An early 1900s postcard shows the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the Circle in downtown Indianapolis. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Workers have used a crane to remove the 38-foot-tall, 19,300-pound bronze “Victory” statue from the top of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis for repairs.
The statue, also known as Miss Indiana, has stood at the spot for much of the past century. It was removed Saturday for repairs to its joints and connections at a city warehouse. A conservator plans to restore the statute by Nov. 4, in time for the 2011 Circle of Lights festivities and the 2012 Super Bowl, according to The Indianapolis Star.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” said Melissa McGlinchey, 22, of Indianapolis, who watched the removal with her 13-year-old brother. “We’ll probably never see it come down again in our lifetime.”
The sculpture’s deteriorating condition was discovered two years ago, said Rob Wynkoop, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Administration. The agency oversees most state construction and repair projects.
A crane on the west side of the monument will remain in place for several weeks while limestone repair work is completed.
The 284-foot-tall neoclassical monument was completed in 1901.
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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com
Copyright 2011. Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-04-24-11 2320GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
An early 1900s postcard shows the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the Circle in downtown Indianapolis. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
A page from the ‘Nuremberg Chronicle,’ with color added, depicts the city of Constantinople. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Book dealer Ken Sanders has seen a lot of nothing in his decades appraising “rare” finds pulled from attics and basements, storage sheds and closets.
Sanders, who occasionally appraises items for PBS’s Antiques Roadshow, often employs “the fine art of letting people down gently.”
But on a recent Saturday while volunteering at a fundraiser for the small town museum in Sandy, Utah, just south of Salt Lake, Sanders got the surprise of a lifetime.
“Late in the afternoon, a man sat down and started unwrapping a book from a big plastic sack, informing me he had a really, really old book and he thought it might be worth some money,” he said. “I kind of start, oh boy, I’ve heard this before.”
Then he produced a tattered, partial copy of the 500-year-old Nuremberg Chronicle.
The German language edition printed by Anton Koberger and published in 1493 is a world history beginning in biblical times. It’s considered to be one of the earliest and most lavishly illustrated books produced after Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press and revolutionized publishing.
“I was just absolutely astounded. I was flabbergasted, particularly here in the interior West,” Sanders said. “We might see a lot of rare Mormon books and other treasures, but you don’t expect to see a five centuries old book, you don’t expect to see one of the oldest printed books in the world pop up in Sandy, Utah.”
The book’s owner has declined to be identified, but Sanders said it was passed down to the man by his great uncle and had been just gathering dust in his attic for decades.
Because of the cotton bond paper it was printed on, not wood pulp paper like most present-day works, Sanders said the remaining pages have been well-preserved albeit literally coming apart at the seams
“Barring further calamity or disaster, it will last another 500 years,” he said.
And Sanders is certain it’s not a fake.
“It passes the smell test,” he said. “I’m not sure there’s ever been a forger born who is ambitious enough to hand-create a five-centuries-old book in a manner sufficient enough to fool people.”
But what’s it actually worth? Turns out, not so much.
It is believed there are several hundred copies in circulation worldwide, making it not-so-rare of a find, and about two-thirds of its pages are missing.
Still, it’s not the monetary value that excites Sanders.
“Just the opportunity to handle something from the very beginning of the printed word and the book itself, especially, ironically, in the 21st century with all this talk of the death of the book, and here we have a book that’s survived 500-plus years,” he said. “It’s just exciting … The value of an artifact like this to me is the least interesting part of it all.”
Sanders is displaying the copy at his rare book shop in Salt Lake City.
San Francisco-based antiquities book dealer John Windle said if this copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle were in mint condition and fully intact, it could be worth up to a million dollars.
One in such shape sold last year at a London auction for about $850,000, Windle said, but not so much because it’s such a rare find.
“The rarity of the book has almost nothing to do with its value,” he said. “If you’re collecting monuments of printing history, monuments of human history, if you’re collecting achievements of the human spirit through the printed word, this is one of the foundation books … Every book collector wants a copy of that book or at least some pages from it.”
Windle noted that while its worth to collectors is priceless, it is “probably the most common book from the 15th century making its way onto the market these days.”
