Send a Vintage Valentine's Day Greeting!

BITTERS BOTTLE SELLS FOR SWEET PRICE

An antique bitters bottle embossed "Chalmers Catawba Wine Bitters trade mark Sutters Old Mill, Spruance Stanley & Co., Proprietors," sold at an American Bottle Auction for $19,600. It is a San Francisco bottle, bluish aqua with an applied top, made about 1872-73.

GIACOMETTI SCULPTURE SETS AUCTION RECORD

The Alberto Giacometti bronze sculpture "L'homme qui marche I" ("Walking Man I") sold last week for $104,327,006. It is the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. It auctioned February 3 at Sotheby's in London. Why should the average collector care? Because it's an indication that art is a good investment even in tough economic times. Other reports about recent shows and auctions suggest that collectors are starting to buy again, but they want the best.

ANOTHER SURPRISE PRICE

A George II-style red lacquered and parcel gilt secretary sold at a recent Leslie Hindman auction in Chicago. The estimated price was $6,000 to $8,000, but the piece sold for $207,400.

THE BEST OF OUR BLOG FROM FEBRUARY 3

Many of you were upset that we suggested using newspapers to wrap antiques. We should have warned you that this is a short-term solution. The ink will do damage over time. Read about 20 other suggestions for wrapping your breakables when moving them--go to last week's ezine and read the tips in our blog. Here's one, an ECOLOGICAL VERSION OF BUBBLE WRAP:

Sylvie Nault said ...
I am an Ebay seller, Vintage-by-Jojo, and I sell mostly vintage glass that travels from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to anywhere in the U.S. I found a great way of cutting my expenses and helping the planet by recycling solar plastic covers for swimming pools. These huge blue plastic covers have bubbles just like bubble wrap. If you are lucky, you can get a 32-by-16-foot-long cover for a few dollars instead of paying the outrageous price at Office Depot. You do, of course, need to cut it in strips of 2 by 3 feet with a very sharp pair of scissors--but still, it's worth it. Then you clean it once it's cut. I have experimented with two solutions and found the best to be the washing machine, making sure to use warm water and at least 1 cup of Javex (bleach) to disinfect. The other solution is a bathtub soak with lots of soap and Javex, followed by a rinse with the telephone shower head. The third could be the dishwasher, still with Javex, but only on the top basket. Cheers, Sylvie, aka Charlo1910 on Ebay.

CORRECTION
Oops. The Stetson China Company mentioned in last week's Mystery Mark should have said that the company closed in 1966.

WORLD'S FAIR HANDKERCHIEF

Q: I have a silk handkerchief that was made in 1904 to commemorate the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. The flowers around the edge are hand-embroidered. As you can see, there is a brown spot on one corner. Is there any value to this piece of history?

A: Several different handkerchiefs were made as souvenirs of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Most picture President Theodore Roosevelt, a fairground building, or some other central decoration. President Roosevelt attended the ceremony that dedicated the buildings on the fairgrounds in April 1903. He opened the fair on April 30, 1904, by touching a gold and ivory key on a telegraph machine in the White House. Your handkerchief picturing Roosevelt would appeal to collectors of either political items or World's Fair memorabilia. The needlework flowers and cutwork designs vary on the commemorative handkerchief. Those with more intricate cutwork sell for higher prices. Unfortunately, the brown spot in the corner lowers the value of your handkerchief. Value - $100 to $150.

WATSON SILVER SPOON

Q: Can you identify the manufacturer and age of this spoon? We got this vintage silver spoon as a wedding present 32 years ago. Our names and the date of the wedding are engraved on the bowl of the spoon. Our oldest daughter recently married and I thought of doing something similar for her.

A: The "H in flag" mark was used by The Watson Co. of Attleboro, Massachusetts. The company was in business under various names from 1874 to 1955, when it was sold to R. Wallace and Sons. The company made flatware, hollowware, souvenir spoons, and other items. During the early 1900s, Watson made flatware in several different floral and fruit patterns as well as hundreds of souvenir spoons. You may be able to find a similar pattern through a matching service, like Replacements.com. We haven't found out why the company used an "H" in the flag, since the company name and founders' names don't begin with that letter. Can anyone solve the mystery?

DON'T USE PLASTIC CONTAINERS IN YOUR MICROWAVE

New health warnings say you should not heat food in plastic containers or with plastic wrap. Some of the plastic chemicals will get in the food and into your body. We use 1930s covered glass refrigerator containers.

