Page 50 - 2020 March JOA

By Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel

hildren’s toys are valuable records of what life was like in the past. Collecting Tip: You’ll find the best selection at a
From about 1880 to 1914, inexpensive, mechanical lithographed tin weekend show on Friday, the biggest crowd on
Ctoys known as “penny toys” were popular and affordable in America. Saturday and the best bargains on Sunday. Allow
A toy rickshaw with a driver and a lady in a small cart was made by George yourself plenty of time. Have a price range in mind. Terry Kovel
Fischer of Nuremberg, Germany in the early 1900s. The company made When you see it, buy it. And keep tabs on your wallet and purchases.
many different penny toys, all based on the life of the times. His trademark
on most toys was “G.F.” in capital letters. But was there really a rickshaw
powered by a man riding a bicycle.? Yes. It is thought that the first rickshaw Q. I have a collection of American Art pottery, which includes Van Briggle,
was invented about 1869 by an American Roseville, Weller and Francoma. I’d like an accurate assessment of their worth.
missionary to Japan who used it to trans- Can you refer me to someone who is knowledgeable in this area? I have a total of
port his invalid wife. The idea became about 18 pieces.
popular, and by 1872 there were about A. You can find appraisers in your area by contacting the three major appraisal
40,000 rickshaws in use in Japan. There groups: the Appraisers Association of America (appraisersassociation.org),
are many styles and names like bike taxi, the American Society of Appraisers (appraisers.org) and the International
pedicab, tricycle taxi and even modern Society of Appraisers (isa-appraisers.org). They have lists of appraisers by
electric models. Men pushed or pedaled specialty and location. You’ll have to pay for an appraisal, so be sure to find out
the rickshaw because they were less the cost. Tell the appraiser what kind of appraisal you want, selling price or
expensive to hire than a horse. The driver replacement value for insurance purposes. Any auction house that has had art
Penny toys are becoming harder to and passenger of the Fischer rickshaw pottery sales will also be able to give you an idea of value, and so can appraisers
find anywhere, but at an appropriate pictured here are wearing 1910 clothes, at some antiques stores.
auction of an old collection, they so the toy may have been made then. The ***
rarely sell for less than $50. price for this toy is no longer a penny; it
sold for $5,400 at a Bertoia auction. Q. I have a large aluminum cone-shaped sieve with stand marked “Guardian
Service” with the Guardian emblem. I haven’t been able to find anything about it
or its worth. Can you help me?
ou can’t always trust the information in old books and on old websites
about antiques, particularly everyday items used in the latter part of A. Guardian Service cookware was made by Century Metalcraft Corp., a
Ythe 1800s but not expensive or large enough to be of serious interest company that started in Chicago in 1933 and moved to Los Angeles in 1938.
to collectors until the 1900s. A double octagonal frame filled with a design It closed after the factory burned down in 1956. The Guardian Service line was
made of seashells is still known as a “sailor’s valentine.” In the 1950s, introduced after the company moved to Los Angeles. Most of the cookware was
research said that they were made by sailors on long trips. They made the made after 1945, when aluminum was no longer needed for military use.
frames and collected the shells that were artistically placed on a cotton batten Guardian Service cookware was sold at home parties. A salesperson cooked a
background, then covered the work with a piece of glass to hold the shells in meal for the guests, and the hostess received gifts for holding the party. The first
place. There were often words: “Love me,” “Home again,” “Home sweet Guardian logo was a knight’s helmet facing left with two crossed swords behind
home,” or “A gift from Barbados.” In 1961, a writer for Antiques Magazine it. Later, the swords were replaced with two stars on each side of the helmet.
proved that the valentines were made by women in Barbados to sell in a gift Still later, three stars were used on each side. The value is $10 to $25.
shop. A clipping, found when ***
repairing an antique valentine,
mentioned the store. The shells Q. My antique copper bowl is lined with silver. Both the inside and outside show
were from the West Indies, the the hammer marks made by a metalsmith. It is almost 3 inches high and 8 inches
wood was Spanish cedar or in diameter. The bottom is marked “Gebelein” in a thin rectangle. Under that is a
mahogany, and hide glue was “G” in a diamond, and below that is “Boston.” Is it old? Or valuable?
used. Further research found a A. George Gebelein was one of the most famous silversmiths in Boston, and he
mention of the shells and the had an important jewelry store that sold a lot of his metalwork. Your bowl is
work of the Barbados women shown online as an “offering” bowl to be used at an altar. Examples sell for $200
in a 1750 source. A recent to $400 now, although when they were made some sold for under $50. The
Each of the eight sides of the octagonal case marine auction by Eldred’s silver lining was used to keep the copper from contact with acidic foods that
of this sailor’s valentine is 9 inches long, and sold this sailor’s “Love Me” might result in a poisonous substance. It is not safe to use a burned pan with
the case is 18 inches across. The late-19th- valentine for $3,120. There are exposed copper. Do not cook or store vinegar, pickles, citrus fruit or other acids,
century valentine sold for $3,120, almost very similar modern ones being or milk, butter, cream or yogurt where it touches a copper surface. Be extra
double the low estimate. made, also in octagonal cases. careful when feeding babies or children.

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
Powder flask, Colt Navy embossed, pistols, stars, Match safe, Uncle Sam head, bearded, smoking red Superman ring, Supermen of the World, red, gold,
eagle, shield, flags, cannon, anchor, bugle 6 3/4 x pipe, porcelain, screw off top, 2 inches, $470. Superman with balled fists, 1940s, $7,935.
3 inches, $245.
Tom Mix club badge, bust, hat, Ralston Straight Rorstrand vase, porcelain, dragonfly, reticulated,
Console table, acid-etched mixed metals, black, Shooter, red and white checkerboard, embossed white, pink, blue, Karl Lindstrom, Sweden, c. 1925,
Bernhard Rohne, Mastercraft, 26 x 60 inches, $1,410. metal, 1938, $380. 8 1/2 x 6 inches, $2,250.

Handel lamp, Venetian harbor, buildings, boats, L & J.G. Stickley bookcase, 3 doors, glass panes, Royal Copenhagen vase, warriors, shields, sandals,
reverse paint, patinated metal, c. 1915, 13 1/2 x 6 1/2 escutcheons, keyholes, handles, c. 1910, 55 x 72 embroidered robes, white crackle ground, Denmark,
inches, $2,250. inches, $5,310. c. 1950, 17 x 10 inches, $1,125.
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.
48 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles