UNCLAIMED VASES CLAIM HIGH PRICE

A matching pair of cloisonne vases was among hundreds of unclaimed items abandoned in a Connecticut storage facility and put up for auction on Jan. 30. The vases, estimated to bring about $2,000, auctioned for $52,900. Most of the proceeds went toward paying storage bills. A London bidder and a member of the audience fought for the vases until the London bidder bowed out. So the vases went to the person bidding live at the Nest Egg auction in Meriden, Connecticut.

TEST YOUR VASES

Before you use the vase you just bought at a flea market, test it. Fill it to the top and put it on a dry spot on your kitchen counter overnight. If it leaves a ring of moisture or a puddle, it can't be placed on a good piece of furniture. Get some paraffin wax, melt it, and swish it around the dry inside of the vase. Make a thick-enough coat of wax to be sure there are no holes. It will be leak-proof for many years if you are careful not to scratch the wax with hard stems.

ROYAL DOULTON SUNG MARK

Q: I have a Royal Doulton vase with these marks on the bottom. Can you tell me what they all mean and how old the vase is?

A: The Royal Doulton mark on your vase was used beginning in 1932. F. Allen (probably Fred Allen) was an artist at Royal Doulton. "Sung" is the name of a flambe glaze developed by Charles John Noke, the art director at Royal Doulton from 1914 to 1936. Flambe was made by adding copper oxide and other chemicals to the glaze and then reducing the flow of oxygen to the kiln, producing a mottled effect. Sung was made from 1920 to the early 1940s. Your vase was made between 1932 and 1936. The size of the vase helps determine the price. A 6-inch vase is worth about $450; bigger vases bring higher prices.

ZSOLNAY

Zsolnay

Q: I have a vase that was left in my grandmother's apartment garage in the 1940s. They hired immigrant farmers to help with their cattle farm. The vase has a mark with five steeples and the words "Zsolnay, Pecs." It is also marked with an impressed "1063" and the printed number "68." What can you tell me about its origin?

A: Vilmos Zsolnay founded a pottery in Pecs, Hungary, and was producing ceramics by 1853. The trademark with five churches was first used in 1878. The medieval name for the town translates as "Five Churches." The initials "T.J.M." that appear in the mark on your vase stand for Terez, Julia, and Miklos, the children of Vilmos Zsolnay. They took over the factory after his death, but their initials were used as early as 1878. The impressed numbers indicate the year the piece was introduced. Number 1063 tells us that vases like yours were first made between 1882 and 1885. The other number might be a design or shape number. Similar vases have auctioned for $65 to $90 in the last year.