COLLECTING--A GLOBAL PHENOMENON

Collecting--A Global Phenomenon

Collecting is indeed worldwide. We just read in a newspaper based in India that a fishing creel was sold in England by Bonhams for a record price of about $26,695. We may be a little off on the price because we had trouble converting it from lakh (100,000 rupees) to dollars. The 19th-century pot-bellied creel was made of stitched leather. It had a brass hinged lid of embossed leather. There were five brass plaques on it dated 1890 to 1894 with information about trout and grayling caught during those years. It also had a brass plaque engraved "W. Randell, Aysgarth, Yorkshire." William Randell (1855-1901) was the original owner of the creel. The seller bought it in 1951 for a little over $2 at a summer fair with money he won for collecting the most "cabbage white" butterflies. Since cabbage whites lay eggs that turn into destructible cabbage worms, he did himself and the environment a good deed.

FRAUD IN THE ANTIQUES INDUSTRY

Fraud in the Antiques Industry

The PMSA (Professional Show Manager's Association) is fighting fraud in the antiques industry. They are giving away bookmarks that remind buyers to ask the dealer, "How long have you been in business?" "Will you give me a written guarantee that the item is authentic?" "What is your return policy?" And other questions. It also suggests that for more information visit ftc.gov (Federal Trade Commission site) and click on Consumer Information.

INSURANCE FRAUD

Insurance Fraud

A bad deed in Detroit will be repaid. A man is accused of stealing more than $4 million from an insurance company and using some of the money to buy dolls, dollhouse furniture and miniature toys for a woman. The woman sent the dolls, valued at over $500,000, to Theriault's to be sold. The authorities hope the dolls sell well--the money will go to the insurance company or the insurer covering the theft.

ART DECO COMB

Art Deco Comb

Q: The other day I came across a beautiful comb my husband thinks belonged to his aunt, a Hollywood starlet in the 1930s. It has a peacock feather design with green rhinestones. Do you know anything about its history and value?

A: Your art deco comb could date from the 1930s. It imitates the style of Spanish mantilla combs used for holding lace in a hairdo, a shape popular about 1910. Vintage combs do not sell as well as more wearable pieces of jewelry. It is worth about $50 to $100.

WM. EXTON POTTERY MARK

WM. Exton Pottery Mark

Information about this mark on a pottery mug was sent by the readers who owned it. They found the information in an obituary for William T. Exton. Exton was born in 1855 and died in 1915. He was a nephew of Adam Exton, owner of Exton Cracker Bakery and inventor of the oyster cracker. William T. Exton worked at the bakery as a boy, and established his own cake and cracker store in 1888. He became a jobber in general pottery wares about 1905 and continued in that business until late 1914. A jobber buys goods from wholesalers in "job lots" (small lots of miscellaneous goods), and sells them to retailers. This probably is his mark used about 1905 to 1915. Anyone know more?

FURNITURE TIP

Furniture Tip

Treat your furniture the same way you treat your face. Wash it to remove the dirt. You do not want to remove the skin. Don't sand too much or use a "dip strip."

OUR 100TH EDITION!

Our 100th Edition!

This is the 100th edition of Kovels Komments. Our very first Komments reported on "everybody's dream." A $15 piece of glass from a thrift store sold at a Green Valley auction in Virginia for $22,000. It was a Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. Tulip vase in dark cobalt blue with white striations.

Since then we have continued to report the news with an eye to how it affects the world of antique collecting. There have been strange stories: an elbow through a multimillion-dollar painting (Oct. 19, 2006), the discovery of more dodo bird bones (June 7, 2007), record prices for the Honus Wagner baseball card as it went up and up to $2.8 million (Jan. 3, 2008), how an empty paper box added $40,000 to the value of a pistol (Jan. 10, 2008), and the paintings of saints purchased for $500 that sold for $3.4 million (April 26, 2007).

We have also identified 100 marks, answered 100 Collectors Concerns questions, and given 100 tips. Best of all, everything we've written is all still "out there" in our free ezine archives for you to read (look under "Free Resources" on our Kovels.com homepage). We are adding more features to our website all the time. Have you visited our blog at kovels.blogspot.com? And don't miss the "Directory" that lists information like matching services, appraisers, people who refinish furniture, and where to get old nails. Our "Store" is filling up with useful leaflets and special reports on subjects like costume jewelry, record prices, and how to be sure you do the right things before, during, and after a natural disaster to protect your collection.

TIFFANY VS. EBAY

Tiffany vs. Ebay

A federal judge ruled that Tiffany & Co., not eBay, is responsible for the sale of Tiffany fakes on eBay in the United States. Tiffany is appealing the ruling. It means collectors must be extra careful when buying online. Another word of warning: Auctions can be so exciting they create "auction fever"--and you can pay more for an item than it's worth. Check before the sale and set the top price you think something is worth. Avoid emotional bidding. And be sure you know the auction gallery. Recently several lawsuits have been filed over prints and paintings bought at art auctions on cruise ships. The appraised values turned out to be too high and some of the prints had forged signatures.

