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By Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel

hink how difficult it was before 1800, when you had to have light to
Collecting Tip:
Twork at night and there were only candles or several kinds of oil To remove a crayon mark from paper, coat it
lamps. By the 1850s, it was easier. There were kerosene lamps, gas lamps,
and finally electric lamps. Today, we get a hint of what that was like when with a thin layer of rubber cement, let it dry,
the electricity goes out and we must find a flashlight or candle to use until then rub it off.
repair crews fix the power. Many collectors and campers who want light Terry Kovel
use old types of lighting like lanterns when there is no electricity.
The Betty lamp is one of the earliest portable light sources. It usually Q: Are there any buyers for Aurene glassware from Steuben Glass Works? My great-
is made of brass or iron. The bottom layer is a pan that shapes to a point: grandfather and my grandfather both worked as glassblowers and designers for
the spout. A second pan is on top to hold the wick, usually a twisted piece Steuben in Corning, New York, and I own several beautiful pieces.
of fabric placed in the spout to soak up some fuel. The wick is lit to A: Aurene glass is an iridescent gold, blue, green, or red glass developed by
produce a flame. The lamp also has a hook so it can be hung on a wall. Frederick Carder, one of the founders of Steuben Glass Works. It was first made
Sometimes they have a third layer: a cover to keep bugs out. in about 1904. Gold Aurene was the first color made, and Blue Aurene was next.
Antique Betty lamps are sold in many
auctions for $40 to about $150. There are even The name “Aurene” comes from a combination of “Au,” the chemical symbol
for gold, and “sheen.” Steuben Glass Works was in business from 1903 until
modern versions with the same design to be 2011, when the factory closed. The Corning Museum of Glass took over the
used today. A wrought iron, copper, and brass factory in 2014 and has reissued some Steuben glass. Steuben’s Aurene glass sells
Betty lamp sold at a recent Hess auction for for high prices ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars for special
$2,000 after 21 bids. It was made by craftsman pieces. Your family history adds to the value.
Peter Derr of Pennsylvania (1793-1868),
making it a prize for a collector. A new, repro- ***
duced Betty lamp sells for about $40 to $100. Q: Seeing recent sales of vintage video games reminds me of playing them with my
brother when we were kids. I think the oldest game system we had was our parents’
This antique Betty lamp was made by a known
craftsman of the early 1800s, so it is very expensive: Intellivision. Would that be worth a lot today?
$2,000. You can find old Betty lamps for sale for A: The Intellivision (short for “intelligent television”) was made by Mattel,
less than $100 if they are in poor condition. released in 1979 and discontinued in 1990. It was the first video game system
with a 16-bit microprocessor. It was a serious competitor to the Atari 2600,
ntique toys, especially those that move and make noise, are popular which launched in 1977. The Intellivision was advertised as having better graph-
Awith both young and old, and many are very expensive. Advertising ics and sound than other systems at the time, but it had a smaller games library.
toys bring back special memories and are wanted by those who collect An Intellivision game system and collection of games sold for about $65 at
advertising and those who want toys. auction in 2021. Parts have sold online for less. Individual games tend to sell for
This car with “Moxie” on the side is in mint to good condition. It is about $10, but rare cartridges in the original packaging can sell for over $100.
a rare blue version of an 8-inch-long tin toy car with a man on a horse in They are not getting prices as high as more familiar systems and games, like
a Moxie jacket and cap driving a “Moxiemobile.” It sold for $2,600 at a Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros.
Morford’s auction in Cazenovia, ***
New York. Q: I have a book, The Life of George Washington-Maps and Subscriber’s Names,
Moxie was a drink introduced in published in 1807 by C.P. Wayne of Philadelphia. The book includes several map
1885, two years before Coca-Cola. It “plans” for different states, a list of subscribers, and a signature of the subscriber. The
claimed to be a health drink and was book is in fair condition given its age. Can you tell me the approximate value?
flavored with bitter herbs. The taste A: This book is part of a biography of George Washington written by John
was so strange that people said you Marshall between 1804 and 1807. It was originally published in five volumes.
had to be brave to drink it. So by Marshall, who later became a Justice of the Supreme Court, was a friend of
1930, the word “moxie” become a Washington and served with him in the Revolutionary War. First editions of the
slang term for brave or daring, and books are rare and sell for high prices. Copies of the book of maps have sold for
“He had a lot of moxie” became a several hundred to more than one thousand dollars. You should contact an anti-
This toy car was a clever ad for Moxie, a
soft drink popular in New England. It common saying. The company was quarian book dealer or an auction house that sells antique books to see what your
sold for $2,600. purchased by Coca-Cola in 2018. book would sell for. Copies have sold from $75 to $1,700 in recent auctions.

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
Cast-iron boot jack, grasshopper shape, red paint, handle, initialed “R.B.,” inscribed branches and banner matted, framed, 22 x 18 inches, $1,750.
elongated feelers with curly ends to hold boot, 3 x 10 x on the handle with “Verdun 1917, Ypres 1914-15,
5 inches, $25. La Basse-Somme 1916,” metal tapered end cap, 39 1/2 Toy, bicycle racers, three painted tin bicyclists, round
inches, $160. track enclosed by metal fence, cloth banner, cast lead
Glass paperweight, Baccarat, sulfide, blue tint inside, fist in center acts as the key for windup mechanism,
gold-tone bust of Martin Luther King Jr. inside, Bookends, black marble, block form shaped as chairs France, c. 1900, 11 inches, diameter, $2,765.
faceted with 10 round panels, marked, 1970s, 2 3/4 with arched backs, a seated man playing accordion and
inches, $155. woman playing the lute, black clothing, ivory faces, La Basse-Somme 1916,” metal tapered end cap, 39 1/2
German art deco, 5 1/4 x 4 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches, $685. inches, $160.
Salesman’s sample, Howard Plow, wood, metal, with
advertisement picturing an image of the plow, late Photograph, Martin Luther King, Jr., gelatin silver Political, poster, Register/Vote, image of Martin
19th century, 8 inches, $750. print, titled and dated June 13, 1967, on lower left, Luther King Jr. and American flag, Somebody Paid the
signed in ink by photographer Fred McDarrah, Price for Your Right, Millennium Group, 1976, 22 x
Cane, World War I, trench art, wood, dog’s head 16 inches, $125.
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.
42 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles