Was it Robert Peary or Frederick Cook who first reached the geographic North Pole?

Collectors who try can learn many stories about the past through the collectibles of bygone eras. An originally inexpensive 1910 figurine showing Peary and Cook clinging to a globe is a clue to the pair’s history. Cook claimed he reached the pole on April 22, 1908. Peary claimed he made it there on April 7, 1909. Both stories are doubted today.

Later expeditions and investigations showed that some of the records and memories of the Inuits on the original expeditions were false. And the two explorers themselves appeared to be untrustworthy. Cook claimed his records of the expedition were lost. He also claimed to have climbed to the top of Mount McKinley, but later evidence showed he did not reach the summit. He was convicted and imprisoned for using the mails to defraud investors in an oil venture. Peary made false claims of discoveries in an 1898 expedition. In 1907 he said he discovered far-north Crocker Land, but later explorers proved the land did not exist. He was also faulted for mistreating the Inuits and for fathering a boy with a young Inuit girl.

There is still controversy concerning the two men, but the figurine makes it clear that in 1910 there was great interest in the explorers, the North Pole and the truth. Today credit for the first undisputed sighting of the North Pole usually goes to the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who flew over the pole in May 1926.

Q: I have a small jug marked “Grub Vom Westerwald” around the top. Can you tell me anything about it?

A: “Grub Vom Westerwald” is German for “dug from Westerwald.” Your jug was probably made in the Westerwald area of western Germany, a region with large clay deposits. Westerwald was known for its production of salt-glaze pottery.

Q: I have an embroidered square of silk that looks Chinese. The flowers and leaves are embroidered with tiny stitches of thin thread that may be silk. I was told by a dealer that it’s a crewel tapestry worth hundreds of dollars. When would a crewel tapestry have been made?

A: You must have misunderstood the dealer. Crewel is itself a “thread” made of twisted strands of wool yarn. Crewelwork is an embroidered piece of fabric, usually linen, that’s covered with embroidery using crewel. A tapestry is woven, not stitched by hand. The Chinese have created silk embroideries for many years. Some are still being made and sold to tourists or in gift shops. Others are from past centuries.

Q: Please explain the difference between acid-free albums and archival albums for storing and displaying documents.

A: The words “acid-free” and “archival” relate to the pH value (the acid level) of the paper used in making storage albums or boxes. Paper having a pH level between 6 and 7 is usually considered acid-free (alkaline). If an acid-free paper is uncoated and meets certain standards for folding and tearing, you’ll see a circled infinity symbol on it. Archival paper is even more permanent and durable. Its pH level is 7.5 to 8.5, and it includes an alkaline reserve. Most of us can comfortably use acid-free supplies. Professionals, universities, libraries and archives want the more expensive products sold at specialty stores.

Q: Could you please tell me something about my mother’s oval dish? Its only mark is “Old Ivory, Germany” with a crown in the middle.

A: Most china marked “Old Ivory” was made for export to the United States by the Hermann Ohme Porcelain Works of Silesia, Germany (now part of Poland), between 1882 and 1928. But the mark on your dish was used by a competing factory, Striegauer Porcelain Works of Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic). Ohme’s line of Old Ivory porcelain was so successful that several competing factories made similar floral-decorated dishes with an ivory matte background. And some of them used marks that include the words “Old Ivory.” Your dish dates from the same era as Ohme’s Old Ivory, but it would sell for slightly less than a similar Ohme dish.

Q: My grandmother’s oak dining room set is in the Arts and Crafts style. The pieces are marked “Luce” in a circle. Can you tell me more?

A: Luce Furniture Co. worked in Grand Rapids, Mich., from 1896 to 1930, then reorganized and was open again from 1935 to 1938. In 1912, it claimed to be the largest shipper of Mission dining room furniture in the country. Luce made bedroom and dining room sets in every style, from Jacobean to Art Deco. The printed name “Luce” in a circle was the trademark used on early pieces. In the 1930s, the mark was in script.

Tip: Do not put wire-stemmed artificial flowers in a valuable narrow-neck glass vase. The stems will scratch and damage the vase.

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.

Take advantage of the expertise of the Kovels. For free price information, go to www.kovels.com and register by giving us your e-mail and street addresses. See more than 700,000 free prices for antiques and collectibles. You can also ask to receive a free weekly e-mail with updates and the latest information on the world of collecting.

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.

• Hall leftover dish, Refrigerator Ware, yellow, 8 1/2 x 5 inches, $55.
• Trojans condom tin, red, white and blue, Young’s Rubber Corp., 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches, $60.
• Pressed glass goblet, Magnet & Grape with Frosted Leaf pattern, 6 1/2 inches, $95.
• Hepplewhite-style child’s armchair, mahogany, carved bellflowers, molded sides and  crest rail, three splats, slip seat, 22 1/2 inches, $170.
• Lunchbox, Smokey Bear, forest scene, vinyl, King Seeley Thermos Co., circa 1965, 9 x 7 x 3 3/4 inches, $355.
• Latticinio swirl marble, four-stage, white, surrounding blue cage, yellow-and-red translucent bands, 27/32 inches, $400.
• Lenci doll, Valtellina, felt swivel head, painted eyes, cloth body, felt arms, 11 inches, $435.
• Notre Dame football poster, 1930 national championship team, Knute Rockne, 1931 schedule, framed under glass, 18 x 24 inches, $1,265.
• Rookwood vase, vellum, misty forest landscape, 1908 flame mark, 8 1/2 inches, $2,250.
• Grueby bowl, four-sided, applied rows of leaves, matte green glaze exterior, glossy green interior, 3 1/4 x 9 3/4 inches, $2,760.

A special report from Kovels: “Numbers You Need to Know.” We have put together a handy report that lists numbers, dates, facts and clues to the age of your antiques and collectibles. Included are English Registry Marks on dishes; a U.S. patent design and trademark date identifier; American, English and Canadian patent numbers; plus an inflation value chart, lists of furniture periods, government labeling regulations that indicate age, a silver price chart, a dictionary of dinnerware shapes and sizes, a list of famous firsts and lots and lots of other dating clues. The 36-page report is available only from Kovels. Order by phone at 800-571-1555; online at Kovels.com; or send $25 plus $4.95 postage and handling to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

© 2009 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.