Schoolteachers – or, as they were called in the early 19th century, schoolmasters – stood in front of the class at a special schoolmaster’s desk. It was not used with a chair. The slanted desktop had a book ledge to hold a book so it could be easily read. Usually the top opened and the inside had cubbyholes and other storage space. Many desks also had shallow drawers. Legs were plain and straight. Although desks were about 39 inches high, they could be customized to the height of the schoolmaster. By the end of the 19th century, teachers used desks with chairs. Old schoolmaster desks often are used today by people with bad backs who like to stand while working. They are still being made.

Q: Among my many antiques is an old Chinese export tea pitcher. It dates from the late 1700s, I think, and has a mysterious picture of an eye on the bottom of the inside. Any idea why?

A: When we first started collecting years ago, Chinese export porcelain was very popular and expensive, but research into the patterns had just started. Several discoveries were reported that sounded like myths. We know the porcelain was ordered by people in the United States, England and other western countries. A customer sent a written order to China with a description or picture of the coat-of-arms or decorations wanted. About a year later, the finished dishes came back across the ocean. People who ordered dishes often found mistakes and a number of off-color decorations. One mistake supposedly was a plate decorated in black and white with a border design and the words “paint this blue, paint this red.” Of course the Chinese craftsman couldn’t read English and he just copied the “design.” Another tale was that someone sent Benjamin Franklin a lewd joke, a potty decorated with an eye in the bottom that would “see” his unmentionable body parts. We have seen these porcelain pieces, one in a museum and the other in a photograph. What the joke could be about an eye in the bottom of a tea pitcher we can’t imagine. Perhaps it was a pitcher for an alcoholic drink and the eye is watching to see if the user is drunk. But it certainly would be a pricey Chinese export rarity.

Q: I own an aluminum relief sculpture of a half-kneeling man embracing children, a boy and a girl. It’s 16 inches high by 7 inches wide and is signed by William Zorach. I haven’t been able to find out much about his work. Please help.

A: William Zorach (1889-1966) was born in Lithuania, but immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 4 years old. He grew up in Cleveland and studied painting at the Cleveland Institute of Art and in Paris. He started sculpting in 1917 and later taught sculpture at the Art Students League in New York City. Zorach was a prolific artist. He painted watercolors and sculpted many small works as well as large public sculptures. His “Man and Work” relief sculpture is mounted on a Mayo Clinic building in Rochester, Minn. Take your aluminum sculpture to an art appraiser or museum so an expert can judge its authenticity and quality. A 15 3/4-inch Zorach aluminum relief sculpture on a mahogany plaque auctioned for $10,800 in 2004.

Q: Is my Shmoo toy collectible? It must be 70 years old.

A: Shmoos are fictional cartoon characters introduced in Al Capp’s Li’l Abner comic strip in 1948. They’re amorphous and prolific creatures who look like fat bowling pins. They wanted to make everyone happy – if a human was hungry, a shmoo would jump into a frying pan so it could be eaten. The popularity of shmoos led to the sale of more than 100 licensed products, including dolls, salt and pepper shakers, pins, clocks, banks, bottles and even air fresheners. Shmoo items are sought by a small group of collectors, particularly those who remember reading the original comic strip. Prices of shmoo collectibles depend on rarity and condition.

Q: Among the sterling silver flatware handed down to me I found a small piece that’s a mystery. The handle is similar to that of a spoon or fork, and the bottom looks like a small blunt knife blade. But the blade is attached horizontally to the handle, not vertically like a knife blade. What is it?

A: Your sterling piece is a food pusher designed to help a child push food onto a spoon. Food pushers were made toward the end of the Victorian era, from about 1850 to 1900. They were considered safer than forks for children. Many American silver companies made food pushers, but they weren’t included in large silver services. They were sold individually, often as baby gifts.

Tip: Check your antique dolls regularly to be sure no insects have moved into the sawdust filling or tasty wool fabrics.

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.

Need more information about collectibles? Find it at Kovels.com, our website for collectors. Check prices there, too. More than 700,000 are listed and viewing them is free. You can also sign up to read our weekly “Kovels Komments.” It includes the latest news, tips and questions and is delivered by e-mail, free, if you register. Kovels.com offers extra collector’s information and lists of publications, clubs, appraisers, auction houses, people who sell parts or repair antiques and much more. You can also subscribe to “Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles,” our monthly newsletter filled with prices, facts and color photos. Kovels.com adds to the information in our newspaper column and helps you find useful sources needed by collectors.

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.

• Dolly Parton doll, poseable, large white loop earrings, red high heels, white country blouse, denim skirt, 1970, Goldberger Doll Co., 11 1/2 inches, $45.
• Dewar’s White Label Scotch Whiskey match holder, porcelain, pub-table shape, three White Label bottles support “All Around the World Globe,” 1920s, 4 x 5 inches, $110.
• Sixth annual All-Star Pro-Bowl Football Game program, Jan. 15, 1956, full-page team photo includes Frank Gifford, Lou Groza and Johnny Olszewski, $200.
• Shirred rag rug, wool on burlap, plates, cups and saucers, teapots and coffeepots, 1940s, 35 x 87 inches, $310.
• Hubley Penguin doorstop, cast iron, standing erect, 1930s, 10 1/2 inches, $335.
• Schuco green mohair bear, jointed, glass eyes, stitched nose and mouth, circa 1930, 5 1/2 inches, $400.
• Spurs, heavy wrought-steel rowels, exterior face inlaid with engraved silver, tooled leather straps, circa 1920s, 7 1/2 inches, $585.
• Cut glass ice-cream tray, Old Irish pattern, 15 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches, $600.
• Gamblers shaving mug, hand holding a full house, white ground, flesh-colored hand, “Arnold Rothstein” in gold letters, marked “Limoges, France,” 3 3/4 inches, $3,000.
• Cupboard, pine, one piece, four doors, two drawers, shaped skirt and feet, yellow graining over original red, 1855, 67 x 46 inches, $5,995.

“Kovels’ American Antiques, 1750-1900” by Ralph and Terry Kovel is the book that introduces you to the collected antiques from past centuries. Learn about American antiques, from art pottery and old advertising signs to rare silver. It’s written to help you recognize and evaluate the valuable items of Grandma’s day. Hundreds of color photographs, marks, makers, dates, factory histories and more. Chapters on pottery, glass, furniture, silver, advertising collectibles, prints, jewelry, pewter, tools and ephemera. An easy-to-use book with current information. Available at your bookstore; online at Kovels.com; by phone at 800-571-1555; or send $24.95 plus $4.95 postage to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
© 2009 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.