#Middlebury #StPatricksDay
There are many collectors of Christmas and Halloween items, but few celebrate St Patrick’s Day with a collection of figures. This smiling leprechaun nods his head as he learns that he was bought for $59 at a Bertoia auction in New Jersey.
There are many collectors of Christmas and Halloween items, but few celebrate St Patrick’s Day with a collection of figures. This smiling leprechaun nods his head as he learns that he was bought for $59 at a Bertoia auction in New Jersey.
Bobble heads are popular today as sports collectibles. Most baseball teams offer souvenir bobble-head dolls at some of the games during the season, but today’s dolls are made of slick plastic and usually are wearing fabric uniforms. Early toy bobble heads were made of painted papier-mache. The head bobs up and down because it is attached to a long-weighted neck that’s suspended in the neck’s hole. It is balanced on a narrow metal rod that swings back and forth, making the head move.
The idea came from 18th-century porcelain figurines that had moving heads and hands. The major German porcelain factories made complicated nodders. One was a group of four women drinking tea while their heads and hands moved. Another was a 20th-century figure of a woman seated in front of a typewriter. Her hands moved up and down as she typed.
This bobble-head figure in a lime-green suit and hat is a 5-inch-tall, smiling Irish Leprechaun nodder. It was made in Germany of a composition material; his glass eye is winking. He’s a charming fellow, but St. Patrick’s Day collectibles are not as popular as those for Halloween or Christmas, and there were fewer bids. The buyer paid only $59.
Q: Is it true that furniture from the U.S. House of Representatives is sometimes sold at auction? Who owns the chair used by each elected official?
A: For many years, there were few rules about the furniture that belonged to the government in the Congressional buildings, the White House or other Federal buildings. It is said that President Lincoln’s wife sold some of the furnishings because she needed money to live on, as there was no pension for the wife of a president. Now there are pages of instructions about buying and selling official furnishings. Most pieces have to be paid for by the elected official according to a written schedule.
We have seen several Victorian chairs from the House of Representatives sold. They were made in 1857 by a famous New York firm, Bembe & Kimbel. They featured three stars carved on the chair crest, and carved oak branches representing longevity and laurel for victory on the arms and legs. In 2008, a chair sold for about $19,000.
Recent Prices
Wooden pie crimper, pastry wheel, shaped turned handle with ball finial, “France” etched on handle, 1960s, $15.
Wendy doll, Madame Alexander, St. Patty’s Day parade, red curly hair, freckles, green iridescent dress, top hat, pot of gold, box, 8 inches, $70.
Murano vase, orange creamsicle swirl, free-form with in-folding rim, orange, white and clear, Italy, c. 1960, 9 x 9 inches, $145.
Mountaineering pack, back board, hardwood, rope, webbing and adjustable straps, climbing tools, 1940s, 27 x 15 inches, $265.
TIP: Fray Check, a product found in sewing supply shops, is useful for repairing tears in cardboard signs.
For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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