an early War II sell for high prices. An 8-inch Art Deco figurine of a girl playing with a
type used from the 1840s. It dog sold for $446; an 8-inch figurine of a woman dancing wearing a butterfly
sold at auction in “unplayed costume sold for $235. A 9-inch figurine of a seated woman, designed by Josef
with” condition with a pristine Lorenzl for Goldscheider around 1926, sold at auction for over $1,700.
box for more than $1,000
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Q. My grandfather had several bullets, cartridge cases and tin items that I believe
xperts can identify antique dishes in many unexpected ways. There are from the Civil War. Are they worth anything or just an interesting collectible?
are several ways to tell if a dish is pottery or porcelain. If your dish A. Civil War items are collectible, and some are valuable. Some tin items,
Eis chipped porcelain, the chip is shell-shaped. Pottery is opaque; badges, belt buckles, canteens and personal items, sell for hundreds of dollars or
light does shine through a piece of porcelain. Pottery breaks in a line. more. Bullets and spent cartridge cases are common and not particularly
Porcelain is thinner, lighter and more stain-resistant. If you hold a pottery valuable. If there are markings on the bottom of the cartridge cases, you might
plate in one hand and a porcelain plate in the other, you will find the be able to identify the manufacturer. Bullets from a known battle sell for a few
porcelain is colder and the pottery is heavier. dollars at historical sites and online, while others are giveaways. Old bullets and
If you are examining a teapot, look inside at the holes leading into the other ammunition, especially hand grenades, can be dangerous. If you’re not
spout. An early pot has few holes, as few as three. Later teapots have many sure they are harmless, take them to the police or fire station and ask them to
more holes. Cups with no handles are usually older than those with remove any live ammunition or tell you if they’re safe to keep.
handles. The 19th-century cup had handles. Early teacups usually had
***
no handles because the Chinese drank warm, not hot, tea and did not
need a handle. Q. I’d like information about an ivory bracelet, earrings and charm set my uncle
Our favorite tip is an old one. One of the favorite collectibles in the brought home to my mother in 1940 from the war. The bracelet has carved flowers
1950s was early Worcester porcelain made in linked together by elastic to stretch for your wrist. I’ve taken it a few places, but no
England in the 18th century. When you hold a one seems to know what it’s worth. Or, they tell me it can’t be sold at all. Help!
Worcester porcelain plate up to a strong light, the A. Laws banning the sale of ivory went into effect in the U.S. in 2016 as part
white china appears to be light green. of endangered species legislation to protect elephants, making it difficult to sell
ivory legally. Laws about the sale of elephant ivory differ by state. In some states,
This Worcester Dr. Wall cup you can sell ivory within your state if you have specific documentation to prove
and saucer is in the Kakiemon it was lawfully imported before 1990. Other states prohibit any sales of ivory,
pattern. It’s porcelain and was old or new. You can find current information on the sale of ivory on the U.S.
made around 1785. It sold for Fish & Wildlife Service website, fws.gov, and any company selling old ivory
$160 at a Neal auction jewelry will know the rules.

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States.
Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
CURRENT PRICES
Phonograph, Edison Standard, oak case, japanned, Advertising sign, Mobil, red Pegasus logo, 2-sided, Armoire, Louis XV style, walnut, stepped and arched
nickel hardware, black paneled horn, c.1920, 28x13x40 porcelain, red, white, blue, marked SPS, 1959, 30x59 top, two doors with shaped panels, drawer, iron hinges,
inches, $440. inches, $1,475. France, 80 x 70 inches, $375.

Decoy, Canada Goose, wood, carved, old paint, tack Weather vane, Buffalo, standing, cut sheet metal, gilt Coffee table, round beveled glass top, brass base, dolphin
eyes, old weight, Miles Hancock, Chincoteague, patina, wooden stand, 18 1/2x26 inches, $2,595. family & coral reef, Robert Wyland, c.1985, 33x43
Virginia, 1940s, 12x 21x7 inches, $600. inches dia., $4,210.
Fenton carnival glass water pitcher, Fluffy Peacock
Coffee mill, cherry & pine, cast iron, dovetailed box, pattern, ruffled rim, applied green glass handle, c.1910, Loetz glass vase, iridescent, purple shaded to red to gold,
drawer, stamped A. Klein, York County, Pennsylvania, 9 3/4 inches, $200. oil spot, pinched body, spiral ribs, folded rim, spread
c.1820, $1,065. base, c.1902, 8x6 inches, $200.
Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer questions sent to the column. By sending a letter with a question and a picture, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names,
addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The amount of mail makes personal answers or
appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, (Journal of Antiques & Collectibles), Kovels.com P.O. Box 23192, Beachwood, Ohio 44122.
November 2020 57