#Middlebury #Antiques
Homes of the early 1900s in the United States had many matched sets of decorative pieces. There was a coffee and tea service with creamer, sugar bowl and tray. There was usually a desk set with a pen, blotter ends, inkwell, pen holder, letter opener, stamp box and more. And, of course, there was a smoking set that had a box for cigars, cigar cutter, sometimes a cigar holder, humidor, lighter, ashtray, a cigarette holder and a special cigarette case to carry. When viewed alone, the parts often are hard to identify.
Recycling is not new. Attractive boxes that held products like cigars were often reused to hold jewelry or sewing equipment. What the hooded figures on this box represent is unknown, but the box sold for $875 to be used in a 21st-century way.
A recent auction by Rago sold a pottery box with a lid and corners that featured hooded figures. The size suggests it was originally made to hold cigars. Cigars were sold in standard size wooden boxes starting in 1865. A decorative box often held them on a desk or table. This box is marked Atlantic Terra Cotta Company, an important maker of New Jersey clay tiles from 1907 to 1949. It sold for $875.
Q: I inherited a 1768 German family Bible. What’s the best way to store it so it doesn’t deteriorate?
A: If your family Bible lists names of family members with birth and death dates going back over 250 years, you have a treasure! Before you store the Bible, use your cellphone or digital camera to take pictures of the pages that have family information so you can share them with other family members and have copies in case the ink fades.
Don’t try to copy the pages by opening the book flat on a photocopier. It may break the spine. The public library may have a photocopy machine with a book mount to hold the book partly open, but the light may fade the print.
Don’t keep the Bible in a plastic bag. Put a piece of archival tissue paper between handwritten pages to prevent the ink from bleeding through. Store the Bible flat in an archival box and pad it with archival tissue paper to keep the Bible in place. Store it in a cool, dry place, not in the attic or basement. Archival materials can be purchased at sites online. A few places for archival supplies are www.gaylord.com and www.lightimpressionsdirect.com.
Current Prices
Coffee pot, Pairpoint, silver plate, birds, leaves, lanterns, gourd shape, long spout, 11 x 7 inches, $45.
Shelley cup and saucer, yellow polka dots, trim, handle, white ground, 5 3/4 inches, $105.
Scale, weighing, brass, butcher, fitted case, John Chatillon & Sons, 16 1/4 x 13 inches, $160.
Box, dresser, Bolivian rosewood, white ash stripe, turned wood, Jerry Patrasso, 2 1/2 x 3 7/8 inches, $260.
TIP: Rub tartar-control toothpaste on your scratched snow dome paperweights. It will remove the smaller scratches.
“Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide” – the new 2021 edition with more than 11,500 prices, 3,000 pictures and many helpful tips – is available in bookstores and online, or visit www.Kovels.com for a special offer.
© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.
You must be logged in to post a comment.