Kovels - Antiques & Collecting: Week of May 7, 2012

Iron doorstops are among today's top-selling collectibles. They are probably not propped against a door to keep it open but are instead displayed like rare porcelain figurines on a prominent shelf. The clever, colorful and often humorous doorstops favored today are made of painted cast iron.

They were first popular in the late 19th century. Flower baskets, cottages, animals and people were the most common doorstop shapes. More than 1,000 American-made doorstops are known, and there are at least 35 different doorstops that look like Boston terriers.

A new doorstop in 1920 cost 25 cents. Today a rare doorstop sells for more than $10,000. But most doorstops in average condition cost about $100. Original paint is important and repainting a doorstop, no matter how battered, lowers the price. A broken or badly damaged piece has almost no value.

Many reproductions of old doorstops have been made, most of them since the 1980s. That's when new collectors started searching for pieces for their collections. Reproductions start out with overly bright paint, and any rust that develops on them is bright orange, not dark brown.

One unusual vintage cast-iron doorstop is a clownish boy wearing a checkered shirt. He is standing with his legs and arms crossed. At his feet are piles of books and pamphlets. It may have been made to commemorate the New York Times crossword puzzle. Since the Times didn't publish its first crossword puzzle until 1942, the doorstop wasn't made before then. One sold in 2008 for $4,025. In 2011 another one sold for $1,725.

Q: My old child's rocking chair has a music box attached to one of the rockers. A short rod extends from the music box to the floor so that when the chair rocks, the music box plays. Unfortunately, the music box no longer works. What can you tell me about the chair? Do you know anyone who repairs something like this?

A: In the mid-20th century, a few companies made children's rocking chairs with music boxes. The mechanism on your chair was a feature of little rockers made by the N.D. Cass Co. of Athol, Mass. See if you can find a Cass Toys label or mark on the chair. Anyone who repairs music boxes should be able to repair the box on your chair. We list a few in the free directory on our website, Kovels.com.

Q: Please tell me what my World War II poster is worth. My father got the poster from his bank in 1942, which is why I know it's an original. It's 39 by 60 inches and pictures a close-up of a pilot. The wording on it is: "You Buy 'Em, We'll Fly 'Em, Defense Bonds, Stamps." The poster is in excellent condition and I have kept it framed under glass.

A: World War II patriotic posters interest many collectors. Your poster, featuring art by Norman Wilkinson, was made in at least three sizes. Yours is the largest. We have seen a small one sell for $100, so yours would sell for more.

Q: The pair of king and queen figurines my parents owned for years are now mine. The bottom of each is marked "Made in Occupied Japan." I figure that means they were made after World War II, but I'd like to know more.

A: You're asking a timely question, since the end of the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II ended 60 years ago, on April 28, 1952. The "Made in Occupied Japan" mark on your figurines was used between February 1947 and April 1952. But that particular wording was required only until August 1949. Later the rules were relaxed a bit. After August 1949, exported ceramics could be marked as your figurines are or, simply, "Occupied Japan," "Made in Japan" or "Japan."

Q: I have owned an old heating stove for years. The name on it is "Warm Morning." Can you give me any history?

A: "Warm Morning" was a trade name for heaters made by the Locke Stove Co. of Kansas City, Mo. The heaters were first sold in the early 1930s and remained popular through the '40s. They were made to burn different fuels—wood, coal, gas or oil.

Q: More than 50 years ago, my husband and I bought a silver-plated melon-shaped serving piece with a removable silver insert and a second pierced silver insert below it. The dish is 15 inches high by 8 inches in diameter. The top rolls back and is decorated with an ornate coat of arms. The bottom is marked "Mappin & Webb, 7577 & 78 Oxford Street, Building City, London." Can you tell me the history of this piece and its value?

Tip: Valuable old wicker should never be painted. It should be misted once a month. Vacuum and dust it regularly. Once a year wash it with a natural soap.

