Paul Revere was talented silversmith

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Paul Revere’s name is known to every American school child because of his part in the Revolutionary War and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem with the memorable words, “Listen, my children, and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.” But few young students know that Revere was a military man, silversmith, engraver and an entrepreneur who made and sold iron castings of bells and canons, forged copper bolts, and the first rolled copper sheets. He was married twice and had 16 children.

Paul Revere Jr. made this silver porringer with a cut-out handle about 1770. It sold at a Skinner auction in Massachusetts for $39,975.

Eighteenth-century silversmiths were important, trusted citizens who turned silver coins into teapots and other objects for customers. Since there were no banks, these identifiable objects were safer forms than coins. It would have been easy to steal some of the silver, and a few silversmiths were caught and jailed for the crime.

A porringer made by Paul Revere Jr. sold at a Skinner auction in 2016, for $39,975. It was marked with the name Revere and engraved “P/DB over BP.” It matched another porringer, now in a Massachusetts museum, that originally belonged to David and Betiah Pearce. That one was engraved “MP” for Mary Pearce, probably a sister of “BP.” The family history plus the fame of Revere led to the high price.

Q: I inherited a small alarm clock stamped “LeCoultre 59” on the base. “LeCoultre 8” and “Swiss” are printed on the face. It has a gold dial with black Roman numerals and is set in a brass and rose-colored mirrored case. The clock has a music feature, but it’s overwound. The clock is 3 inches high and 2 inches wide. What is it worth?

A: LeCoultre & Cie was founded in 1833 by Antoine LeCoultre, a watchmaker in Le Sentier, Switzerland. The company became Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1937 and is still in business. Your clock is an eight-day clock and only needs to be wound once every eight days. It was made about 1950 in both musical and non-musical versions. The musical version plays “The Blue Danube.” The clock case could look black or red. Red is rarer. The value of your clock is reduced because the musical feature isn’t working. In perfect condition the red clock is worth about $300, but your clock needs to have the musical parts repaired and is worth less.

Current Prices

Board game, Batman, Milton Bradley, 1966, 10 x 19 inches, $40.

Hummel figurine, No. 217, Boy with Toothache, scarf tied around head, below chin, 1950s, 5 1/2 inches, $110.

Mailbox, cast iron, embossed, Pull Down, Letters, red, white and blue, side door opening, lock and key, 1908, 20 x 13 inches, $725.

Golf ball marker, stamping machine, cast iron and brass, dial with numbers and letters, press handle, Omnes, c. 1910, 8 x 11 inches, $1,000.

TIP: Always keep firearms locked up, even antique ones. Old guns should have the barrels filled so it is impossible to accidentally discharge them.

For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com.

(c) 2018 King Features Syndicate, Inc.