‘Flip-Overs’ Turn Things Upside Down
Less-than-serious pottery pieces have been made for centuries. Small figurines made to attract tourists, for example, have been sold at fairs and shops since the early 1800s.
The best known are “fairings,” which often had a title on the front explaining the joke of the piece. A small figurine might portray a woman in bed watching a man carrying a baby, with the title, “Twelve months after marriage.”
Porcelain pieces that collectors call “flip-overs” exhibit an even more-subtle type of humor. For example, a seemingly innocent figurine picturing a young woman on a swing could be turned over to expose the woman’s bare bottom.
There are 18th century Chinese export plates as well as 1920s ashtrays and bisque figures that use such a design. Many flip-overs were made from the 1880s to the 1920s. Each one has the unexpected joke bottom. The inexpensive, crudely made figures were rarely produced after World War I.
The figurines sell today for $100 to $300.
*
Q: My Royal Bayreuth figural pitcher is marked with a lion holding a T and the words “Royal Bayreuth, Bavaria, US Zone.” How old is it?
*
A: The mark on your pitcher was used from 1946 to 1949. The green mark was used on reissues of older figurals.
*
Q: I have part of an old cast-iron garden fountain. There’s a pedestal held up by a sculpture of large cranes and a bowl on top fitted with a center pipe. Cast on the base are the words “J.W. Fiske, 21 & 23 Barclay St., N.Y.”
*
A: Joseph Winn Fiske opened a factory in Massachusetts in 1858. He made hardware, plant and umbrella stands, fountains, garden statuary and weather vanes. In 1864, Fiske moved his office and showroom to New York City, where the business continued until moving to Paterson, N.J., in 1956.
Your fountain base and bowl probably date from the late 1860s or 1870s, when the swoop-necked crane was a popular design.
Unfortunately, you are missing the basin that is set in the ground to hold water. You also are missing the water pump line that goes through the central pipe to make the water spout.
*
Q: I collect the little windup toys that are often given away at fast-food restaurants. Is there a special name for these toys?
*
A: Some toy experts call them “white-knob windups” or “WKWs.”
Such toys became popular in the 1970s. The first ones had ridged white knobs. Today the knob can be any color. The knob is attached to a metal rod that winds the motor.
WKWs are usually made to move one way. There are walkers, climbers, rollers, hoppers and others.
Some are lapel pins that have parts such as eyes or ears that move. A few are swimmers that can move in water.
The best WKWs make several different motions.
The toys were made in Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Macao or China. They are marked with the country and perhaps the company that made it. The best-known WKWs were made by Mattel, Russ, Tomy and Galoob.
Some WKWs are made in sets, such as the Cabbage Patch Dolls, Smurfs, Snoopy and Disney series. Others were made to be part of a game such as Home Run Homer.
*
Q: Is it true that you can date old vaseline glass by using an ultraviolet light?
*
A: Greenish-yellow vaseline glass was made with uranium in the 19th century. Under an ultraviolet lamp it fluoresces yellow-green.
New vaseline glass also might contain uranium, though, so the light test does not always tell the glass’ age.
The new glass is not as radioactive as the old glass because the U-235 has been removed.
A: Geiger counter would help you date the glass. Don’t worry about the radioactivity. It is at such a low level it is safe.
*
Q: I collect old bottles. When did bottles start carrying a label that forbids the “sale or reuse of this bottle”? Also, when was the screw-top lid for glass jars invented?
*
A: The screw-top lid dates to 1858, when it was used on the famous Mason jar.
The Pure Food and Drug Act passed by Congress in 1906 included a provision prohibiting the “sale or reuse” of unlabeled bottles.
If you wish other information about antiques, include a self-addressed, stamped (55 cents) envelope, and the Kovels will send you a listing of helpful books and publications. Write to the Kovels, The Los Angeles Times, King Features Syndicate, 235 E. 45th St., New York, NY 10017.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
Current Prices
Figures are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
* Eureka Mending Liquid bottle, clear, cork top, 1900s, 4 inches: $20.
* Schoolbook, “Our New Friends, Dick & Jane,” 1946: $40.
* Papago Indian basket, cylindrical form, terraced zigzag pattern, four-coil split, 8 x 10 inches: $175.
* Bust of Charles Lindbergh bank, aluminum, Grannis & Tolton, 1928, 4 x 6 inches: $295.
* Graniteware teapot, blue with white speckles, 1890, 2 cups: $355.
* Mettlach stein, No. 1527, cavaliers at tavern table drinking, woman and shield, pewter lid, 1 liter: $550.
* Kathe Kruse cloth doll, painted face and hair, original underwear, 1930s, 16 inches: $655.
* Libbey syrup, Maize pattern, white opal, green leaves, pewter lid, applied handle, 7 inches: $785.
* Ivory needle case, carved full figure of woman wearing bonnet and apron, 1790, 3 inches: $1,095.
* Billiards table, slat top, ivory insets, J.D. Holt Co., circa 1840, 34 x 97 x 53 inches: $3,200.
