Construction Gives Clues to Maker

How can I tell the age and maker of my chair?

That is a question asked each day. The most obvious method is to look for a name or a trademark. Names and trademarks usually can be found on the bottom of the seat or on the back. Marks can be written in pencil, burned in like a brand, printed on the wood, or be part of a metal label attached to the piece.

Once you know the name, it is possible to check in the library and find out more about the maker.

If there is no mark, more detective work is required. The style and the method of construction can help in dating a chair. Learn to identify the obvious styles: Chippendale, Sheraton, Empire, Victorian, Arts and Crafts (Mission), Art Deco and Fifties.

The shape of the legs and back, the amount of carving, and the proportion of the chair are different for each period.

Sometimes the marquetry, hardware or carved decorations on a chair can be attributed to a maker. An expert often can recognize such special features in an instant. A new collector must look through dozens of pictures of pieces that are similar to try to find one feature that is an exact match.

Herter Bros. made unusual Victorian furniture that often is unmarked. Some chairs had marquetry with designs of small, round flower heads or vases of stylized sunflowers. A few chairs had arms shaped like carved cherubs. Others were decorated with carved faces of women or imaginary animals.

When antique chairs are sold at auction, the best prices are for the marked pieces. Many collectors will pay almost as much if the chair has features that can help attribute it to a maker.

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Question: My sister found an unusual soda bottle when she visited the Isle of Man, which is in the Irish Sea. The bottle has a clear glass marble-sized ball inside the neck. The ball goes up and down between the top and the bottom of the neck, depending on the tilt of the bottle. The front of the bottle says, “Douglas & Ramsey.”

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Answer: That bottle has a Codd-ball stopper. The stopper was named for its inventor, Hiram Codd (1838-1887), who operated a mineral water company in England. Codd worked to perfect a glass-ball bottle stopper that would seal the bottle under pressure but allow easy pouring once the ball was pushed down into the bottle neck. His invention was used by bottle makers in England, America, mainland Europe and the British colonies from the mid-1870s through the 1930s.

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Q I bought a cast-iron toy at an elderly woman’s garage sale, then saw the same toy on a television show about antiques. The toy is a goat pulling a cart. A little boy with big ears is standing in the cart. He is wearing a long, yellow nightshirt. The goat and cart together measure 7 inches long.

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A The boy in the cart is the Yellow Kid, a character in a trailblazing newspaper comic series created by Richard Outcault in 1895. Your toy dates from the early years of this century. It would sell for $700 to $1,000.

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Q I have an old metal radio that is marked “General Motors.” The small circular radio sits on a metal floor stand. There are two knobs and an upper window dial. On top of the radio there is a built-in ashtray. Can you tell me the age and value?

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A General Motors was in the radio business from 1929 to 1931. The automobile manufacturer bought Day-Fan Electric Co. of Dayton, Ohio, in 1929. GM formed General Motors Radio Corp. with three minority partners--RCA, General Electric and Westinghouse. The U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust suit against the group in 1930, and GMRC was liquidated in 1931.

Your radio is worth about $200.

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Q Please help me identify my 14-inch porcelain pitcher. It is painted gold, with embossed grapes painted green and purple. The handle has a dragon figurehead at the top. The mark on the bottom is “J.P.” over a straight line, the initial “L” and the word “France.” There is also a faded signature, “Mae L. McEll. . . .”

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A Your vase was made in Limoges, France, between 1842 and 1898. The initials refer to the potter, Jean Pouyat. The letter L is for “Limoges.” Mae was the woman who painted the pitcher.

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Q A Barbie doll collector I know claims that Barbie was the first doll made with breasts. My Jill doll is older, and she has breasts. Is an original Jill doll valuable?

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A Adult female dolls have been made for centuries, probably millenniums, and they have had breasts to make them look realistic.

The Vogue Doll Co. introduced Jill, Ginny’s teenage sister, in 1957. That was two years before Mattel introduced the more sophisticated and voluptuous Barbie doll.

Barbie has become a collector favorite. An original, mint No. 1 Barbie doll is valued at about $4,000. A 1957 mint Jill doll in a basic dress sells for about $150.

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.

* Red Wing pottery, Bob White pattern hors d’oeuvres server, with shaker, three pieces: $60.

* Lily of the Valley coffee tin, flowers on front and back, screw-on top, Continental Can Co., 4 inches by 6 inches: $75.

* Billy Boy the Bellhop toy, windup, celluloid boy pushes lithographed tin suitcase, red uniform, red, white and black striped suitcase, Japan, 7 inches: $110.

* New York Yankees baseball pennant, blue and white, with picture of Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, 1950s: $195.

* Red Riding Hood doll, composition head, painted eyes to side, closed mouth, toddler body, flowered dress, wool cape, Vogue, 7 1/2 inches: $275.

* Jacquard two-piece single-weave coverlet, tulip border, corners labeled “Jacob Snyder, Stark Co., Ohio, 1850,” navy, pink, yellow, 74 inches by 82 inches: $510.

* Libbey Amberina vase, deep fuchsia shading to amber, flaring edge, signed, 11 1/2 inches: $950.

* Jacobean-style side chairs, caned seat and back, overall floral and figural design, raised on rope twist legs, pair: $1,100.

* Mochaware pottery pitcher, white with brown and blue bands, dark brown stripes and cat’s eyes, 8 1/8 inches: $1,210