“We have a saying in the book trade: there’s nothing as common as a rare book,” he added.
Because of this book’s tattered state, Windle said it’s likely worth less than $50,000.
“It basically kills the value,” he said. “If it turned up in perfect condition in Salt Lake City, now that would be amazing. That would be astounding.”
Luise Poulton, curator and head of rare books at the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriott Library, called it “an exciting find,” but largely just because of the way it surfaced.
“It’s that classic story,” said Poulton, who has several pages from another copy of a Nuremberg Chronicle on display. “You really never know what’s in your attic.”
Copyright 2011. Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-04-25-11 1223GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
A page from the ‘Nuremberg Chronicle,’ with color added, depicts the city of Constantinople. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Fine 18K yellow gold, platinum and diamond pendant with total weight of 5 carats. Estimate $4,000-46,000. Image courtesy of Professional Appraisers & Liquidators.
CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – Perhaps one of the largest private collections (over 200) of miniature portrait paintings on ivory and paintings on porcelain to cross the auction block in a single days will be offered on April 30 at Professional Appraisers & Liquidators’ gallery. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide the Internet live bidding.
Auctioneer Charles Fudge, has liquidated many an important collection over the years. Some of the most important private collections Fudge has auctioned to date have been Tiffany Art Glass, Rookwood Plaques and Pottery, Antique Ivory, Bronzes, and a fabulous array of Antique Lighting by such makers as Tiffany Studios, Handel, and Pairpoint. Auctioneer Charles Fudge has a long history of selling Tiffany art glass, Rookwood pottery, antique ivory, bronzes and lighting, however the 40-year veteran of the auction business says the private collection of 200+ pieces in his upcoming sale may be the best he has ever handled.
“Miniature paintings are a lost art that faded out with the invention of photography in the mid-19th century. There is a new awareness as to the importance of these portraits and most miniature owners are not likely to part with their collections,” said Fudge, who expects a standing-room-only crowd for the Friday evening session commencing at 5 p.m.
The collection was amassed over a period of 30 years by a New Yorker with discriminating taste. Some of the miniature portraitists represented are: Josef Karl Stieler, Heinrich Friedrich Füger, Heinrich Ferstler, Wouwerman, Etienne Charles LeGuay, Marie Pierrine L. Puisoye, Alyn Williams, Ernest G. Bachrach, and Otto Merkel.
Miniature portrait painting enthusiasts collect for many reasons, Fudge said. Some are attracted to the intricate brush strokes and minute details on these portraits. Others study changing hairstyles and fashion throughout the years as represented by the sitters. A collector becomes a detective, fascinated by the hunt for a particular artist or they enjoy the search for particular sitters. In fact, researching artists and sitters can bring as much enjoyment to the collector as the purchase itself, and the more that is known about the artist or sitter, the more valuable the miniature becomes.
Besides being able to identify the artist and sitter, it is helpful for the collector to know the methods and materials used in miniature portraiture. Knowing whether a painting is watercolor on vellum, watercolor on ivory, watercolor on paper, oil on copper, enamel on copper or porcelain, or reverse-painted on glass helps the potential buyer to date a miniature, and being able to date a painting is another key to identifying its true value. For example, one would be quite lucky to find an unidentified miniature portrait from the 17th century that was painted on chicken skin, cardboard or even the back of a playing card, because these materials were used much less frequently than vellum, which was the norm at that time.
One of the greatest reasons for collecting this genre of art that your name doesn’t have to be Rockefeller, Buffet or Gates in order to own an intricately executed painting by a renowned artist – perhaps even one whose larger works are displayed in a famous museum. Value varies according to the age of the portrait, the artist and the subject matter, but miniature paintings almost always sell for a fraction of the price of their larger counterparts. Although these beauties are known for being affordable art, there is always an exception to the rule. One such exception was a miniature that sold for a record-setting $1.2 million. This was considered an anomaly considering even the most desired artists and sitters of miniature portraiture are more likely to fetch prices in the high five figures. It is interesting to note that even in the 19th century, certain artists brought premium prices for their miniatures. For example, in 1860 Abraham Lincoln paid John Henry Brown of Philadelphia $175 for a miniature self portrait, which is now on exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
These tiny and beautiful works of art began in the 16th century, and as methods and materials improved over the next centuries, popularity spread throughout Europe, followed by America. The artists not only painted citizens of the states, but they also took on apprentices, which helped to spread miniature portraiture. The height of miniature painted portraits thrived in the U.S. during the early 19th century, while most artists were using watercolor on ivory. The hand-painted miniature portraits remained popular in both the U.S. and Europe until the discovery of the daguerreotype in the 19th century. They met their demise in the late 19th century, due to the growing popularity of photography. As former Metropolitan Museum scholar Harry Wehle stated in 1927, “The miniature in the presence of the photograph was like a bird before a snake; it was fascinated—even to the fatal point of imitation—then it was swallowed.”
Before the 1840s, the miniature portrait was the only way to preserve one’s likeness or that of loved ones. In the same way our generation carries loved ones’ photos in our wallets, our ancestors, if they had the means to afford these portable portraits, would carry miniature lifelike images of themselves, their family, and their friends, in their pockets – often in special leather cases designed to protect the delicate nature of the miniatures. People would also trade portraits between loved ones and within social circles. Besides portraying loved ones, whether dead or alive, miniature works of art were also used to mark special occasions such as engagements, marriage, births, death, or participation in politics. In addition, miniature portraiture was used to make introductions between people. The father of a bride-to-be might send a messenger with a miniature portrait of his daughter in hand, to potential suitors. In later years, miniature portraits were painted on keepsakes such as snuff boxes, cigarette boxes and various types of jewelry. There were even miniatures made to be displayed on mantels. All had the same sentimental purpose: keeping images of loved ones close at hand.
Whether you are already a collector, or you wish to begin with the purchase or your first miniature portrait, you will not want to miss Professional Appraisers and Liquidators’ April 30th Antiques, Fine Art & Collectibles Auction. It is a two-session auction, with the paintings on ivory and porcelain beginning at 5 p.m. Other items from the living estte include Russian icons, silver, bronzes, jade, ivory sculptures and other outstanding items by famous makers such as Tiffany.
On the same day, a collectibles auction of Hummel, Lladro and Royal Doulton figurines, as well as other art and antiques, to include Lalique and a pair of 23-inch signed Baccarat Dolphin candlesticks, begins at 10 a.m. For additional information, call 352-795-2061 or 800-542-3877 or e-mail webuyit@tampabay.rr.com.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
A selection of fine miniature portraits to be auctioned on April 30. Image courtesy of Professional Appraisers & Liquidators.Enamel and cloisonne vases, highly decorative motif, 12 1/8 inches tall. Est. $4,000-$6,000 the pair. Image courtesy of Professional Appraisers & Liquidators.Limited edition Revolutionary War chess set by Library of Imperial History. Includes table and custom protective cover. Est. $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Professional Appraisers & Liquidators.Closeup of figures from Revolutionary War chess set, including George Washington at left of flag. Image courtesy of Professional Appraisers & Liquidators.18K white gold diamond bracelet, 7 inches long with rectangular-shape links encrusted with more than 5 carats of diamonds. Est. $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Professional Appraisers & Liquidators.
The Col. Charles Young home at Wilberforce, Ohio, was built in 1859. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. WILBERFORCE, Ohio (AP) – Elected officials and educators in Ohio are working to honor a distinguished black soldier who died in 1922 by trying to preserve his home, which was a part of the Underground Railroad.
Col. Charles Young’s accomplishments included being the highest-ranking black officer in the military when World War I began, according to the National Park Service and the Ohio Humanities Council. Now a group of lawmakers and cultural and educational leaders – some of whom gathered last week in Wilberforce to honor Young – is trying to get his home in that western Ohio town under the care of the National Park Service.
Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Rep. Steve Austria have introduced bills to determine if it’s feasible to put Young’s home under the care of the park service, the council said Friday.
“Our hope is to recognize his achievements by designating his home as part of the National Park Service so people can learn about his accomplishments and those of other African-Americans who served our nation in the military,” Austria said.
The house on the campus of Central State University was a way station on the Underground Railroad, the network that helped escaping slaves reach freedom, and the building already is on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1899, Young became the third black person to graduate from West Point, the Ohio Humanities Council said. He also served as a national park supervisor at one point.
“He was a man of culture, patriotism and bravery,” said John Garland, president of Central State University.
If Young’s home, built in 1859, is transferred to the National Park Service, it would help preserve his memory and increase understanding of the Underground Railroad, Central State officials said. They also said it might increase tourism and boost the local economy.
Young’s story of leadership could inspire future generations, Dr. Floyd Thomas, curator emeritus of the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce, said at the gathering in the town this week.
“It is now our turn to persevere in this effort to ensure that Charles Young’s strength, wisdom, courage and accomplishments are accessible to all and that his home becomes a center of learning and outreach in the best tradition of the National Park Service,” Thomas said.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-04-23-11 2003GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The Col. Charles Young home at Wilberforce, Ohio, was built in 1859. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Langston Hughes, photographed by Carl Van Vechten in 1936. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. BUENA VISTA, N.J. (AP) – Ralph Hunter traces his love affair with the works of Langston Hughes to fourth-grade when his teacher read his poems aloud in class.
Over the years, the founder and curator of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey has become known in the area as a fanatic collector of the famous poet’s materials.
Yet Hunter never imagined how he would come across a massive collection of original poems, first-edition books, signed pages and other unique pieces of Hughes’ life.
Just one county away from his Newtonville museum, a Vineland woman discovered the priceless works in a Millville storage garage. She bought the lot for $50, Hunter said.
Hunter purchased Hughes’ works from the woman in 2004, but has never been able to curate the items due to the high cost and time involved in the effort.
On Friday, he proudly opened a 90-day exhibit of the pieces and hopes to have another exhibit starting Feb. 1, the poet’s birthday.
“To have anything with the great legend Langston Hughes in the collection, for research means a great deal, not only for the museum, but also for the region,” Hunter said.
Hughes, who played a large role in the 1920s and `30s cultural period known as the Harlem Renaissance, held many titles including playwright, journalist and composer, but was best-known as a poet, Hunter said.
“He had a silver tongue and a golden hand,” Hunter said.
The collection Hunter acquired in 2004 includes 20 of Hughes’ poems typed out for publication by one of Hughes’ secretaries, Ramona Lowe or Adele Glasgow.
The collection also gave Hunter first-edition poetry books, telegrams the poet sent, a book on African American history that Hughes’ signed, and even some items from after he died in 1967, like the program from his memorial service and pamphlets from celebrations of his life.
All were once part of Lowe’s estate and ended up in a storage bin when the poet’s secretary, who moved from New York to Millville in the 1990s, died. All of the items she brought to Cumberland County ended up in a Millville storage garage, Hunter said.
A Vineland woman unknowingly became the next owner of the large collection world-famous poet’s works when she bought the contents of Lowe’s storage bin for $50.
(Hughes’ estate and the bulk of his works went to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where the poet went to school, Hunter noted.)
The Vineland woman – whom Hunter wouldn’t name without permission and whom he couldn’t reach recently – initially offered the items to museums in Philadelphia and New York City.
When neither contacted her, she followed a neighbor’s advice in 2003 to try a small museum in Buena Vista Township.
“She told me, ‘I want to make sure it goes some place nice,’” Hunter recalled.
He was immediately interested in acquiring the collection he called “irreplaceable.”
“I think I was there in about 12 minutes,” he said, laughing as he recalled his excitement. “When I got there I started salivating at the mouth. She had 22 boxes. I had to sit down.”
Hunter wouldn’t reveal how much he paid for the collection, but said his down payment was $200. He paid the full total and had the whole collection in his Jackson Road museum, part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, by January 2004.
Sharon Lynette Jones, president of the Langston Hughes Society, said Hunter’s acquisition creates an exciting opportunity for educating people about Hughes.
“Langston Hughes contributed greatly to the African American literary tradition and his works continue to be relevant, significant, and important,” said Jones, who also works in the Department of English Language and Literatures’ African and African American Studies Program at Wright State University. “The versatility, originality, and creativity of Langston Hughes is inspirational. His legacy is appreciated by individuals nationally and internationally.”
The society, created in 1981, is a national association of scholars, teachers, creative and performing artists, students and others who seek to increase awareness and appreciation of Hughes.
“Hughes was an American who loved being black – he found a home in black communities, in blues and jazz clubs, and among black intellectuals. It is fitting, then, that some of his work be housed in the African American Heritage Museum,” said Dr. Tara T. Green, associate professor and director for the African American Studies Program at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and vice president of Langston Hughes Society.
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Online:
http://bit.ly/gIXy6P
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Information from: The Daily Journal, http://www.thedailyjournal.com
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-04-22-11 1602GMT
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Alfred A. Knopf Inc published ‘The Dream Keeper and Other Poems’ by Langston Hughes in 1959. Image courtesy of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers and LiveAuctioneers Archives.
VIENNA (AP) – A man turning dirt in his back yard stumbled onto buried treasure – hundreds of pieces of centuries-old jewelry and other precious objects that Austrian authorities described Friday as a fairy-tale find.
Austria’s department in charge of national antiquities said the trove consists of more than 200 rings, brooches, ornate belt buckles, gold-plated silver plates and other pieces or fragments, many encrusted with pearls, fossilized coral and other ornaments. It says the objects are about 650 years old and are being evaluated for their provenance and worth.
While not assigning a monetary value to the buried bling, the enthusiastic language from the normally staid Federal Office for Memorials reflected the significance it attached to the discovery.
“Fairy tales still exist!” said its statement. “Private individual finds sensational treasure in garden.”
It described the ornaments as “one of the qualitatively most significant discoveries of medieval treasure in Austria.”
The statement gave no details and an automated telephone message said the office had closed early on Good Friday. But the Austria Press Agency cited memorials office employee Karin Derler as saying the man came across the “breathtaking” objects years ago while digging in his back yard to expand a small pond.
The weekly Profil magazine identified the man only as Andreas K. from Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna, and said he asked not to be named.
While he found the ornaments in 2007, Andreas K. did not report it to the memorials office until after rediscovering the dirt-encrusted objects in a basement box while packing up after selling his house two years ago, said Profil. The soil had dried and some had fallen off, revealing precious metal and jewels underneath.
He initially posted photos on the Internet, where collectors alerted him to the potential value of the pieces, leading him to pack them in a plastic bag and lug them to the memorials office, the magazine said in its Friday edition.
Neither Profil nor the memorials office statement said when Andreas K. first alerted Austrian authorities and it was unclear why they waited until Friday to announce the discovery.
Memorials office president Barbara Neubauer told Profil the objects were a “sensational find.”
The magazine said the finder was not interested in cashing in on the trove and was considering loaning the collection to one of Austria’s museums.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
A genuine 1878 U.S. Trade Dollar. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Affiliated Auctions. CHICAGO (AP) – U.S. Customs agents have seized more than 350 forged antique U.S. coins that were sent from China to O’Hare International Airport.
The Daily Herald reports that agents became suspicious when they X-rayed a package from China and found hundreds of U.S. Trade Dollar coins.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say if the coins were real they would be worth as much as $2,000 each. The coins were dated from 1873 to 1878.
The agency says lab tests show the coins were made of brass and covered with a thin coat of silver plating. Authorities say the intended recipient planned on selling the coins online.
David Murphy is the agency’s field director in Chicago. He said legitimate traders “are being duped” into buying the fake coins.
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Information from: Daily Herald, http://www.dailyherald.com
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-04-22-11 2004GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
A genuine 1878 U.S. Trade Dollar. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Affiliated Auctions.
HOPKINTON, N.H. – What treasures are in your attic? Hopkinton Historical Society and Skinner Auctioneers and Appraisers will sponsor Antiques Appraisal Day on Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Skinner, whose appraisers regularly appear on the popular antique appraisal show on PBS, will be represented at the appraisal day by Stephen L. Fletcher, Sara C. Wishart, and Kathy Wong.
The event is open to the public and will be held at Hopkinton High School , 297 Park Ave. in Contoocook, N.H.
The cost is $10 for one item, $20 for two items and $30 for three items ($25 for Hopkinton Historical Society members). Preregistration is recommended as tickets are limited.
Good quality photographs may be substituted for fragile or large items.
Jewelry, coins, stamps, firearms and musical instruments will not be appraised at the event. A registration form can be downloaded from www.hopkintonhistory.org.
Completed forms and payment can be mailed to Hopkinton Historical Society, 300 Main St. Hopkinton, NH 03229. Contact the Society at 603-746-3825 or nhas@tds.net for details. All proceeds will benefit Hopkinton Historical Society.
This 6-inch-tall rabbit can ‘walk’ across the floor. The fur-covered clockwork toy has glass eyes, wears a felt dress and carries a wicker basket. It was made in Germany probably about 1900 and sold for $633 at a Bertoia auction in Vineland, N.J.
Easter bunnies are older than you think. They were part of pre-Christian fertility stories, and since rabbits are known to be prolific, they are symbols of new life in the spring. They first became the symbol of Easter in Germany in the 1500s. But it took until the 1800s before edible Easter bunnies in the form of sugared pastries became part of the celebration. The bunny came to America with some settlers from Germany who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1700s. The “Oschter Haws” (Easter Bunny) was popular with children who were told that if they were good, they would find a nest of colored eggs left by the bunny. The children made a nest in the house or yard using a hat and hoped for some eggs. The nest later became an Easter basket. Easter celebrations in the 19th century, especially in Germany, included all sorts of rabbits and bunnies. Stuffed toys were popular, along with carved wooden toys, candy containers, iron doorstops, mechanical walking rabbits and even automatons in the form of fur-covered bunnies holding Easter baskets. Many collectors search for vintage pieces made for a specific holiday. Most popular is Christmas, then Halloween, then the Fourth of July or Easter. If you prefer Easter, don’t ignore postcards, greeting cards, table and wall decorations and, of course, all sorts of special eggs that are still often inexpensive.
Q: We have a B.L. Marble office chair and would like to know what it’s worth. Can you help?
A: The B.L. Marble Chair Co.’s history can be traced back to 1894, when Barzilla L. Marble (1851-1932) founded a chair-manufacturing business in Bedford, Ohio. It made household chairs until 1910, then started manufacturing office furniture, including chairs. The company closed in 1985. B.L. Marble office chairs sell for $25 to $200, depending on age and condition.
Q: I was one of many women who worked as welders at the Kaiser Shipyards in Oregon during World War II. When my husband returned to the States and called me to meet him in California, I quit my job. I never cashed the last payroll check I received from Kaiser in 1945. After deductions, including one for a war bond, my check totaled 3 cents. It’s a keepsake, but I’m wondering if it has any monetary value.
A: There were seven Kaiser Shipyards on the West Coast during World War II. Four were in the San Francisco Bay area, where today there’s a park dedicated to Rosie the Riveter – the symbol of women’s contributions to the war effort. It’s called Rosie the Riveter World War II/Home Front National Historical Park and is located in Richmond. The first Kaiser Shipyard was established in San Francisco Bay in December 1940 by Henry Kaiser. At that point, Kaiser was building ships for England. Your check in the amount of 3 cents might be of interest to the park or another historical society dedicated to World War II. Its value to a collector would be minimal.
Q: I have a small watercolor of a village market in a landscape that I bought in 1992. It is by Edward Dobrotka, who is a listed artist. He is best remembered today as an “inker” for the Superman comics and several other early comic books. Do collectors of comic books care about anything but the original comic strips, or would they want to buy a painting by one of the comic artists?
A: Dobrotka is not a major name among comic book artists and a landscape is not closely related to the look of a strip. Your painting will not bring a higher price because of the comic connection. Perhaps the only comic artist today whose art is wanted by comic book collectors is Frank Frazetta (1928-2010), who drew important fantasy comics.
Q: Many fortunate baby boomers are inheriting their relatives’ tea sets, but there seems to be no practical use for them. My question is, are they worth more than their weight in silver? I cannot find a set like mine. It was purchased 65 years ago in Mexico and is marked “PG Sterling Mexico.” The handles on the lids are 3-D figures of dogs. The teapots, creamer and sugar are modern-looking flattened globes. Some of the handles and hinged parts look as if they were riveted in place.
A: Your silver was made at Platerk Guadalajare in Guadalajara, Mexico. A modern-looking set with unusual trim like yours should sell for more than the meltdown value. But selling any silverware or silver jewelry is very tricky today. Dealers go to auctions and sales with a small scale to check meltdown value. Coin silver items, especially thin spoons, are not popular, so many are melted. Sets of silver knives, forks and spoons must be complete to sell. That means eight or 12 of each item. Only Georg Jensen and Tiffany partial sets seem to sell. But Mexican silver, handmade American silver of the past 75 years, Danish silver and some types of English silver sell as art – good design and popular makers attract higher prices. Because the cost of the metal has gone up so much in the past year, the value of your tea set has gone up. Even if you sell it for scrap, you will make a profit.
Tip: Times change and products change, so shortcut tips for cleaning have changed too. Don’t use tartar-control or whitening toothpaste to clean silver. Don’t use grainy bread to clean wallpaper; just use plain commercial white bread. Don’t use a feather duster; it just spreads dirt. Buy a new “picks-up-the-dust” cloth.
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 e-mail 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.
Easter greeting card original drawing, chick painting a picture of an egg while two bunnies play peek-a-boo behind it, pen and ink, Art Novelty Co., New York, 1942, $25.
Easter pull toy, bunny cart with rider, painted fiberboard, rabbit wearing dress & apron, yellow cart with flowers, marked “Trixytoy, Pat. Pend.,” 1930s, 4 x 12 inches, $35.
Tortoise & Hare cookie jar, wood-tone turtle with flowing orange scarf and pink tongue, rabbit lying on top holding carrot, California Originals, $65.
Celluloid rabbit in Easter bonnet baby toy, yellow rabbit with dark green bow, red flowers, lavender inner ears, Viscoloid Co., 1920s, 4 x 3 1/4 inches, $125.
Rabbit nodder candy container, riding motorcycle, wearing goggles, head attached to body with spring, Germany, 1940s, 8 x 4 1/2 inches, $295.
Effanbee Honey majorette doll, hard plastic, blond mohair wig, blue sleep eyes, closed mouth, red and white outfit, fancy hat, gold boots, 1949, 20 inches, $460.
Steuben Wisteria prong vase, three flutes, applied wisteria foot, pale blue and purple, 10 inches, $745.
Rocking mammy’s bench, stencil design with all-over lyres, flowers and stars, dark brown ground, plank seat, removable child guard, turned legs, 1840s, 27 x 48 inches, $1,090.
American Ceramics, 1850-2000 is one of our most popular special reports. The 56-page report is a handy guide to 210 makers of the American pottery and porcelain most often seen at shows and sales – everything from Blue Ridge to Rookwood. The detailed index includes the names of 720 potteries, potters, lines and patterns. Now you can learn more about Grandma’s dishes or your flea market finds. The report is available only from Kovels. Order by phone at 800-303-1996; online at Kovels.com; or send $19 plus $4.95 postage and handling to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
The hazard symbol for toxic/highly toxic substances.
CASHMERE, Wash. (AP) – A bottle of morphine tablets from World War I has been stolen from a pioneer village at the Cashmere Museum.
The person who took the pills isn’t likely to get high, because according to the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center the pills are too old to have any drug effect.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s office told The Wenatchee World someone broke through a fence Friday night, kicked in a door and broke open an old glass case to get the pills on display in a period doctor’s office.
Museum Manager Frey Harvey estimates repairs to the exhibit will cost about $3,000.
It’s not the first time one of the cabins at the museum has been burglarized. Harvey says the saloon has been broken into a few times, but it did not contain any alcohol.
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Information from: The Wenatchee World, http://www.wenatcheeworld.com
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
