The Innocent Beginnings of the Love Seat
Each generation designs a few new forms of furniture. In the 1820s, the te^te-a-te^te was first made. It was a sofa that looked like two chairs joined at the side, one facing forward, one backward. The style became more popular during Victorian times because it was popular as a “love seat.”
Young couples could sit close and talk in an approved manner, because they were not touching. The Victorian seat was made with many curves.
Wicker was an ideal material to use for these ornate pieces. Heywood Bros. and Wakefield Co. showed a group of “conversation chairs” in their 1899 catalog. The te^te-a-te^te was out of style by 1900, when the straight lines and sturdy look of Mission came into fashion.
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Question: My grandmother gave me an old cast-iron penny bank shaped like a barrel on a cart. The front reads “No. 1, White City Puzzle Savings, A Barrel of Money.” On one side of the barrel are the words “Nicol and Co., Chicago,” and on the other side, “Pat. Oct. 23, 94.” Was this a puzzle to be put together?
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Answer: Nicol & Co. of Chicago made cleverly designed, sturdy banks. They were called “puzzle” banks because they were difficult to open without knowing the trick involved. The company used the brand name “White City Savings” for several of its bank designs. There was no real White City Bank--the name was taken from the nickname for the midway at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Your bank is worth about $400.
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Q I just found the strangest piggy bank. It is pig-shaped, with a mustache, hair and eyes that make it resemble Adolf Hitler. Was it a World War II propaganda piece?
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A Yes. There are several varieties of Hitler-pig banks. The first were made in 1940. One bank, marked “Make Him Squeal, Save for Victory,” was made by the Tom Lawson Co. Another bank was not marked, but was sold with a tag that suggested saving for the war effort. The banks sell today for about $200.
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Q I bought a strange-looking hollow ceramic figurine. He has a pink body, bald head, rhinestone eyes, jug-handle ears, and a long, striped tie. There’s a copyright symbol on the bottom and the word “Kreiss.”
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A The Kreiss Co. of California made your figurine sometime during the late 1950s to the mid-’60s. It is one of a series called “Psycho Ceramics.” Your figurine originally sold for $1 and came with a metal or paper tag. Today, collectors find the goofy figures priced from $75 to $500 or more at antiques malls and flea markets. Kreiss made other collectible ceramic lines, including Moon Beings, Nudies, Cavemen and Dinosaurs, and Drunks With Pink Elephants.
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Q I saw a beautiful butterfly-shaped hairpin for sale at an upscale West Coast antiques shop. It was made of metal decorated with bright blue insets. The owner told me it was a “kingfisher” hairpin made in China more than 120 years ago. I couldn’t afford the pin, but I keep wondering how it was made.
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A The kingfisher is a bird whose iridescent blue feathers were once collected by Chinese farmers and sent to Beijing as tributes to the imperial court.
Artists would use a special glue to attach the feathers to the frames of metal jewelry and hairpins. A butterfly pin symbolized love. By 1880, kingfisher accessories were being mass-produced, and quality declined. The last Chinese factory to produce the jewelry closed about 1930.
Old handmade kingfisher jewelry is very expensive, from $100 to $2,000. For less money, you can buy a pin that has been reconstructed from dismantled Chinese headdresses or a new pin made in the Philippines.
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.
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Current Prices
Current prices are recorded from antique shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
* Trifari pin, heart shape, red sparkle, brushed gold with clear baguettes, 2 inches: $30.
* Duncan & Miller water goblet, First Love pattern, 10 ounces.: $45.
* Vienna Art plate, young man sitting in garden, cherubs and birds, yellow and green band, 1905, 10 inches: $60.
* Love Nest Candy Bar store sign, embossed lettering, black and white on yellow ground, “Best Eating Candy Bar in the World,” 1930s, 10 by 28 inches: $275.
* Vogue toddle doll, Mistress Mary, composition head, blue eyes, closed mouth, blond mohair wig, five-piece composition body, label on skirt, 7 inches: $310.
* New York World’s Fair bracelet, sterling silver, 1939: $440.
* Hummel figurine, Give Me a Kiss, No. 311, stylized bee mark: $525.
* Windsor love seat, maple with thumb back, rush seat, 1820, 31 by 51 inches: $1,845.
* Sailor’s valentine, shellwork, “Love to the Receiver From the Giver,” hearts in center, 1820s, 9 by 18 inches: $2,100.
* Louis Icart print, Sweet Mystery, woman holding black cat, signed, 20 by 16 inches: $2,300.
