Page 36 - joa-may-23

on Antiques & Collectibles

By Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel

icycle Playing Cards may be the most Collecting Tip:
recognizable brand by the United States Keep old, worn vintage doll accessories. Even if
BPlaying Card Co. The brand has been you substitute new accessories, save the old ones.
around since 1885. One look at this store counter They add value. Terry Kovel
display advertising Bicycle Playing Cards will tell
you that it’s not from the late 1800s.
The large center scene shows a lively, colorful Q: I inherited a Drexel bedroom set that was originally purchased in the very late
scene with two men and two women in formal 1950s or early 1960s and I’m trying to identify and price it. The set includes a
long dresser with a mirror, a small dresser with “cupboards” on top, a full-length
dress around a card table. Changes in men’s When advertisements include mirror, a nightstand, and a headboard, all in a cream color.
formal wear since the 19th century are much less pictures of people, their
dramatic than changes in women’s clothes. The clothing and hairstyles can A: Drexel Furniture Co. was founded in Drexel, N.C., in 1903. It made
women in this picture have short hairstyles and help date the item. This store high-quality furniture in several styles. The company was sold in 1968 and
low-neck sleeveless dresses that weren’t seen until display for Bicycle Playing the brand became Drexel Heritage Furniture Company. It was rebranded as
the 20th century. Cards is from about 1930. Drexel in 2017. Some Drexel furniture is stamped on the back or bottom
Short hair for women came into fashion in the 1920s, but the women in with the name, date and kind of wood. Drexel’s midcentury modern
the advertisement don’t look like they are wearing 1920s flapper dresses. If we furniture is popular. A five-piece Drexel bedroom suite in the “Declaration”
could see their full bodies, dating their clothes would be easier; 1920s evening line with a headboard, dresser, tall chest, and two nightstands sold recently for
dresses were famously short! But from what we can see, the dresses appear to $2,423 including buyer’s premium.

match the low-necked, close-fitting evening styles of the 1930s. This display ***
sold for $1,375 at a Potter & Potter auction, and its description dated it to Q: I have a doll I think is a Sweet Sue doll. She has rooted brown hair, open-close
“circa 1930.” eyes, and an open mouth with teeth showing. What can you tell me about her?
A deck of cards is inexpensive and can be used for a wide variety of games
that can accommodate many players. Card games were a popular pastime A: Sweet Sue dolls were made by the American Character Doll Co., a
company in business in New York from 1919 to 1968. Sweet Sue is a hard
during the Great Depression.
plastic “pre-teen” doll made from 1951 to 1961. The doll was made in several
sizes ranging from 14 inches to 31 inches tall. Some had bendable elbows,
knees, and ankles. Some were walking dolls. The Sweet Sue Sophisticate doll,
espite the technological and manufacturing advancements of the 19th
century, many artists of the time looked to the past for inspiration. a fashion doll that wore high heels, was made in two sizes in 1957. Some
DVisual artists developed the Pre-Raphaelite style. Architecture and Sweet Sue dolls are marked, but many are not. Without a mark, it’s hard to
tell if your doll is Sweet Sue or just a lookalike. Most dolls listed as Sweet Sue
decorative arts had the Gothic Revival. have closed mouths. Your doll has an open mouth with teeth showing, so it
While it started earlier in England, the Gothic Revival lasted from about could be a lookalike doll. Value depends partly on size. A 14-inch Sweet Sue
1840 until 1860 in America. Buildings and furniture were decorated with doll in original clothes and wearing roller skates sold for $67 recently.
towers, pointed arches, tracery, and other features borrowed from medieval
castles and cathedrals. ***
Of course, imitating medieval style didn’t mean sticking to medieval Q: We’re getting rid of some old toys that belonged to our kids now that
technology. Homes in the Middle Ages would have been heated by hearths, but our grandchildren are too old to play with them. We have a white truck in
the Victorian era had more efficient and effective ways. excellent condition in its original box. Printed on the box is “John Deere
Cast-iron stoves were being made in the 1720s, and decorative cast iron Dealer Tilt Bed Truck,” “Ertl Toys” and “No. 594.” What is this worth?
became popular for furniture in the mid-1800s. This box-shaped Victorian
wood stove sold at a Conestoga auction for $354. The designs embossed on its A: Fred Ertl founded his toy company in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1945. The first
front, back and sides show the decorative potential for die-cast John Deere toy, a replica of John Deere’s “Model A” tractor, was
cast iron and provide an example of Gothic Revival made in 1952. Ertl has made replicas of farm tractors, implements and other
style. There is a row of pointed arches, also known as farm equipment made by John Deere and other companies since then. The
the Gothic arch, on each side. As arguably the most Ertl factory moved to Dyersville, Iowa, in 1959. Ertl has been part of Tomy,
distinctive feature of Gothic architecture, this arch was a company in Japan, since 2011. John Deere toys are made to scale in several
often incorporated into Gothic Revival designs.
sizes. Your tilt bed truck is 1/16th scale, which means an inch of the toy
This cast-iron wood stove kept a 19th-century room warm. Its represents 16 inches on the real truck. The toys were originally sold by
embossed designs, especially the rows of pointed arches on its John Deere farm equipment dealers. A No. 594 tilt bed truck in very good
sides, were meant to evoke medieval architecture. condition sells for about $90. In the original box, it sells for about $130.

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales, and auctions throughout the United States.
CURRENT PRICES Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Bucket, candy, Sovereign, King of All Toffees, lid, Chrome lamp, cube shade, stacked cube base, black Bracelet, cuff, Zuni, three inlaid cabochons, red coral
beach scenes, red, yellow and blue, bail handle, enameled platform, signed, Curtis Jere, Artisan center, turquoise, mother-of-pearl, silver, signed,
metal, early 1900s, 8 x 7 inches, $83. House, c. 1960, 36 1/2 x 18 inches, $485. Landy Lucio, New Mexico, 6 inches diameter, $205.
Poster, travel, Pennsylvania Railroad, “Plan Your Furniture, desk, Danish Modern, teak, kneehole, Sampler, alphabet, bird, flower basket, deer, panels
Vacation Trip By Train,” man and woman carrying three drawers on one side, large drawer on the other, of stitch patterns, frame, Gisey Burns, 1832, 14 x 14
suitcases, W. Walter Calvert, c. 1953, 40 x 26 1/4 tapered legs, Gunnar Nielsen, Tibergaard, 29 1/2 x inches, $595.
inches, $1,190. 60 1/2 x 29 1/2 inches, $570.
Weller Flemish jardiniere, shades of green and
Doll, walking, pushing red pram with baby, blond Vase, smoke glass, closed handles, cup shape, incised red, relief leafy vine, grapes and apples around rim,
hair, blue checked dress, repaired, Goodwin, signature, Timo Sarpaneva, midcentury, 3 1/2 x green interior, four-footed, c. 1920, 10 1/2 x
13 inches, $250. 3 inches, $330. 12 inches, $285.

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.
34 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles