#Middlebury #Antiques
What is a whirligig? Some move on a windy day like pinwheels. Some are moving toys, for example a man chopping wood. Many are moving garden pieces such as people chopping wood or waving a flag. The experts say there four types of whirligigs.
The first were made as early as 500 B.C. by American Indians. These were made from a bone and a strip of leather. A modern version of the whirligig has a button that spins with string. A large button with holes can be made to spin so fast that it makes a noise, and these are called buzzers or bullroarers. A more complicated whirligig is the Chinese bamboo-copter or dragon butterfly that was made in China by 400 B.C. These are pictured in some early tapestries.
Whirligigs scare the birds for a while, then birds seem to realize the moving parts are not dangerous, and they will eat birdseed on the ground nearby. But they do scare wild rabbits.
The most often seen whirligig is the wind-driven pinwheel. Folk-art collectors like the homemade whirligigs that show a hen pecking, a soldier fighting or a woman waving her arms. Or the ones with two men sawing wood. These became very popular in the 1880s to 1900, and they are still being made. They are one of the newest types of folk art to become popular with collectors, and prices have been rising. Some sold for over $1,000, even though they were very crude.
A 26-inch-high primitive carved and painted wood and iron whirligig with a blond woman waving both arms while standing next to a red, white and blue ball sold for $308 at a Skinner auction. The paint was worn, the arms and legs were stiff, and there was little motion, but it did look like it was homemade.
Q: I have a 22-piece chocolate set in excellent condition. It’s marked with an “R,” “Bavaria, Germany” and “warranted 18 carat gold.” Each plate has a 1-inch border of gold, the cups are gold and the pitcher with lid is gold. Does the gold trim make it very valuable?
A: The gold trim does not mean it’s very valuable. The words “18 carat gold” indicate the alloy used for the gold trim is 75 percent gold, but there is very little gold used on the porcelain. A chocolate set should have a pot, creamer, sugar, six small plates, and six cups and saucers. It would sell for less than $50.
Current Prices
Gibson Girl vase, purple dress, feather hat, Royal Bayreuth, gold brocaded border, green ground, 5 1/2 inches, $35.
Tea Leaf Ironstone vegetable dish, lid, rectangular, copper luster, molded handles, c. 1885, 10 x 7 inches, $135.
Shirvan rug, directional, repetitive flowers, beige ground, brown border, guard borders, 4 feet, 1 inch x 3 feet, 2 inches, $215.
Pencil sharpener, Jupiter Pencil Pointer, rotary cutter disc, Guhl & Harbeck Co., 1897, 5 x 13 inches, $355.
TIP: Don’t try to restore, repaint, clean or touch up colored metal bookends. It will lower the value to remove any of the paint or to cover it with new paint.
For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com.
© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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