CURRENT PRICES

• Shoe stretcher, Stoughton No. 2, wooden, locking nut on adjuster, Geo. E. Belcher, 8 1/2 inches, $15.
• Souvenir mug, "Asbury Park 1901" and "Harold," ruby-red flash above embossed-star base, clear smooth handle, 2 7/8 inches, $40.
• Hull pottery ewer, Wildflower pattern, dusty pink, soft peach and green, 1946, 4 1/2 inches, $95.
• The Nancy Drew Cookbook, 1st edition, subtitled "Clues to Good Cooking," by Carolyn Keene, Grosset & Dunlap, 1973, $125.
• Ashtray, Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, cream ground, gold trim, center with brown hot dog logo with chef's hat and apron, 6 5/8 inches, $160.
• McKee Jade casserole dish, Philbe pattern, embossed design around dish, marked, 7 x 5 inches, $250.
• Wee Patsy baby doll, composition, painted eyes, closed mouth, molded hair, jointed shoulders and hips, yellow dress, Effanbee Doll Co., 5 1/2 inches, $440.
• Manhole cover, cast iron, profile of Asheville, N.C., City Hall, words "Asheville" and "Vulcan," 23 1/2 inches, $470.
• Child's "Police" tricycle, pressed steel, royal blue, tail box opens at top, tag reads "Crystal Lake Permanent Bicycle License 1843," 1950s, 31 3/4 x 35 1/2 inches, $650.
• Kneehole desk, English oak, nine drawers, brass ring pulls, each drawer has lock, black leather top with gold tooled edge, 1800s, 42 x 23 1/2 x 28 3/4 inches, $1,700.

Order the set: "Buyers' Guide to 20th Century Costume Jewelry," Part One and Part Two. Both for our special price of $34.95. These special reports help you identify the most popular makers and designers of costume jewelry. Spot mid-century costume jewelry, Mexican silver jewelry and European and North American pieces. Learn who Hobe and Sigi are and how to recognize a rare piece of Bakelite. Accurate, comprehensive and valuable whether you're a serious collector or just a beginner. Available only from Kovels. Order by phone at 800-303-1996; online at Kovels.com; or send $34.95 plus $4.95 postage and handling to Kovels, P.O. Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

Kovels - Antiques & Collecting: Week of April 30, 2012

Did you have a bowl filled with pet fish when you were young? The idea dates back to the Roman Empire, when carp were kept in marble tanks. Once panes of glass were made, a pane could be used on one side of the tank so people could more easily watch the activities of the fish. The Chinese were making large porcelain tubs for goldfish by the 1400s. Copies of these tubs are still being made and sold, although they are usually used for plants, not fish. By the 19th century, there were aquariums and fish bowls that look like those found today. Raising fish became an important hobby, and the first public aquarium opened in 1853. By 1900 there were aquariums and fish bowls made in fanciful shapes, and some were even part of a planter or lamp. It is said that keeping fish is one of America's most popular hobbies. So when a fishbowl topped by three ceramic polar bears was auctioned at Humler & Nolan in Cincinnati, it's not surprising that it sold for $2,540. The fish bowl is cleverly designed. A porcelain "basket" holds an ice cave (the bowl). It's topped by the bears, and openings show the bowl and active fish. It's about 24 inches high and 15 inches in diameter, big enough to hold a few fish and plants. The bowl is lit from below. The maker is unknown, but it's signed "Makonicka." The bears and ice are designed in a style popular after 1890.

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Q: A few years ago, I bought a round 60-inch dining-room table with a pedestal base at a Los Angeles antique shop. The dealer told me the table was made in Germany, but there's no label or mark on it. The interesting thing about it is that there's a thick base under the tabletop that hides eight leaves. You can lift the top of the table and rotate the leaves out so they form a ring around the table, making the tabletop 80 inches in diameter. Have you ever seen a table like this?

A: Your table is called a "perimeter table," and the leaves are referred to as "perimeter leaves." The style has been around for decades and some cabinetmakers are building them today. A U.S. patent for this sort of table was granted in 1911. That was during an era when all sorts of different table extension designs were being invented.

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Q: I'm trying to find information about my 5-foot Col. Sanders metal weathervane. I was among the crew who remodeled a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Miami in 1980. The weathervane was going to be trashed, and I was the only worker who wanted it. So I took it home and stored it in my garage for 32 years. The weathervane is a full figure of Col. Sanders holding his cane up in the air. The weathervane must have stood on top of the restaurant for about 20 years. What is it worth? How should I sell it?

A: Harland Sanders (1890-1980) opened his first restaurant in Corbin, Ky., in 1930. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise opened in 1952, and there were 600 by 1964. We have seen Col. Sanders weathervanes for sale at antique shows for about $500. But a few have sold at auction for $1,000 or more. Price depends not only on where and how you sell it, but also on condition. If your weathervane is not rusty and the colors aren't faded, contact an auction that specializes in advertising. You will have to pay a commission.

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Q: We're moving and have a collection of old pictures in frames that my great-grandfather bought for $10 at a barn sale in the 1950s. One is a print of cattle and ducks that's signed by James M. Hart. Under his signature are the words "copyrighted 1899 by James M. Hart." There are some brown stains in the corner. Is it worth anything?

A: James McDougal Hart was born in Scotland in 1828. His family immigrated to Albany, N.Y., in 1830. Hart started out as a sign painter's apprentice, then studied art in Germany. In 1854 he opened a studio in Albany. Later, he opened studios in Brooklyn and Keene Valley, N.Y. Hart died in 1901. Several of his works are in museums today. The brown stains on your print are called "foxing" and can be caused by deterioration due to age or by exposure to heat, cold or humidity. If your pictures were stored in a barn, conditions were not ideal. Some oil paintings by James M. Hart sell for several thousand dollars. But his prints, in perfect condition, sell for just a few hundred dollars. Your print would be difficult to sell since it is in poor condition.

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Q: In the late 1800s, my great-grandfather owned a tinware company in Cleveland called Mannen & Esterly Co. For the past 45 years, I have been trying to gather information about the company. As for its products, so far I have only found a few of the company's painted tea boxes, and they're in collections.

A: John E. Mannen is listed in the 1886 Cleveland city directory as a tinsmith. In 1894-95, his business is listed as "stoves." By then he had moved to the address that would later become that of Mannen & Esterly. Mannen and Willis M. Esterly were granted a patent for a "clothes dryer for laundries" in 1903 and another for a "heating apparatus" in 1904. By 1909 the company advertised that it made sheet-metal goods, plain and decorated cans, japanning, "Manest" laundry dryers, "Manest" natural gas furnaces, dust separators, and exhaust and blow pipework. By 1919 the name of the business became "John E. Mannen Co., successor to Mannen & Esterly." That company made Dri-Rite laundry dryers and Age-Gar garage heaters. It was still in business in the 1920s, but by 1936 John Mannen is listed as president of the Metal Fabricating Corp. That company was founded in 1932 and is still in business in Cleveland, making metal boxes, cabinets, bins and specialty products. Since most Mannen & Esterly products were largeappliances, you won't find much to collect other than the tin containers you have already found.

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Tip: If you buy an old teddy bear at a garage sale, bring it home and put it in a plastic bag with some mothballs for a few weeks. Don't let the mothballs touch the bear. The fur and stuffing of old bears attract many types of hungry insects.

Take advantage of a free listing for your group to announce events or to find antique shows. Go to Kovels.com/calendar to find and plan your antiquing trips.

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Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

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CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Ideal doll, Tiny Kissy, vinyl head, brown rooted saran hair, pixie cut, green eyes, plastic arms and legs, hands jointed at wrists, push hands together she puckers up, 1960s, 16 inches, $45.

Evel Knievel lunch box, metal, image of Evel smiling and jumping canyon in rocket vehicle, 1974, Aladdin, $55.

Pierre the Chef wall clock, white hat & uniform, holding clock, electric, Sessions, 1950s, 10 x 7 inches, $60.

Gumball coin bank, Huckleberry Hound, tin lithograph, Hound, Jinks, Pixie, Dixie and Yogi Bear, 1960 Hanna Barbera copyright, Knickerbocker, 11 inches, $90.

Sterling-silver cheese slicer, acorn pattern, Georg Jensen, 3 x 8 1/4 inches, $165.

Duncan & Miller pressed-glass pitcher, Button Arches pattern, ruby stain, clear base and handle, c. 1900, 12 inches, $235.

Moorcroft bowl, orchid pattern, smoke color fades to cobalt, 12 x 5 1/2 inches, $325.

Windsor chair, brace-back, comb-back, continuous arm, shaped plank seat, turned legs, paper label, Wallace Nutting, early 1900s, 44 1/2 inches, $415.

Indian Motorcycles 1913 catalog, illustrated, black-and-white embossed cover with red image of cycle, 24 pages, 9 3/4 x 6 1/2 inches, $600.

Amish quilt, cotton, diamonds, stars and feathers, navy, red and pink, brown border, Lancaster, Pa., 1925-1940, 75 x 89 inches, $1,280.

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Kovels - Antiques & Collecting: Week of April 23, 2012

Permanent-press fabrics have relieved most households of the need to iron clothing. In past centuries, ironing was an almost daily duty of a woman in the home. Before about the 10th century, cloth was ironed with smooth wooden or glass pieces and a pounding stick. Heat was not used until the 16th century in Europe. By then, pressing irons were metal pans with long handles. A piece of charcoal was put in the pan to heat the bottom and the heated pan was rubbed over the cloth.

This crude iron was gradually improved. Charcoal was replaced by a heated iron rod to avoid the charcoal ashes that sometimes fell on the cloth. Next came special box irons with handles and pointed fronts. They were shaped like the electric and steam irons used today. Soon a solid piece of iron, also in today's familiar shape, was made to put on the stove to heat, then quickly used to heat and smooth cloth. By the turn of the 20th century, irons were heated by liquid gas, alcohol, gasoline or electricity. Unfortunately, some of the liquid-fueled irons blew up.

The electric iron was patented in 1882, but few homes had electricity back then. So the electric iron was not in general use until about 1915. Since then, irons have been improved with the addition of thermostats that control heat and steam. Some even became cordless and could fold up to go with travelers. All types of old ironing sticks, mangling boards and irons are collected today. Nineteenth- and unusual 20th-century examples sell for hundreds of dollars.

In the 1950s, an early Chinese iron that looks like a small, ornate cooking pot with a handle was copied and used as a portable ashtray. These mid-20th-century copies sell for about $30 today. A genuine antique Chinese iron is worth hundreds of dollars.

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Q: Recently I purchased five matching maple side chairs with "Mottville, N.Y." stamped on the back of the top slat of each chair. Two of the chairs are stamped "F. Sinclair" under "Mottville," while the other three are stamped "Union Chair Works." I've cleaned up the chairs and given them new woven seats. Please tell me the approximate age and value of the chairs, and explain the different marks.

A: The Union Chair Works factory was built in Mottville, near Skaneateles, N.Y., in 1866, although some records say the founding of the company dates back to 1859. The company's owners, Joseph Hubbard and Francis A. Sinclair, advertised their furniture under the brand name "Common Sense" and eventually made chairs, rockers, tables and settees. The company operated at least into the 1880s, and perhaps into the early 1900s. If all you had to do to get the chairs into tiptop shape was clean them and replace the woven seats, the set could sell for more than $500.

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Q: I want to leave my collection of Hummel figurines to my 14-year-old great-granddaughter. What should I wrap them in and how should I store them?

A: Hummel figurines are based on the drawings of the nun M.I. "Berta" Hummel. They were first made in 1935 by the W. Goebel Porcelain Co. of Oeslau (now part of Rodental), Germany. The figurines are made of earthenware. Parts that aren't glazed will absorb moisture, so they need to be stored in a dry place. Don't store them in the basement, which often is damp, or in the attic, where they would be subject to extreme temperature changes, which could cause crazing. You can wrap the figurines in plain archival paper, white tissue paper or pieces of white bedsheets and pack them carefully in a box with bunches of tissue paper between them to prevent them from bumping each other when the box is moved. Don't wrap them in newspaper. Newsprint comes off and may stain the figurines. Don't wrap them in colored paper or plastic, either. The best way to store them is in their original boxes, if you still have them.

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Q: My mother left me an oval brooch made of blue milk glass. I think it originally belonged to her grandmother, who died in 1924. It's a series of little blue balls and tiny silver balls. The gold-tone border is impressed "Czechoslovakia" in capital letters on the back. What do you think it's worth?

A: The country of Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918, when World War I ended. So your brooch was not made before 1918. The country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. Costume jewelry made of Czechoslovakian glass sells for a wide range of prices, depending on design and condition. Your brooch could sell for $20 to $50.

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Q: I was pleased to see your recent column about furniture designs by Charles Rohlfs. But being from Buffalo, N.Y., I was disheartened that you said Rohlfs was a New York City furniture maker. He actually lived and worked in Buffalo.

A: Thanks for speaking up for Buffalo. Rohlfs (1853-1936) was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and studied design at the Cooper Union in Manhattan. But he moved his family to Buffalo in 1887, when he took a job with a stove manufacturer there. In 1897 he opened his own workshop in Buffalo and created his unique furniture designs for a decade.

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Tip: If you get gum on your Oriental rug or carpet, freeze it with an ice cube in a plastic bag, then scrape it off with a plastic credit card.

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Sign up for our weekly email, "Kovels Komments." It includes the latest news, tips and collector's questions and is free if you register on our website. Kovels.com provides lists of publications, clubs, appraisers, auction houses, people who sell parts or repair antiques and more. Kovels.com adds to the information in this column and helps you find useful sources needed by collectors.

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Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, (Name of this newspaper), King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

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CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Madame Alexander doll, Chatterbox, hard plastic and vinyl, pigtails, sleep eyes, head turns, talk button in front, battery-operated, 1961, 24 inches, $55.

Bermuda Triangle board game, made in Ireland, Milton Bradley, 1976, 20 x 12 inches, $60.

Cookie pail, Sunshine Biscuits of New York, red, white and blue cardboard, pictures little cookies in toy shapes, tin cover, handle, 1950s, 11 ounces, $70.

Cambridge Glass cake stand, Virginia pattern, rum well in center, 1940s, 8 x 11 inches, $200.

Cameo pin, diamond accent around woman's neck, carved flowers at left shoulder, dress draped across front, silver filigree and scrollwork, 1920s, 1 5/8 x 1 1/2 inches, $275.

Bellows, turtleback, painted long-tailed bird, black ground, brass nozzle, American, 19th century, 17 3/4 inches, $555.

Show towel, silk and wool on linen, potted flowers, peacocks and trees, 2 verses, 3 rows of fringe, "Catherine Derr," 1854, 60 x 17 3/4 inches, $705.

Hepplewhite card table, mahogany, poplar and chestnut, shaped top over banded inlay panels, tapered legs with string inlay, 1800-1815, 30 x 35 x 18 inches, $1,765.

Newcomb College pottery jar, lid, blue matte glaze, raised flowers, vines and leaves, marked, Anna Francis Simpson, 1919, 7 inches, $4,720.

Chippendale tall case clock, mahogany and pine, broken-arch pediment, floral rosettes, glass door, 8-day movement, signed John Fissler, Frederick Town (Md.), c. 1790, 102 1/2 inches, $4,995.

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Kovels - Antiques & Collecting: Week of April 16, 2012

Dual-purpose furniture has been made for centuries. By the 1700s, there were chairs with large, round backs that flipped down on the top of the arms to make a table. There also were chairs that could be flipped over to be used as library steps.

In the 1800s, new types of springs and hinges made it possible to manufacture a flip-down bed that could be stored in a closet, or card tables with hidden pull-out leaves that transformed into a dining table.

A famous French architect and designer, Armand-Albert Rateau, designed a clever dual-purpose chair in about 1925. The chair had an oak frame with ebony veneer. The back of the chair was upholstered with silk and straw. The seat back was hinged so that it folded down on the rest of the frame to form a low table. The Art Deco chair design was unique and could be useful today in a small apartment.

Q: I bought an old barbershop and all the antiques in it, including 1920s barber chairs, tons of razors, razor sharpeners, strops, combs and about 25 ceramic shaving mugs decorated with words and designs and signed on the bottom with makers' marks. My favorite mug, titled "10th Infantry," has a painting of soldiers and a bugler. I don't want most of these things. How do I sell all of this?

A: There are collectors who would be interested in nearly everything in your shop. The most-expensive chairs are those with elaborate iron trim. They sell for hundreds of dollars. And a rare occupational shaving mug—the kind with the name of an occupation and an image of a person working—can be worth even more than a chair. An "Aeronaut" mug picturing a parachutist auctioned for the record price of $45,000 in 2008. You could sell the things yourself, but if you're not familiar with the collecting world, you could ask an expert, dealer, appraiser or auction house to help you. If the collection is in excellent shape, it probably would be best to contact a large auction house that sells shaving mugs, barbershop signs and barber equipment. The smaller items can be sold in groups (lots). It is easy to find auctions of barbershop items by searching online.

Q: We own 12 plates that have a wide gold embossed border and multicolored flowers in the middle. They're 11 inches in diameter, and I think they're called charger plates. The back of each plate is marked with a crown above the letters "H & C." Underneath that are the words "Selb Bavaria" and "Heinrich Co." What can you tell me about these plates?

A: Franz Heinrich founded his porcelain company in Selb, Bavaria, Germany, in 1896. The company became part of Villeroy & Boch in 1976. The mark on your plates was used in the 1930s.

Q: We have an original typed letter handed down in the family from a relative who was a union leader in the 1950s. The letter, dated Aug. 30, 1958, is from Sen. John F. Kennedy and refers to "two enclosed speeches" he made on the Senate floor, one about national defense and the other about labor reform. The letter is signed "John Kennedy." The stationery has a verifiable watermark and we have had the letter authenticated by a local historical society. What is it worth?

Q: My parents received a china candy dish as a wedding gift in 1944. It has a vertical brass handle in the center. The mark on the bottom is a pair of straight-sided M's within a diamond, all within a fancy green-and-yellow cartouche. Under the cartouche is the stamped phrase, "Made in Japan." Can you tell me who made the dish and what it's worth?

A: The mark on your dish has been identified as one used by Moriyama Pottery, a company founded around 1911 in Mori-machi, a town in Shizuoka Prefecture. The china dish either was made before World War II, or the family story about when your parents received the gift is incorrect. The "Made in Japan" mark was used again starting in late 1949.

Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

• Libbey wine glasses, Silver Leaf pattern, stemmed, 6 1/4 in., set of 8, $40.
• Royal Copley Pirate Head wall pocket planter, dark hair, gray headscarf, green shirt with yellow collar, 1950s, 8 inches, $55.
• Donald Duck pencil sharpener, red Bakelite, Donald dressed as cowboy firing cap gun, 1950, 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches, $65.
• Wristwatch, lady's, bracelet style, diamond accents, square face, 10K gold filled, Gruen, Swiss, late 1940s, $75.
• Vogue doll, Betty Jane, composition, open-close green eyes, smoky eyeshadow, red open mouth, four teeth, auburn wig, pink ruffled dress, matching hat, 16 inches, $155.
• Indian Motorcycle advertising blotter, image of Indian Scout cycle, Bath Cycle Co., Bath, Me., 1920s, 3 1/2 x 5 inches, $225.
• Quilt and pillow cover, buttonhole applique, green-and-red floral wreath, white ground, 1932, quilt 82 x 84 inches, covers 24 x 84 inches, $350.
• Student's merit plaque, ink on paper, student's name Emanuel Metzker, dated 1845, peacock, fish and quill pen design, framed, 6 x 9 3/4 inches, $820.
• Pocket tin, Gold Dust Tobacco, "Worth Its Weight in Gold," image of three gold miners, Canada, 4 x 3 inches, $1,485.
• Queen Anne corner chair, maple and pine, solid splats, turned arm supports, cabriole legs, pad feet, mid-18th century, 29 inches, $1,995.

New! Contemporary, modern and mid-century ceramics made since 1950 are among the hottest collectibles today. Our special report, "Kovels' Buyers' Guide to Modern Ceramics: Mid-Century to Contemporary" identifies important pottery by American and European makers. Includes more than 65 factories and 70 studio artists, each with a mark and dates. Works by major makers, including Claude Conover, Guido Gambone and Lucie Rie, as well as potteries like Gustavsberg, Metlox and Sascha Brastoff, are shown in color photos. Find the "sleepers" at house sales and flea markets. Special Report, 2010, 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, 64 pages. Available only from Kovels. Order by phone at 800-303-1996; online at Kovels.com; or send $25 plus $4.95 postage and handling to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

Kovels - Antiques & Collecting: Week of April 9, 2012

If you don't already have rabbits hopping around your garden, you might want to buy an antique garden rabbit to fool your friends.

The wealthy English and French of the 17th century liked formal gardens with paths, fences and planned flower beds. They put urns, statues, fountains, sundials, gates, furniture and odd pieces like finials and wall sculptures into their gardens. In America, ornaments and furniture were being used in gardens by the 1600s. A brass sundial from 1630 is the earliest American garden piece that still exists. A wooden bench from the 1700s is the earliest known wooden piece. Gardens first had wrought-iron furniture and gates in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

By the mid 19th century, most garden pieces were made of cast iron, not wrought iron, because cast iron was stronger. Gardens were filled with iron ornaments and fences. Full-size deer, dogs and other animals, tiered fountains, iron benches made to look like twining vines or tree branches, obelisks and sundials were all made of cast iron. So were armillary spheres that help map the "movement" of the stars around the earth.

In the 1930s, there was even more interest in cast-iron objects. Inside houses you could find cast-iron doorstops, bookends, planters, hardware and toys. And in today's gardens, life-size rabbits, squirrels, frogs and even alligators and tall birds are among the many iron guests. Many of these figures were made years ago and have survived with just a little loss of paint.

A vintage rabbit or squirrel can cost from $50 to $200 today. A full-size deer or dog sells for $500 to $2,000, and a three-tier iron fountain with a bird pedestal and leafy edges costs $3,000. Look in backyards when you go to a house sale. You might find a garden figure no one noticed.

Q: I have four cafe-style chairs, each marked with a paper label that says "Jacob Josef Kohn & Mundus." The chair-backs have a bentwood frame with three horizontal splats. Can you tell me age and value?

A: Your chairs were made after 1914, the year Mundus, a German chair manufacturing conglomerate, merged with Jacob & Josef Kohn, a competitor based in Vienna. And they probably were made before 1923. Thonet, the company whose founder invented the bentwood chair in the 1830s, merged with Mundus in 1923. Many different styles of bentwood chair-backs have been made. If yours are in excellent condition, each one would sell for about $100.

