#Middlebury #Kovels
Mermaids and mermen have been “seen” and pictured since the Babylonian era. In past centuries, Greece, Japan, Ireland, Russia and Scotland have believed in local mermaids. There have been exhibits of mermaid skeletons; the 1837 Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, “The Little Mermaid”; the 1989 Disney movie adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” starring Ariel; and a fake documentary on television in 2012. In the 19th century, mermaids were part beautiful long-haired women and part fish, with a fish tail instead of legs. Collectors look for stories and art about mermaids and other legendary creatures like elves, the Abominable Snowman or the Loch Ness monster.
The mermaid is part of a light fixture made about 1900. It sold for $1,500.
A hanging lamp from the 19th century with a carved mermaid, dressed in fashionable clothing and a feathered hat, was auctioned recently by Garth’s. She was holding two light fixtures with glass shades. The fixture, suspended on three decorated chains, sold for $1,500.
Q: I have inherited my great aunt’s silver tea service and tray. She was married in 1910. The silver has been worn down so much that it’s no longer usable and the insides of the coffee and tea urns are black. I tried using Alka-Seltzer to clean the inside, but it didn’t do anything. I’d love to have the pieces replated and put back into usable condition, but don’t want to lose the details in the process. Is it worth it to have them replated?
A: Replating the silver will not cause it to lose the details, but it is expensive. Before you decide to have the tea service replated, try using silver polish and vigorously rubbing it on. The polish won’t clean where there isn’t any silver, and it will show what needs to be replated. Look for someone in your area who does silver plating and ask if he or she has sales when prices are marked down. The replater also should be able to clean the inside of the urns.
Q: I found a snow leopard skin in an antique suitcase in my father’s attic. The skin probably is around 100 years old, but is in perfect condition. What should I do with it? What is it worth? Who would want it – a museum or a Russian supermodel?
A: It’s too old for the Russian supermodel, but it could sell at an auction. Snow leopard skin rugs sold at auction for $550 to $1,100 plus buyer’s premium several years ago. If the skin has dried and is cracking, it will be much less valuable.
Current Prices
Sandwich glass, dish, Pekinese dog lid, opaque white, 1880, 4 inches, $60.
Navajo Indian pipe, stag horn bowl and mouthpiece, leather and beaded shaft, 13 inches, $120.
Tortoiseshell cigarette box, silver mounts, C. Saunders, Francis Shepard, 1895, 6 x 4 inches, $375.
Dress, beaded sequin, black, flapper, art deco-style pattern, sleeveless, scoopneck, 1920s, size medium, 35 inch waist, $535.
TIP: Buy a paint-by-number kit to get an inexpensive assortment of paint colors to use for touch-ups and restorations for paintings and furniture.
For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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