Page 42 - JOA_July21

By Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel

ictorian furniture was larger, heavier and usually darker and much more
Collecting Tip:
ornate than the mid-century or even modern pieces used today. The
Vhouses were large and dark. The electric light was not invented until about Put the silica packets that come in shoeboxes,
1805, and the candles and oil lamps used for light could only illuminate a handbags and with some prescription pills in the
small area. storage containers that hold your out-of-season
Big carvings could be seen, dark wood covered some of the flaws and wealthy clothes. The packets keep moisture and bugs away. Terry Kovel
homeowners who bought the expensive furniture had large homes with big rooms
and the furniture was styled to show off the size and wealth.
The best furniture makers and designers in New York favored George Q: My husband found a blue and white ironstone platter in an alley several years
Hunzinger, who came from Germany in 1855. He made unusual furniture that ago. I think it was made by the Phoenix Works at Shelton, Hanley, between
had wooden parts that looked like lollipops and plumbing parts. Many chairs 1839 and 1864. It has a central scene of castles, trees, a river and a few people,
folded up. He patented over 20 designs. and a wide blue border with white flowers and white trim. The back is marked
Another star was the firm Kimbel and Cabus. Started in 1862, they created “Ironstone” above a bird with spread wings. Below that, it reads “UDINA, J.
modern gothic style, much simpler than the earlier renaissance gothic and an Clementson.” The platter is octagonal and is about 14 inches high and 17 1/2
Anglo-Japanese look. They used tiles, painted sections and metal trim. inches wide. Is my information correct and does it have any current value?
A third totally different type of furniture was made by Robert Horner in 1886. A: Joseph Clementson and Jonah Read founded Read & Clementson at the
Walnut wood was scarce so he used oak or mahogany to make heavy furniture Phoenix Works in Shelton, Staffordshire, England, in 1832. Read left in
with large carvings of gargoyles and cherubs and trim. 1839, and Clementson continued as J. Clementson. The phoenix bird mark
Several other furniture makers made similar furniture that was introduced in the 1840s. The name of the pottery became Clementson
collectors may attribute to the wrong maker. Bros. in 1865 and his sons and son-in-law continued the business until
A Cowan auction sold a five-drawer Horner chest of 1916. “Udina” is the name of the pattern on your platter. It was made in
drawers. It had faux bamboo trim on the drawers and a more than one size. A large Udina platter, 18 inches by 14 inches,
side lock. The bamboo pole at the side is made to slide sold for $135 recently.
over part of the drawer to keep the drawers shut and ***
locked. It sold for $1,088. Q: My grandfather gave me his father’s pipe. It has a wooden bowl that screws
Fake bamboo was often used as trim on late Victorian into the metal base and an aluminum shank. The metal is marked “Yello-Bole”
furniture. The trim plus the clever side lock on the chest and “Pat. 2467002 Pat. Pend.” How old is it and what is its worth?
made this Horner piece worth over $1,000.
A: Yello-Bole pipes were made by The New England Briar Pipe Company, a
subsidiary of Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy. Kaufmann Bros. began making pipes
in 1851. The Yello-Bole line was introduced in 1932. The pipes were less
ost of us diet and check our weight, but the days of tall scales sitting on expensive, made of a lower grade of briar. Briar is used for pipe bowls because
a street corner waiting for someone to put a penny in the slot it is heat- resistant and doesn’t give off a strong odor. Yello-Bole pipes were
Mand step on the scale are almost gone. made in Penacook, New Hampshire. This patent is for a pipe bowl with an
During the 1920s and '30s coin-operated scales were important. inset grate or sieve that could be taken apart to clean or repair. It was applied
The first coin scales were made in Germany in 1885, and by 1889, the for in July 1945 and granted in April 1949. Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy was sold
National Scale Company was manufacturing in the United States. In in 1951. It has been owned by S.M. Frank & Co. since 1955, and Yello-Bole
1929, Peerless Scale Company, the largest in the U.S., was worth over pipes are still being made. Pipe bowls have been made out of Brylon, a synthet-
$50 million (much more in 2021 dollars). ic, instead of briar wood since 1966. Your grandfather’s pipe was made between
The pennies were enough. A scale in a good location earned about 1945 and 1949. It’s worth about $50. New Yello-Bole pipes made of less expen-
$1,000 a year. By the 1930s there were new incentives to spend a penny. sive material sell for $16 to $25.
The scale supplied a ticket with your weight printed on it. The tickets ***
added fortunes, and people collected sets. But the fad didn't last and by Q: I was a pharmacist for 50 years and have collected pharmacy products that
the 1940s there were barely a third of the scales still left. The personal are antiques now. I'd like to sell them. Can you give me the name of a company
bathroom scale had replaced almost all of them. that might buy my collectibles?
Collectors ignored the old scales at first, but by the 1970s, there were
collectors who bought the Peerless scales and others and especially figural A: Pharmaceutical items are collectible. Medicine bottles, advertising trade
scales like an iron Mr. Peanut. Mr. Peanut scales were created in 1951. cards, catalogs, labels, displays, thermometers, scales and other items sell at
There were only 65 ever made -- one for each of Planters Stores. The advertising and medical auctions, shows and flea markets. Find auctions that
1920s Peerless mirrored scale sold for $344 at a recent auction. handle medical or drug-related items and contact them to see if they can sell
what you have. If you have old bottles that still contain medicine, be careful.
Scales to weigh pedestrians were not available in public places until the 1890s.
This scale was made of iron and porcelain by Peerless Weighing Cleaning them may release poisonous fumes.
Machine Company. It sold at a Cowan Auction for $344.
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
Wood carving, dough bowl, French Provincial, oval, Sewer tile bank, football, brown textured glaze, Jewelry, pin, ribbon shaped into heart, arrow pierces
18th century, 8 x 36 3/4 x 18 inches, $160. coin slot on side, molded tee base, Ohio, early 20th through, gold tone metal, seed pearl band, retro,
century, 8 inches, $375. 1950s, 1 inch, $155.
Furniture, tavern table, cherry wood, overhanging
top, frieze drawer, X-shaped stretcher, squared legs, Silver, sterling tea set, flared paneled bottom, Garden fountain, boy holding fish, turtle at feet,
c. 1800, 25 1/2 x 34 x 23 inches, $210. elongated cinched neck, shaped handles, stepped foot, fluted basin, patinated bronze, 20th century, 52 x 32
open sugar, Gorham, three pieces, $415. inches, $1,535.
Mouse trap, wire cage, domed top, flat bottom, 10 x
16 inches, $25. Game board, Parcheesi, wood, painted red, black, Royal Doulton, Bunnykins figurine, Nurse with Red
green and orange on mustard yellow ground, gold Cross, white apron and cap with red cross on each,
Weathervane, rooster, full body, gilt copper, relief trim, flowers and home on center square, 19th dark blue cape, Graham Tongue, DB 74, 1989,
feathers, 23 3/4 inches, $875.
century, 18 x 19 inches, $1,250. 4 inches, $50.
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.
40 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles