Page 10 - JOA-6-22
P. 10
WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay
WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay
by Philip Hawkins and Mike McLeod
$1,000 (23 bids, 4 bidders): Atlas blasting machine, Dynamite, with most collectibles, the more unusual, elaborate, and scarce, the higher
Antique, Original, Mining, Explosives. Atlas blasting machine. Atlas the prices will go. In general, sewing birds/clamps sell in the range of $60-
powder company model 3-50. For electric blasting caps. Vintage, original. $250, but more unusual examples, such as a lot featuring a mallard duck
Never opened, cleaned, or restored. As it came from the mine. Tested and head and a frog, brought $2,750 at Bertoia Auctions in November 2019.
works well, see the last photo. The handle is original and nice. Dimensions An identical clamp to our eBay subject was just sold at Jeffrey Evans
are 7 x 8 x 16 inches, about 20-25 pounds. Undamaged copper logo. Auctions on April 20, 2022. It was described as French and a crane head
(Photos courtesy of eBay seller 427m6es.) instead of a gryphon and sold for $3,000 (not including a 26.5% buyer’s
premium). In the world of sewing collectibles, it appears the eBay buyer
PH: A blasting machine, also got a deal.
known as a “shot exploder,” is a
portable source of electricity to
fire a blasting cap that triggers an $1,988 (23 bids, 6 bidders): Teddy Roosevelt 1908 welcome president
explosive charge. Such machines badge pinback, antique, Whitehead Hoag. The original envelope from
were, and are, used mostly in Whitehead and Hoag is also included.
mining and demolition. Calling (Photos courtesy eBay seller brains2012.)
it a machine is derived from the
method of operating the older PH: In 1903, President Teddy Roosevelt made a
examples: either by winding a rotary handle or 14,000-mile, 25-state tour during April and May,
pushing down a T-handle, aka Looney Tunes’ Road giving 263 speeches during 5 ½ weeks of public
Runner cartoons. Modern versions are generally appearances. The balance of the trip was spent
battery-powered and use switches or buttons. There camping in the backcountry with John Muir at
were a number of manufacturers of such devices: Yosemite and at Yellowstone with wildlife writer
Atlas, DuPont, C-I-L, Hercules, and others. John Burroughs. This ribbon with pinback
At auction, from 2020 through 2022, most blast- commemorates his stop in Santa Fe on May 5th
ing machines realized in the range of $250 to $750, during that trip.
depending on brand and condition. There were only a The Whitehead & Hoag Company of
couple that exceeded $1,000. At eBay, actual reported Newark, New Jersey, produced celluloid pinbacks
sales in the first three months of 2022 followed suit after purchasing a series of patents in the 1890s.
with only a couple exceeding the $750 price point. The firm produced buttons under the trade name
Our seller’s example at $1,000 is on the high end of of Whitehead & Hoag until being sold in 1953.
the sale range, and he should be pleased. The celluloid process was eventually replaced by
the relatively inexpensive process of metal lithog-
raphy in the mid-20th century.
$1,357 (49 bids, 17 bidders): Antique, Rare Griffin Cast Iron Sewing An identical Roosevelt Santa Fe ribbon sold at
Bird, Clamp Tool, Pincushion. This is simply the most unusual, most Goldbergs Auctions of Los Angeles in April 2007
detailed, absolute best sewing bird I have ever seen! I believe it to be a for $431, and Showtime Auction Services sold
mythological griffin? Love the detailed casting. The pincushion looks to be one as part of a group in October 2014 for $300
original. There are no breaks, no cracks, no repairs. The clamp works great. (identical with the addition of a brass
(Photos courtesy of eBay seller hat-trick.) rail across the top with metallic thread
tassels). I was not able to locate any
PH: A sewing clamp is a practical accessory and more recent auction offerings.
comes in utilitarian, decorative, and whimsical Ribbons in good condition are
forms. As used, it has a screw clamp to attach it collectible as they do not usually hold
to a table or work surface and a spring clamp to up well. The Roosevelt portrait pinback
grip cloth while cutting, pinning, or basting and alone usually sells in the $50-$75 range
usually has one or more pincushions. More without the ribbon.
descriptive names include “third hand” and
“sewing bird.” They can be made of wood,
scrimshaw, and various cast and wrought metals.
The decorative and whimsical ones will include
cast or carved flowers, scrolls, or figural elements
such as this one with the bird’s beak forming
the spring clamp; others include frogs, butterflies,
birds and bird heads
(storks, ducks), reindeer,
dolphins, dragons, and
cupids.
Sewing accessories are Philip Hawkins, ISA AM, AAG is an accredited member of the International Society
a collectible category with of Appraisers and a founding member of the Appraisers Association of Georgia.
many subcategories. As He can be reached via the ISA website or at 404-320-7275.
8 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles