Page 43 - May-JOA-22

By Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel

iffany Studios is synonymous with luxury and decorative items
Collecting Tip:
like jewelry, useful pieces made of precious metals, and elaborate
Tstained-glass lamps. The company also made practical objects, Save your broken dishes, vases, and other
such as its line of commercial desk accessories made from about 1890 to decorative china to make mosaic stepping
the 1930s. stones or tabletops for your garden. Chipped
Desk sets include items that office workers are unlikely to see today, vases can still be used for flowers or turned Terry Kovel
like this rocker blotter in the Bookmark pattern. It sold for $161 at upside down to make toad homes.
Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Tiffany Bookmark series featured the marks of early printers
surrounded by panels of raised leaves and flowers. During the turn of the Q: I have a wooden file cabinet. It stands 38 inches high and consists of a group
of stackable cubes. The lid is separate and has an imprint that I believe says
century, office workers would have used a rocker blotter along with “Yawman and Fre...Rochester New York, USA.” This is on the front of the lid.
a fountain pen and inkstand. Many people who have written with a It had been in my parents’ home for many years, but I have no idea where it came
ballpoint pen have smeared the ink. Fountain pen ink would have taken from, probably an auction.”
even longer to dry.
People would speed up the drying with a sprinkle of sand or powder A: Your oak file cabinet was manufactured by Yawman & Erbe Mfg. Co. of
and, later, by blotting it with Rochester, NY. Its offices and main factory were in Rochester, and it had
special paper. This rocker branches in several U.S. cities. In 1883, the company began making stack-
blotter would have held sheets able filing cabinets that were customized to suit the specific filing needs of
of blotting paper to use on many businesses. A filing cabinet very similar to yours sold for $300 in 2019.
documents written in ink. ***
This rocker blotter sold for $161 at a Q: I have a Regulator wall clock with Roman numerals that uses “IIII” instead of
Cowan’s auction. Today, it has more “IV” for the number 4. Is that unusual? Does it make the clock more valuable?
value as a piece of Tiffany craftsman-
ship than as a useful desk accessory. A: The Roman numeral “IIII” is common in clocks made before 1850. Later,
manufacturers sometimes use the numeral to imitate older styles. Age is just one
feature of a desirable antique clock; whether or not the clock works and its rarity
rts and Crafts furniture was in style from are important factors, too. There are many types of antique clocks, and prices
the late 19th to the early 20th century. It can vary greatly, depending on the quality of the clock and what buyers
Awas very different from the ornate styles are looking for. Prices can be anywhere from under $100 to tens of thousands
of the earlier Victorian era. It had the advantage of dollars. Unusual materials like gilt, marble, or porcelain; details like
of new tools and mass production. The Arts and three-dimensional figures, advertisements, or colorful graphics; a famous maker;
Crafts movement promoted skilled craftsman- and chimes can all increase the value of an antique clock.

ship, quality work, and simple, sturdy shapes. ***
Iconic Arts and Crafts and Mission Q: Years ago, my grandmother gave me a small mother-of-pearl oyster shell purse.
workshops, like Stickley and Roycroft, are Family history has it that it was made by my grandmother’s great-great-great-grand-
known for their simple furniture made in dark father, who was a fisherman in Scotland. It’s made from the whole shell with a metal
oak with little ornamentation. This doesn’t clasp and hinge. Inside it’s partitioned into three pockets, with a lavender fabric
mean that every Arts and Crafts piece is a plain, lining. Have you ever seen anything like this before?
heavy box! A: Yes, oyster shell purses are quite common, and purses like yours are still made
This umbrella stand, which sold for $300 commercially. They’re easily available online at a variety of prices. Fancier types
at a Selkirk auction in St. Louis has a light, have gold bands around the shell and “carry” chains. In the Victorian era, oyster
intricate look. However, its design uses straight This stick and ball umbrella shell purses were popular as souvenir items sold at seashore resorts. In good
stand shows that not all Arts
lines and simple geometric shapes. Its ball feet and Crafts furniture is plain condition, it could be worth $100 to $200. Without seeing the purse, we’re not
create a sturdy look; and, as an umbrella stand, and dark. It sold for $300 sure your rumor about your great-great-great-grandfather making it is true or a
it was made with use in mind. at a recent Selkirk auction. fish tale, but you’ve got a beautiful keepsake.

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
Toy, Girl Cycle, girl on motorcycle, lithographed tin, Scrimshaw pie crimper, stylized horse form, whale Wedgwood pottery compote, Black Jasper, white neo-
vinyl head with rooted hair on rider, friction works, ivory, fluted wheel, horse’s head support with engraved classical scenes, acanthus foot, marked, 7 inches, $90.
box, Haji, Japan, 1950s, 8 inches, $195. eyes and mane, loop handle decorated with bouquet of
flowers, c. 1860, 6 1/2 inches, $1,500. Civil War Union canteen, metal, brown wool cover,
Jewelry, pin, Shooting Star, five-point star shape with cotton strap, three sling loops, stopper with ring and Gl
an elongated point, sterling silver, Paloma Picasso, Toy, Fred Flintstone’s Bedrock Band, Fred Flintstone chain, 7 3/4 inches, $530. for
Tiffany & Co., 4 1/2 inches, $170. drummer, Dino the Dinosaur pictured on drum, 19
metal, plastic, cloth, battery-operated, box, Alps, Japan, Fireplace, log holder, oak, arched back, flat slats all
Sterling silver bowl, geometric cartouche with mono- 8 inches, $480 around, square legs, marked Liberty, London, early Ro
gram E, flared, wide stepped rim, Gorham, c. 1910, 20th century, 19 x 19 x 14 inches, $935. sta
3 x 9 1/2 inches, $325. Clock, shelf, burlwood, ebonized accents, arched gat
bonnet, five brass finials, white and brass face, Poster, Take Up the Sword of Justice, classical figure
Art pottery plate, Sunburst, Peter Voulkos, stoneware, Whitington & Westminster chimes, bracket base with with arms up, holding sword, ship Lusitania in Am
glazed and stenciled slip rays, incised signature and brass feet, England, c. 1900, 15 x 9 x 8 inches, $2,000. background, linen backing, Bernard Partridge, Cl
paper label, c. 1956, 1 1/2 x 10 inches, $3,250. London, 1915, 27 x 19 inches, $630. an
do
Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer readers’ questions sent to the column. Send a letter with one question describing the size, material (glass, pottery), and what you know about the item. Include
only two pictures, the object and a closeup of any marks or damage. Be sure your name and return address are included. By sending a question, you give full permission for use in any Kovel product. Ho
Names, addresses, or email addresses will not be published. We do not guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. Questions that are answered will appear
in Kovels Publications. Write to Kovels, Journal of Antiques and Collectibles, King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803, or email us at collectorsgallery@kovels.com. ew
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