#Middlebury
The recent hurricane and flooding in the Carolinas show how important weather, rain and wind are to everyday life, both now and in the distant past.
Weathervanes told the direction of the wind and aided in forecasting the weather. The earliest known weathervane was used as early as 48 B.C. in Greece. It was in the shape of a god: half man, half fish.
The first American weathervane was used in Albany, New York, in 1656. The best-known early weathervane is the rooster put on a Boston building in 1742. During the mid-1700s, makers created weathervanes in many shapes, including a Native American, banner, rooster and even a dove of peace for President George Washington’s home in Mt. Vernon.
By the 1800s, weathervanes were featured on many roofs as decorations as well as useful additions. The Goddess Liberty and the American eagle were new designs celebrating the new country. But another favored design was a reminder of a popular sport, the racehorse.
This late 19th-century weathervane is a full-bodied horse with a cast zinc head and a sulky driver with cast head and boots. It was made by Fiske & Co. The 45-inch-long vane sold for over $18,000.
Today, collectors want the factory-made metal weathervanes of the past or the antique flat folk-art copies made from sheet metal. It took $18,150 to buy this Fiske & Co. “American Girl” horse and sulky molded copper weathervane at a James Julia auction. Like many weathervanes, it has a bullet hole made when someone used it for target practice. The weathervane honored a famous thoroughbred that raced from 1868 to 1875. She died in the middle of an important race. The racetrack built a statue of the horse, and the country remembered American Girl as a horse who tried her best in every race.
Q: My friend has her floor-model Enterprise coffee grinder for sale for $600, and I want to know how much it’s worth. Is she too high or too low on price? It’s in good shape.
A: Enterprise Manufacturing Co. was founded in Philadelphia in 1864. The company’s 1904 catalog of “patented hardware specialties” included kitchen utensils like grinders and choppers, apple peelers, cheese knives, cherry pitters, graters, jelly presses, raisin seeders, sad irons and slaw cutters, as well as banks, bung-hole borers, faucets, flag holders, lawn sprinklers, tobacco cutters, traps and more. The company was sold to Silex in 1955. Enterprise’s floor-model coffee grinders were made in several sizes. The value of your friend’s model depends on condition and size. They usually sell for $500 to over $1,000.
Current Prices
Planter, Abingdon, yellow, sprigs, boat shape, reeded, scroll ends, c. 1945, 4 x 9 inches, $20.
ABC plate, “Mary Had A Little Lamb” nursery rhyme, embossed, tin, c. 1885, 8 inches, $75.
Boot sole, aluminum, cleats, rivet holes on rim, Overland Shoe Co., marked, c. 1916, 10 inches, $165.
Captain Marvel ring, compass, rocket raider, lighting bolt, brass, enamel, adjustable, c. 1946, $253.
TIP: Never display a stuffed trophy in bright sunlight. Feathers and hair become stiff and brittle, and colors fade.
For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com
© 2018 King Features Synd. Inc.
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