Q: I own a square porcelain platter with flowers painted around the border and a central scene of two young girls playing in a grassy field. It's marked "PM" on the bottom. I was able to do enough research to learn that it was made between 1895 and 1910 by the Moschendorf Porcelain Factory of Hof-Moschendorf, Bavaria, Germany. But I can't find another platter like it online, and I'm hoping it's rare and worth a lot. Is it?

A: No. Your platter is in a traditional Victorian-style popular at the turn of the 20th century. Assuming it was made by the factory you identified, the dish is not by a famous manufacturer and it's probably not part of a set that can be matched with other dishes. It would sell today for $25 to $50. But do take another look at the mark. Other German companies used marks that ended in "PM." One of those was the Royal Porcelain Manufacturing Co., which marked its wares "KPM."

Q: I have a small collection of vintage molded glass religious figurines. There's one that's a mystery to me. It's a 7 1/2-inch light-blue glass sculpture of a standing Madonna and Child. It's signed "P. d'Avesn." I have learned that Pierre d'Avesn once worked at Lalique, but I also found his name connected with Daum art glass. So I'm confused. Can you help?

A: Pierre d'Avesn designed for Lalique in the early 1920s, then later that decade became a designer and manager at Daum. He managed Daum's factory at Croismare, near Luneville, France, from 1927 until 1932. The factory specialized in making decorative but affordable glass pieces that were marked in various ways. One of the marks is the "P. d'Avesn" signature on your figurine. Pieces made at the Croismare factory do not sell for as much as other prewar Daum designs. Your Madonna and Child figurine, if perfect, could be worth $100 to $150.

Q: I have a set of dishes marked "Losol Ware, Chusan, Keeling & Co. Ltd., Burslem, England." I would like to know more about them and if they are valuable. They are in perfect condition with no chips.

Tip: Silver saltshakers should be emptied after every use or lined with gold plating to avoid corrosion.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Easter Bunny pinata-type candy container, crepe paper-wrapped ball with hand-painted features, filled with candy & toys, label reads "An Original Gregor Surprise Toy," 1950s, 5 x 3 1/2 inches, $45.

Larry the Lion plush toy, felt, pull string, Mattel, 1960s, 11 inches, $90.

Fire King mixing bowls, Modern Tulip pattern, red and black, 4 inches, 6 inches and 9 1/2 inches, 3 pieces, $195.

Corkscrew, lady's leg, celluloid, green-and-white striped stockings, German silver high-top shoes, legs open & close, Germany, circa 1900, 2 5/8 inches, $490.

Sheraton drop-leaf dining table, curly maple and poplar, rectangular top and leaves, circa 1820, opens to 63 inches, $810.

© 2012 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.

Kovels - Antiques & Collecting: Week of April 2, 2012

April Fools' Day is the time for jokes, but so are many other days. Our ancestors enjoyed jokes any day of the year. By the 1850s, potters were making puzzle jugs with holes that let liquid dribble down a shirt front and beer mugs with a ceramic frog or snake inside waiting to appear when the beer was gone. There were bronze figures that came apart to show a different figure inside, and odd ceramic birds that were really bottles with heads that could be removed. One famous American potter made pig-shaped bottles with a saying on the rear that started, "In a hog's ... ." And there were numerous bottles by the German firm Schafer and Vater that were shaped like comic men and women.

The best joke for children of the 1930s involved a tobacco tin. Prince Albert was a very popular brand of tobacco first made in 1907. It was named for the future king of England, Edward VII, who was called "Albert" by his family, and his picture was on the front of the package. It was packaged in a rectangular red tin container with a flip lid. Since many tobaccos were sold in bags, not tins, it was special. The ultimate joke, still quoted today, is a child's call to a drugstore: "Do you have Prince Albert in a can?" The druggist's answer, "Yes," was followed by the young prankster's response, "Then let him out," followed by peals of laughter.

The brand also used Chief Joseph, a Nez Perce Indian chief, as an advertising symbol in 1913-14. A large tin sign picturing both the chief and a Prince Albert tobacco tin sold recently for $8,400, proving that Prince Albert tobacco is no joke.

Q: I inherited an old smoking stand. It has a label on the bottom that says, "H.T. Cushman Mfg. Co., Bennington, Vermont." The stand is 26 inches high and has an ashtray on the top, a pipe holder on each side, a drawer and a small cabinet. Please give me some information about the maker and value.