IS IT SEVRES?

Is It Sevres?

Q: These vases were given to me by a friend as "compensation" for helping out at her garage sale a few years ago. There are several repaired cracks, but I love their vibrant color. They are about 10 inches tall. I can't make out the mark on the bottom, but they look like vases we saw in Florence that were dated in the 1700s. Can you give me some history and an estimate of value?

A: The mark on the bottom of your vases is similar to the scrolled cartouche with date letter used by the Sevres Manufactory in Sevres, France. The letter "c" is the date letter for the year 1755, but your vases are not that old. They are in the style of early-19th century Sevres. Other manufacturers in France, Germany, England, and the United States copied the Sevres mark on their porcelain, so we can't be sure who made your vases. There appear to be metal rivets on the bottom of your vases--an early repair. Riveting the pieces together was the best method of repair until epoxy and resins became available in the 20th century. Pieces were often repaired because they were expensive and not easily found. The rivets add interest to the vases, and some collectors search for pieces repaired with rivets. The pair, repaired, could sell for a few hundred dollars.

NORITAKE

Noritake

Q: A friend asked me to look at some dinnerware she had inherited to determine the maker. I think it might be an old Noritake mark, but I have not seen one exactly like it. Can you help?

A: You are right, it's an early Noritake mark. The mark was used about 1935. Noritake porcelain was made in Japan after 1904 by Nippon Toki Kaisha. The M in a wreath represents the Morimura Brothers, a New York City distributing company. The best-known pieces of Noritake are marked with one of the many "M in wreath" marks.

STICKY SITUATION

Sticky Situation

Be careful when using Scotch tape, duct tape, adhesive tape or sticky labels. The adhesive can discolor paper long after the tape is removed. It can take off some of the thin sheet of silver used over copper on old Sheffield plate, it can discolor or remove over-glaze colors (especially gold) on ceramics, and it can leave a discoloration on metal patina. It can even tear off a loose piece of veneer on furniture.

CHECK ON YOUR WALL-HUNG VALUABLES...

Check on your wall-hung valuables...

We told you so--but the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York evidently didn't read our warning. Check the wall-hung hooks and shelves holding your valuables once a year to be sure they are still secure. Be especially careful of wall-hung shelves that "creep" a little each year until they finally tip and fall. A 15th-century Italian terra-cotta relief sculpture of St. Michael, 62 by 32 inches, fell from its metal mounting on the Metropolitan Museum's wall and landed on its back. It broke, but can be repaired. The museum is now inspecting all pedestals and wall mounts to be sure they are secure.

STRADIVARIUS VIOLINS

Stradivarius Violins

Global "cooling" seems to be one reason that Stradivarius violins have a unique sound. A mini-Ice Age that started in the middle of the 17th century caused a new pattern of tree growth. Trees grew more slowly, growth rings were narrower, and wood became denser, which could account for the difference in the sound of violins made during the 1600s and 1700s. Then again, maybe other theories explain the sound of a Stradivarius violin--perhaps 300 years of aging or a unique treatment for the wood creates the special sound. Whatever the reason, the "Strad" is still the most admired violin ever made.

BUCK ROGERS SPACE GUN

Buck Rogers Space Gun

Q: My husband has a Buck Rogers Disintegrator XZ-38 gun that he received as a child in the late 1930s. Can you tell us how much it's worth?

A: The Buck Rogers 25th Century Disintegrator Pistol, Model XZ-38 was made in 1935 by Daisy Manufacturing Company of Plymouth, Michigan. It was available with either a nickel finish or a copper finish, like yours. The gun was sold in stores and was also given away as a Cream of Wheat premium in 1935 and a Popsicle premium in 1939. Its advertised features include a sub-atomic condenser, electronic compression viewplate, an electronic compression chamber with cooling ribs, and an impulse generator cell. In other words, it has a flint tube at the top that flashes and sparks and makes a loud popping noise.

With its original box, The Buck Rogers Disintegrator sells for anywhere between $540 and $1700, depending on the conditions of the gun and the box. The gun alone sells for $150 to $400.

ULMER OR WILMER?

Ulmer or Wilmer?

Q: I have looked high and low for this mark and can't identify it. It says "Wilmer Keramik" on it. Can you tell me anything about this?

A: Your dish was made by Ulmer Keramik. Ulmer vases, plates, and other decorative pieces are often offered for sale on the Internet, but there is very little information about the company. The words "Made in Germany" indicate that the piece was probably made after 1915. We have seen Ulmer Keramik pieces marked "Made in W Germany," indicating they were made between 1949 and 1990. Your dish was probably made before World War II.