#Middlebury
How can you tell if a paper poster is old or new? Many have been reproduced. Sometimes a magnifying glass helps. Reprinted posters usually have small dots visible when examined with a magnifying glass. If the original is a photograph, the copy is harder to spot. Look for extra words at the bottom. Original Currier and Ives prints have a title and perhaps a reference to the Library of Congress. Reprints from calendars have added titles mentioning the company. The calendar was not meant to deceive, but when the pictures are sold separately and framed under glass, it is easy to be fooled. Buy posters from a source you trust.
This famous sign has been copied many times, but the original is 40-1/2 by 26-1/2, the size of this sign sold by Bertoia Auctions.
We started buying advertising art in the 1960s. One of our first buys was from the man who started “Desperate Enterprises,” the company that later made millions of reproduction metal signs and paper posters used to decorate restaurants or family rooms. He sold us the famous “Satin Skin Powder” poster, which pictured a woman with a fan and packages of skin cream, for about $30. A few days later, he called and gave us a partial refund. He found a stack of mint-condition signs – hundreds of them – and cut the price. Today, there still are many original signs, as well as copies in many sizes.
The pictured sign was made for the Alfred F. Wood Perfume Manufacturing Co. of Detroit. It started in 1883 and lasted until about 1910. The company made many cosmetics and perfume. The creams were advertised in newspapers as a cure for “cuts, burns, bruises, scratches and chaps.” Samples were available. The original Satin Skin Cream sign is a chromolithograph and is 40-1/2 by 26-1/2 inches in size. Reproductions are smaller. An original should cost $250 to $450, while a large mounted and framed reproduction sells for about $100 to $200.
Q: My father has a group of very old telephones and even a 1910 operator’s headset in very good condition. He wants to sell them, but is at a loss as to what they are worth. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
A: Old telephones sell at auctions and at antiques shows and shops. Prices vary depending on the age and style of the phone. Old rotary phones sell for $42-$135. Old wall-mounted crank phones sell for $75 to $120. Most will not work on a new phone line.
Current Prices
Sign, Coca-Cola, woman, white feather hat, green border, paper on wood, 26 x 37 inches, $50.
Side Table, round, human legs, pink skirt, shoes, 35 x 24 inches, $240.
Washing machine, Shaker, walnut, brass parts, three tubs, hand cranked turning wheel, model, 3 1/4 x 11 inches, $1,880.
Lamp, Dirk Van Erp, electric, hanging, bean pot, copper, hammered, mica, 1915-29, 10 x 11 inches, $5,320.
TIP: Beware! We hung a 1950s L’il Abner game board on the wall near a window. The sun removed all of the yellow color in a year. The grass in the print is now blue.
For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com
(c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
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