A: H.T. Cushman Manufacturing Co. was founded by Henry Theodore Cushman in 1889 and remained in business until 1980. It made all sorts of things, from pencil boxes to furniture. The company introduced smoking accessories in the 1910s and continued to make them through the '20s. Most Cushman smoking stands included a humidor plus storage space for cigar papers, cigar cutters, matches, pipe tobacco and other smoking items. Today, Cushman smoking stands sell for $150 to $300.

Q: I have a pottery pitcher painted gold with a long-tailed orange, blue and green parrot-shaped handle. The impressed die-stamped mark on the bottom of the pitcher is "Camark Pottery" within an outline of the state of Arkansas. Do you know anything about the company? The pitcher is in perfect condition, and I'm wondering what it's worth.

A: Camark Pottery was the trademark used by Camden Art Tile and Pottery Co. of Camden, Ark. Samuel J. “Jack” Carnes founded the company in 1926. Your parrot-handled pitcher is a well-known Camark specialty design called the Waffle Batter Pitcher. In the 1920s, a New York City retailer had been selling similar pitchers made by an Italian company. When that company could no longer provide the pitchers, the retailer sent a sample to Camark, and Camark started making the pitchers for both the retailer and its own customers. The pitchers were made in a number of different colors and sizes and were produced for several years. The style of mark on your pitcher dates it to 1927-'28. If it's in great condition, it's worth $100 or more.

Q: I now own some beautiful cut-glass pieces that belonged to my grandparents. After a recent move, I discovered that one of the bowls had split in half. Is it possible to fix this?

A: It probably is possible, assuming the split is clean and in a cut, not clear, part of the glass. The monetary value of the bowl is lost, but its sentimental value, appearance and use can be saved. If the bowl is large and you're worried about repairing it yourself, look online for a professional who repairs glass. If you prefer repairing it yourself, prepare a work surface, have toothpicks and some kind of clamping material on hand and buy some clear epoxy glue. Apply the glue carefully, wipe the excess away and clamp the two parts together using masking tape or some other method. You can find detailed instructions online. Once repaired, the bowl can be used to hold fruit, but it may leak if filled with water. Don't wash it in the dishwasher or put it in the refrigerator. Any change in temperature can cause problems.

Need prices for collectibles? Find them at Kovels.com, our website for collectors. More than 84,000 prices and 5,000 color pictures have just been added. Now you can find more than 900,000 prices that can help you determine the value of your collectible. Access to the prices is free at Kovels.com/priceguide.

Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

• Buster Brown yo-yo, tin, image of Buster & Tige on both sides, Japan, 1 x 2 inches, $35.
• Mexicana tablecloth, 12 scenes of Mexico, cotton, 52 x 50 inches, $50.
• Chicken waterer, yellow clay, molded birds, "Manufd. by the W.R. & Co., Akron Ohio, 885," 6 1/2 inches, $175.
• Coffee grinder, wood, iron and tin, lithographed flags, soldiers and Teddy Roosevelt, Bronson-Walton Co., Cleveland, early 1900s, 10 1/2 inches, $205.
• Weather vane, schooner, copper, three masts, cast-zinc directionals, circa 1900, 52 inches, $300.
• Canteen, wooden, stave construction, bentwood bands, original red and black paint, oblong, American, 19th century, 8 1/2 x 10 inches, $350.
• Sheraton stand, one drawer, walnut, curly maple and poplar, bowed walnut drawer, Ohio, 1820-1840, 29 x 18 3/4 inches, $410.
• Kathe Kruse boy doll, blond hair, brown eyes, jointed legs, red shorts, white shirt, vest, 1950s, 14 inches, $450.
• Georg Jensen cocktail set, sterling silver, Rose pattern, includes bottle opener, cheese scoop, cheese plane, bar knife and caviar spreader with horn blade, original case, $550.
• Van Briggle vase, two bears at top, matte blue to green glaze, marked, 1930s, 15 1/2 inches, $1,770.

Available now. The best book to own if you want to buy, sell or collect - and if you order now, you'll receive a copy with the author's autograph. The new Kovels' Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2012, 44th edition, is your most accurate source for current prices. This large-size paperback has more than 2,500 color photographs and 40,000 up-to-date prices for more than 775 categories of antiques and collectibles. You'll also find hundreds of factory histories and marks, a report on the record prices of the year, plus helpful sidebars and tips about buying, selling, collecting and preserving your treasures. Available online at Kovelsonlinestore.com; by phone at 800-303-1996; at your bookstore; or send $27.95 plus $4.95 postage to Price Book, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

© 2012 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.