ERPHILA MARK

Q: I recently bought a small vase that is marked Erphila Art Pottery. Can you help me identify it?

A: Erphila is a mark used by Ebeling & Reuss on pottery and porcelain imported from Czechslovakia, Germany, and other European countries after 1920. Ebeling & Reuss was founded in Philadelphia in 1886. They imported vases, pitchers, figurines, dinnerware, and more in styles ranging from Victorian to Art Deco. The name "Erphila" is a combination of the initials "E" and "R" and the first letters of the city, "phila." The company was sold to Strathmore Corp. of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 2002 and is still in business.

SMITH PREMIER TABLE

Q: I bought this desk in 1967 and was told it is a lady's typewriter desk. The name of the company is marked on the top of the desk. How old is it?

A: The Smith Premier Typewriter Company was founded in Syracuse, New York, in 1886 by brothers Hurlburt, Lyman, Monroe, and Wilbert Smith. The Smiths were gun manufacturers who began making typewriters after one of their engineers came up with a new design for a typewriter. Typewriters were displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, but the keyboard and works were not standardized until several years later. Smith Premier merged with other manufacturers to form the Union Typewriter Company of America in 1893. The brothers left Union in 1903 and founded L.C. Smith & Brothers Typewriter Company. The Smith Premier brand name was used until at least 1939. Your typewriter table was probably made around 1900.