Page 45 - joa oct 22

on Antiques & Collectibles

By Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel

ooking for a little luxury? This Spirit of Ecstasy figure replicates the
Collecting Tip:
hood ornament from Rolls-Royce cars. In 1909, car enthusiast
LJohn Douglas-Scott-Montagu commissioned sculptor Charles Do not store vintage fabrics in unheated attics
Sykes to create a mascot for his Rolls-Royce. Sykes made a sculpture of a or basements or areas that may get hot. The
woman bent at the waist, leaning forward so her robe flows behind her best storage is between 65 and 75 degrees.
like wings. The model was Eleanor Terry Kovel
Thornton, Montagu’s secretary and, Q: My grandmother loved Precious Moments figurines. She gave me the Precious
secretly, lover. Moments figurine of a bride called “Someday My Love” when I got married 20
By 1911, Sykes’s sculpture was made years ago. Is it worth anything?
the official Rolls-Royce hood ornament. A: Precious Moments, like Beanie Babies, were wildly popular and people
Spirit of Ecstasy is its official name, but it collected them assuming they would increase in value. Most have not. Artist
is also known as the “Flying Lady” or the and illustrator Samuel Butcher began drawing pictures of stylized, cute
“Silver Lady.” The hood ornament was children in the 1970s. He and a friend began a company to make and sell
originally silver plated but has since been greeting cards and posters that featured his “Precious Moments” artwork. In
made in other silver-tone metals like 1978, Enesco Corp. developed a line of porcelain Precious Moments
chrome or stainless steel. figurines. Demand was high. Sales kept growing, too many different
This brass version is a reproduction. figurines were made and the market crashed. Many buyers still love them,
It sold for $210 at Morphy Auctions – a but they sell for very low prices. Your “Someday My Love” figurine was
very low price when compared to an made in 1988. It sells for anywhere from $14 to $25.
actual Rolls-Royce car.
***
The Spirit of Ecstasy, nicknamed the Q: I bought a box of junk at a garage sale for $5. In it, I found a 1950s- or
Flying Lady or Silver Lady, has decorated 1960s-era travel alarm clock. It is in a brown case that snaps shut. It is a
Rolls-Royce cars since 1911. Westclox clock with a white face and black numbers. The hands glow in the
This figure is a brass reproduction. dark. The clock works and it is now on my desk. I love it! Is it rare?
A: A true blast-from-the-past. Before cell phone alarms, there were wind-up,
ou don’t often see a jug with openwork around the neck. You could travel alarm clocks you could shut until they were the size of a small wallet.
pour liquid in (carefully!) but getting it out would make a mess. If Quite portable. They are not rare, but they are great discussion pieces. Yours
Yyou look closely, you can see small holes in the textured rim. is worth about $40, which is pretty good from a $5 bin of junk.
This type of jug is a puzzle jug. They have openings that cause the ***
liquid inside to spill if you try to pour or drink from it like a typical jug. Q: I have a signed letter by Paul Franke and Dr. Reinhold Heidecke,
They were popular in the British Isles in the 16th through 19th centuries. the founders of the company that produced Rollei and Rolle flex cameras. It
Some had verses challenging the drinker or setting congratulates the buyer of the TLR camera. The letter is in German and has no
a wager. date. Can you tell me when this letter may have been written? I do not want to
This pair, which sold for $107 at a Conestoga sell it but I am curious if it has any value.
auction, has a plain brown glaze and applied
flowers. The secret of a puzzle jug was usually that A: The optical instrument company Rollei was founded in 1920 by Paul
it had a hollow handle. Remember the holes Franke and Dr. Reinhold Heidecke in Braunschweig, Germany. The camera
around the rim? The drinker had to know which had two separate lenses: one for the view and one for taking the photo. Their
ones to cover and which to drink from in order to Rolle flex TLR (twin-lens reflex) camera was sold in 1929. Paul Franke died
draw the liquid up through the handle. Get it in 1950. The letter would have to have been written between 1929 and
wrong, and you don’t get a drink – or, worse, the 1950. Letters signed by famous people are collectible and valuable. The letter
drink spills on you! could be of interest to camera collectors and camera historians if it is an
authentic letter and not an advertising piece. An authentic letter probably
Puzzle jugs provided a drinking game for centuries. would have a date. You may have to take it to an autograph expert to
Do you think you could drink from one without spilling? determine the value.

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, puppet, penguin, gray beak and feet, wears red Furniture, bookcase, Biedermeier, mahogany, glazed Blanket, wearing, Navajo, woman’s, red field, seven
jacket, black and white checked shirt, articulated, paneled doors, green fabric lining, four interior black and yellow wave bands, red and white triangle
Dee Segula, 20th century, 9 x 5 1/2 inches, $60. shelves, paw feet, 75 x 50 x 16 inches, $510. border, 1900s, 80 x 51 inches, $3,445.
Print, woodblock, Hokusai Katsushika, Sanka Lamp, oil, chinoiserie, opaque glass, white, double Rug, hooked, pictorial, dog and puppy, spaniels,
Hakuu, Thunderstorm Below Mt. Fuji, one of 36 gourd shape, painted leafy and fruiting branches, black, white, brown, on red cushion, flowers, leaves,
views, 7 3/4 x 10 1/4 inches, $150. mounted as table lamp, 22 x 6 inches, pair, $255. white ground, mounted, c. 1940, 36 x 60 in., $535.
Silver, candy bowl, Arts and Crafts, hinged handle, Book, An Historical Atlas, Edward Quin, 21 maps, Hutschenreuther figurine, tiger, front paw extended,
pierced, four angular scrolls around rim, hand folding, aquatint, engraved, hand colored, R.B. head raised, tail lowered, porcelain, 10 1/2 x 22 1/2
hammered, R. Wallace & Sons, 19th century, Seeley & W. Burnside, London, 1836, $1,170. inches, $810.
5 inches, diameter, $75.
Brass, wall sculpture, musical notation, G clef, Advertising, display, Crayola Crayons, box, open,
Limoges porcelain bowl, white flowers, gilded rim, curved staff, black metal, Modernist, signed, C. Jere, rounded top, eight crayons inside, yellow and green
short collar, shoulders, 8 1/2 x 12 inches, $190. 1988, 24 x 60 inches, $280. exterior, painted, wood, 78 x 42 inches, $510.
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.
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.
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