Light Story Behind Bedside Table
The small four-legged table or stand that was used next to the bed to hold a whale-oil lamp was first popular in the early 1800s. It replaced the three-legged candle stand that had been used in earlier years.
The four-legged tables were safer because they could not be tipped over as easily. The tables, made so the top was about the height of the bed, often had one or two drawers to hold nighttime necessities.
Tables of maple or mahogany with plain legs were made in the country. More sophisticated designs had reeded or turned legs.
By the 1840s, the lamp stand had become more elaborate and often had decorative knobs of glass or brass. Some even had drop leaves to make them a little larger when more space was needed.
The idea of a night stand by the bed remains popular today. It is used now for a lamp, a phone and perhaps some books. A four-legged table with drawers is still the preferred choice.
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Question: Can you give me information on a deck of cards I inherited from my father’s family? The suits on all but the face cards are formed from human faces or other body parts. The deck is marked “Harlequin Playing Cards, Tiffany & Co., New York, Paris, London, Designed by C.E. Carryl.”
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Answer: You have a deck of “transformation cards.” The name refers to the fact that the spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs are “transformed” into parts of a larger picture.
The first complete pack of transformation cards was printed in England about 1803. Your deck was published in 1879 for Tiffany & Co. It is considered the cleverest and most artistically executed American transformation deck.
The card design was copied for a set of 1888 tobacco cards, which were inserted into packs of cigarettes made by the Kinney Tobacco Co.
In 1974, Tiffany reprinted the face cards from the set.
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Q I bought a humidor because I liked its looks. It was made about the turn of the century from wood that is intricately and decoratively carved. The auctioneer called it “fretwork” and said it was made from a pattern. Was fretwork once a popular craft?
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A Between 1880 and 1920, pierced scrollwork known as “fretwork” was a widespread hobby. Stores that sold scroll saws, blades and attachments also sold fretwork patterns. Hobbyists and schoolchildren used the patterns to carve scrolled designs from thin pieces of wood that were made into small decorative items such as clocks, knickknack shelves and humidors.
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Q Two appraisers have looked at my mother’s antique German doll. They disagree about who made it. One said the mark on the doll’s head belongs to Simon & Halbig. The other said it belongs to Schoenau & Hoffmeister. The mark is made up of the initials S and H on either side of a five-pointed star with the initials PB inside. Underneath is the year 1923 and the word “Germany.”
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A The mark on your doll’s head belongs to Schoenau & Hoffmeister. The “PB” inside the star stands for Porzellanfabrik Burggrub, the factory founded in 1901 by Arthur Schoenau and Carl Hoffmeister to make bisque heads for their own dolls and for dolls made by other manufacturers. Schoenau & Hoffmeister closed in 1953.
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Q We have an old soup dish that my husband’s grandfather remembered from his childhood. He was born in 1860. The bowl is white with a pink border of flowers, people, dogs and scenery. The pink decoration in the center of the plate is a picture of a castle, three people and a statue of a rider on horseback, with a background of mountains and trees. On the back of the bowl is a shield with the word “Walmer” above the initials “E.H.” How old is the dish? Where was it made?
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A Your soup dish is a piece of Staffordshire china made in England. It is decorated with one of the romantic transfer designs used by potteries during the 19th century. The initials “E.H.” refer to the pottery where the dish was made--probably Elijah Hodgkinson’s pottery, which worked in Hanley from about 1867 to 1872.
The pattern name, “Walmer,” refers to the scene picturing an English seaside resort where King Henry VIII built Walmer castle.
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Q About 25 years ago I was given a red molded plastic Mr. Peanut bank by an 80-year-old friend who said the bank was old. There is a coin slot in the top of the removable hat. The body is shaped like a peanut shell. What can you tell me about my bank?
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A The Planters Nut & Chocolate Co. was formed in 1906. The company’s symbol, Mr. Peanut, was created 10 years later.
Your bank is one of countless Mr. Peanut collectibles. It was made in the 1950s and came in red, tan, green, pink, orange, blue, yellow, black and tan, and clear plastic. The prices vary with the rarity of the color. A red bank sells for about $10.
For a listing of helpful books and publications, include a self-addressed, stamped (55 cents) envelope to Kovels, Los Angeles Times, King Features Syndicate, 235 E. 45th St., New York, NY 10017.
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.
* Sheet music, “Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight,” picture of Earhart and her plane on cover, 1939: $20.
* Fishing lure, Thin Fin, plastic, by Storm Mfg.: $75.
* Palmer Cox Brownie paper dolls, nine different outfits, two heads: $125.
* Sandwich glass salt dip, rectangular boat-shaped bowl, flaring foot, floral clusters on sides, golden amber: $140.
* Stanley plane No. 21, wooden bottom, circa 1900: $200.
* Chippendale mahogany mirror, line inlays, scrolled upper and lower crest and ears, circa 1780, 23 by 12 inches: $275.
* Silk robe, hand-embroidered gold butterflies, red ground, circa 1880, size medium: $330.
* Legras vase, cylindrical form, landscape scene, ebony shepherd and flock, green grassy hillside, lavender blue mountains, signed, 14 inches: $660.
* Brass columnar fluid lamp, with applied label “Patent April 1, 1845, Cornelius & Co., Phila.,” 13 1/2 inches: $770.
* George III stick barometer, mahogany, by Pochaine, broken arch crest, ivory finial and rosettes, engraved silvered tail, 18th century, 40 inches: $2,300.
