Toy Motorcycles Are Casting an Impression
Motorcycle memorabilia is a relatively new collecting area. Full-sized motorcycles, clothing, signs, catalogs, trophies, giveaways, jewelry and toys are selling well. Those items made before 1930 or those that are three-dimensional, such as the toys, are the highest priced.
In the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s, Marx made tin motorcycle toys. But the best known and most collectible toys today are the cast-iron toys of the 1930s made by Hubley Manufacturing of Lancaster, Pa. Other cast-iron toys were made at the same time by Arcade Manufacturing Co. of Freeport, Ill.
The iron toys tried to be miniatures of the real motorcycles; the tin toys were made for children and had more imagination in the design.
Many of Hubley’s imaginative toys came with removable drivers.
The toys, which were about 4 inches long or larger, originally sold for 10 cents to $5. Today, iron toys still covered with the original paint can be worth more than $1,000.
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Question My grandmother left me an oak dresser that dates to around 1910. She told me my grandfather ordered it from a company in Michigan and put it together himself. I never liked it much. It’s plain and heavy. There are no marks or labels on it, but I think it looks like the furniture Gustav Stickley made.
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Answer The furniture business was booming in Michigan at the time your dresser was made. Manufacturers were making mission-style oak furniture, rectilinear pieces like those designed by Stickley.
Shoppers who lived in rural areas could order disassembled furniture by mail.
The Brooks Manufacturing Co. of Saginaw, Mich., sold mission-style furniture by mail, advertising that pieces could be assembled with just a screwdriver. Your dresser might have been made by Brooks.
Even unmarked pieces of mission furniture are rising in price.
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Q. How should I clean rhinestone and pearl jewelry?
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A. Most jewelers clean jewelry using electronic devices and professional tools.
If you plan to clean pearls at home, never immerse them in water or any other liquid. The cord holding the pearls could be damaged by soaking.
Place real pearls in a glass jar with a half-cup of powdered magnesia or potato flour. Shake the jar for a few minutes and wait for 24 hours. Repeat the process, then remove the excess powder with a dusting brush.
Wipe artificial pearls with a chamois moistened with water.
Never soak rhinestones in water either. They often have a backing that can be damaged by water.
To clean rhinestones, dip a cotton swab or soft, small brush in a glass-cleaning solution or dishwashing liquid and lightly brush each stone. Then polish the stones with a soft linen cloth.
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Q. The mark on the back of my scenic plate looks like a teacup with “G Zell S” inside. Can you identify the maker?
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A. Your plate was made between 1907 and 1928 by Georg Schmider, Zell of Hamersback, Badenia, Germany. Schmider made many plates with scenes of the Black Forest region.
If you’d like a listing of helpful books and publications on antiques, send a self-addressed, stamped (55 cents) envelope to the Kovels, Los Angeles Times, King Features Syndicate, 235 E. 45th St., New York, NY 10017.
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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.
* Howard Johnson ice cream dish, silhouette logo in center, gold rim, 1950s, round, 4 inches: $20.
* Griswold match-holder ashtray, skillet shape: $75.
“Hotel St. Francis Cookbook,” 432 pages, copyright 1919: $80.
* E.C. Flaccus Co. glass canning jar, deer and flowers in relief, clear, pint size: $115.
* Gillette Baltimore Orioles baseball signals movie flip-book, 1957: $150.
* Spot-A-Plane board game, World War II bomber over New York on cover, 48 plane cards, Toy Creations, second series, 1942: $125.
* Kerosene diesel fuel gas pump globe, blue-and-white lens, metal base, 15 inches: $320.
* Rookwood rook bookends, rook standing in open book, green glaze, 1924, 7 inches: $525.
* Cut glass eggnog bowl, hobstar, fan, crosshatch and cane cuts, separate pedestal base, serrated rim, circa 1900, 10 1/4 inches: $600.
