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WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay
WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay

by Philip Hawkins and Mike McLeod

$6,600 (31 bids, 9 bidders): Rare Antique Firefighter Whirligig PH: The Stifel Company
Primitive Folk Art Wood Carving. The best American folk-art whirligig was founded about 1834 in
ever. Extremely large and rare, antique, carved wood firemen whirligig. Wheeling, West Virginia,
Late 1800s carving with dry, original paint throughout. Just an incredible by J. L. Stifel, a German
carved wood American folk-art sculpture. Includes two firefighters with immigrant. To be clear at
brooms and three with a hose attached to a fire hydrant. The firefighters’ the start, the company only
arms turn, and they can swivel at the waist. This is a huge whirligig; it made cloth, no clothing.
measures 52 inches long by 12 inches high. The five figures are attached to They became one of the
a board that is on a painted wood bench. The painted bench is not original nation’s largest producers
to the gig but can be included for an additional $100. (photos courtesy of of dyed calico, a durable
eBay seller katesy7777.) and inexpensive cloth that
originated in India.
Wabash, an indigo blue
fabric with a white dot
stripe, is one pattern
that Stifel manufactured.
Apparently, Wabash gets
its name from being the
fabric choice for uniforms
of the Wabash Railroad,
though Stifel never called it
that. The Stifel trademark
with the name in a boot
was apparently a 20th
century development to
distinguish the cloth from
other makers and was
stamped on the reverse
side of the material.
Stifel means boot in
German, hence the choice
of the emblem.
PH: A whirligig is an object that spins or has a part that spins, usually Like many companies,
wind-driven but can be powered by hand-crank, friction, or motor. Stifel supplied war materi-
Whirligigs come in four categories: button-, friction-, string- or wind- als during WWII and, also like many companies, endured hardships after
driven and date to 500 BC-400 BC in their simplest forms. the war’s end. Stifel & Sons Calico Works merged with Indian Head
This firefighter whirligig appears to date from the late 19th or early Works and ceased operations in 1957 after 122 years.
20th century and would be of the wind-driven variety which uses a The durable cotton cloth, conceived for working-class clothing, is now
weathervane as its base – note the propeller on the front and rudder on pretty scarce and has become somewhat of a collector craze – and not just
the back to keep it pointed into the wind. This one would likely have in the US as many collectors are worldwide, particularly in Japan. There
originally been mounted on a pole base so as to pivot, and probably either seem to be varying explanations, but part of it is in the idea of America that
served on/as a weathervane or as a kinetic yard ornament, given its the cloth represents.
large size. Most wind-driven whirligigs are fairly simple, often primitive, The boot stamp is not always present due to the cut of the cloth so
generally figural, and whimsical, but this example is larger and more pieces of clothing with the stamp command higher prices. I had no success
sophisticated than most. in locating any reported auction sales for comparison. I did however locate
Generally speaking, whirligigs are not expensive, and auction prices an article in Avant Magazine that stated: “A pair of overalls, $1,281, a
start as low as $50. The majority sell for under $1,000. One of the jacket $1,097, two Buddy-Lee dolls wearing coveralls $3,338 & $3,010,
most expensive auction offerings was by a noted folk artist, David Butler respectively, and two children’s playsuits more than $300 each.” This
American, 1898-1997, and it realized $15,500 in 2015 at Slotin Folk appears in keeping with the sale of a pair of jeans bearing the Stifel logo.
Art Auctions.
Price, age, complexity, and condition are driving value factors, and
occasionally, an artist adds additional value. This large, elaborate example $5,000 (28 bids, 8 bidders): Antique Scrimshawed Powder Horn
brought a good price. and Bone Powder Measure with Wooden Stopper. Scrimshawing was
slightly worn where it hung against the user. The scrimshawing shows
a rider chasing a deer and includes a banner with “E Pluribus Unum”
$5,555 (26 bids, 10 bidders): Antique/Vintage Stifel Stripped Blue circling a bird (I imagine it was an eagle but can’t really tell) and another
Jeans, Wabash. They are 46 inches long and 23 inches wide. A button is horse. (photos courtesy of eBay seller rbarnett45.)
missing and has some damage due to wear; it should be sewed on. Label
on back pocket and stamped “Stifle” with the boot label, some rust on the PH: Powder horns are a type of powder flask made from, or in the shape
buckle. (photos courtesy of eBay pompoodog.) of, animal horns to keep black powder safe, dry, and accessible. Natural
8 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles