#MiddleburyCT #Antiques #WestnofaFurniture #AntiqueAdvertising
Collectors of antique advertising look for vivid colors and eye-catching graphics. And who would have brighter colors than a dye company? Today, few people buy fabric dyes outside of craft projects, but most families wore homemade clothes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Diamond Dyes is a favorite company of collectors of antique advertising. Its advertisements featured vibrant images, like this cabinet with a scene of children playing. (Kovels.com)
Clothing was made to last, and items were often repaired or remade multiple times before they were retired. People would buy dyes for home use to make their clothing or give a new look to old clothes.
Diamond Dyes, a leading dye company around 1900, is known for its advertising. Their trade cards, advertising booklets and store cabinets are especially popular with collectors today. This cabinet with a colorful tin lithographed scene of children playing outdoors sold for $750 by Morford’s Antique Advertising. Watch out for reproductions!
Q: I bought several chairs from a resale shop. The shop owner said they came from the boardroom of Lockheed Martin. The chair seat and back are one piece of curved wood. The legs are silver metal. They are stackable. The sticker on the bottom says, “Westnofa Furniture made in Norway.” I only paid $15 each for them but was recently told they are valuable. Is this true?
A: Westnofa manufactured furniture that exemplifies mid-century Scandinavian design. The style became popular because of its simplicity and functional design, like the ability to stack the chairs. Your chair was designed by Oivind Iversen and is called the “City Chair.” Mid-century furniture is in demand by decorators and collectors. Chairs like yours have recently sold for $50 to $100 each. However, your friend is correct: If you have a set of six to eight, they can sell for upwards of $200 each.
TIP: If the photograph album you buy smells like plastic, don’t use it. The fumes will eventually destroy the pictures.
Current Prices
Doll, Lone Ranger, composition, painted, black mask, cloth plaid shirt, yellow plastic chaps and bandanna, 16 inches, $285.
Garden settee, wrought-iron wire, scrolled back with five arches, five sets of concentric circles form seats, curled arms, twisted and looped legs, 30 x 86 x 18 inches, $720.
Sterling silver creamer, Elizabeth II, cow shape, curled tail, flower garland on back, marked, Nat Leslie, Silver Vaults, London, 1967, 4 ounces, 6 inches, $880.
Pair of porcelain candle holders, elephant form, pink glaze, enameled flowers on blanket, howdah holds candle, Chinese, 19th century, 4 inches, pair, $1,135.
For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com.
© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.
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