BARBIE MAKES A COMEBACK

Barbie is back, more popular than ever, and is making money for Mattel. Collectors should be pleased. The new "Fashionista" line, featuring a smaller, bendable Barbie with lots of fashionable clothes and accessories, is one of the reasons. In addition, there was a shortage of Barbies at Christmas time, and Bratz dolls (Barbie's competitor) couldn't be sold in the United States because of a lawsuit. New young buyers of Barbie lead to older buyers of Barbie who have become collectors. If they ever stop making the doll, interest will gradually fade.

BUGATTI PULLED FROM LAKE SELLS AT AUCTION

A 1925 Buggati Brescia that was pulled from a lake in Switzerland last summer auctioned for $368,686 in spite of missing parts, rust, and other damage. The car was probably abandoned in Lake Maggiore in the mid 1930s.

THE BEST OF OUR BLOG

The blog has become so active, we have decided to include the best of each week's blog (our choice) here in our ezine. That way, those who do not check the Kovels Komments blog each week can get a taste of what's out there. This is the "Best of blog" from Jan 27--the Reader's Comment in answer to our suggestion to open a collectible can of Pepsi from the bottom:

Dawn wrote...
My husband was part of Desert Shield in 1991. He brought back a can of Pepsi because it was labeled in Arabic. Last year, we were watching TV and heard a loud bang. We couldn't find the source that night, but the next day discovered the can on the floor; the bottom of it was behind the bookcase it sat on. There was little stain from the contents, so I guess most of it evaporated, but there was a deep dent in the wall where the bottom hit when it blew. So I would recommend emptying the can if you plan to keep it.

Our bloggers have been very concerned about the new show "American Pickers." Many felt I should condemn the pickers, who buy at very low prices and then tell us they will make a huge profit. I have been told that unaired shows are being edited to explain that the "profit" often includes the cost of cleaning and some repair of the collectible, plus the overhead of travel and office expenses. I know from experience that a "farmer" with a barn or two full of old stuff knows the value. People featured on the show seem to like having company and sell just a few pieces at a time. Besides, the pickers arrive with a full camera crew and producers, so all the guests know full well they are part of a TV show. Without a camera, you can never get the same result you get with this few minutes of fame. I do agree the show sometimes presents the pickers as trying to buy from uninformed elderly who need money and sell too cheap--the stereotype of the "wicked dealer." But the show's hosts are polite and always ask the seller to set the price--and everyone seems to enjoy the encounter. If the show bothers you, don't watch. Low ratings kill a show. But we find many of our readers enjoy the show. And any publicity about collecting is good for collectors.

CAMEO GLASS VASES

Q: I have two cameo glass vases, both signed "Charder." I bought them in the early 1970s at an estate sale. Could you give me a little history and a value?

A: Cameo glass was first made by the Romans over 2,000 years ago. The French began making it in the late 1800s. Your vases were made by the Schneider Glassworks, founded in 1917 in Epinay-sur-Seine, France. Cameo glass was produced there from 1918 until 1933. Cameo glass is multi-layered glass; parts of the layers are cut to make a design.

All Schneider glass was signed either "Le Verre Francais" or "Charder," a contraction of Charles Schneider. Many pieces have both signatures, along with "France" acid-stamped on the bottom. The art deco designs on your vases suggest they were made in the early 1930s. They could sell for $1,500 to $2,000 each.

STETSON CHINA

Q: This tea set was purchased by my husband 23 years ago at an estate sale. I have tried to research Stetson China with little or no luck. I would appreciate any information you can give me.

A: Joseph W. Stetson bought the Illinois China Company of Lincoln, Illinois, in 1946 and founded Stetson China Co. During the early years the company decorated and sold dinnerware made on Mount Clemens Pottery blanks. They made hundreds of different patterns. Stetson China Co. was out of business by 1966.

WRAPPING BREAKABLE ANTIQUES

Last week was the 50th birthday of bubble wrap, one of the best of all wraps for breakable antiques. Best, we think, are unused disposable diapers or crumpled newspapers.

AMERICAN SILVER BOWL SETS RECORD AT AUCTION

An American silver bowl (est., $400,000-$800,000) set a record of $5,906,500 at a Sotheby's auction last Friday. The punch bowl was made about 1700-1710 by Cornelius Kierstede and descended from the original Royalist owner to his present-day English relatives, who revealed its existence in 2009.