Napkin Rings: Pick Your Species

Today, a host or hostess setting a special holiday dinner table might include napkin rings at each place. Napkin rings, especially the elaborate, silver-plated, figural rings, were also popular in the 19th century. They were not used by the rich, because the wealthy used fresh napkins at each meal, showing that they could afford a laundress to do the linens.

Napkin rings were used by middle-class families. Each member of the family had a different ring, so it was easy to identify who had used the napkin before. The napkin was rolled and put in the napkin ring at the end of the meal, to be used all week.

The figural rings were made in hundreds of shapes. Dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits, cupids, birds and other figures were popular. Some elaborate examples were in the form of wheeled carts that held not only the ring but also salt and pepper shakers and perhaps vinegar bottles or a butter pat. Prices today for unusual, figural napkin rings range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

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Question: When my husband was a boy, his grandfather gave him a small cast-iron hatchet that appears to be a joke of some kind. The blade is shaped like a woman’s head, and the words on the handle read, “All Nations Welcome But Carry.”

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Answer: You have an anti-temperance collectible. It refers to the saloon-smashing activities of Carry Nation (1846-1911), one of America’s most famous advocates of the temperance movement. She was known for using a hatchet to smash saloons in her home state of Kansas. She was often jailed for her activities, and she paid her fines from speaking fees and sales of souvenir lapel pins shaped like hatchets. Your husband’s iron hatchet was a protest against Nation and her anti-saloon activities.

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Q My sister wants to throw out old clothes and accessories she has stored in her attic for more than 30 years. I told her to let me go through the stuff first. One of her old purses is pure kitsch. I think it’s worth saving. It’s signed “Collins,” with a drawing of a horse inside the C.

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A Save the purse. It was designed by Enid Collins, who, with her husband, Frederic, founded the Collins of Texas purse business in 1958. The company opened a production plant in Medina, Texas, and sold Enid’s designs across the country. By the mid-’60s, there was a Collins of Texas showroom on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The company was sold to the Tandy Corp. in 1970 and still produces leather and tapestry bags.

Enid designed three types of bags: leather saddlebag-style totes, linen bags and wooden box bags. The linen and wooden bags are decorated with jeweled designs. Those are the ones collectors prefer. Prices for a vintage Collins bag range from $20 to $100 or more, depending on decoration and condition.

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Q I was given a 14-inch stuffed white cat with green eyes and red ears. The round paper tag on the front has a photo of Dick Clark in the center, surrounded by the words “Official Autograph Mascot, American Bandstand, Platter Puss.” It is in very good condition. Could you please give me some information on it and its value?

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A Your stuffed cat, made by the Merrimac Toy Co. in 1959, was sold in retail stores to fans of the teen TV show “American Bandstand.” The show, which aired in Philadelphia from 1952 through 1956, moved to ABC and national fame in 1957. A Platter Puss cloth doll in mint condition is worth more than $100.

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 because of local economic conditions.

* Punchboard, Take It Or Leave It, for the gambler who wants to push his risk, 12 by 14 inches, $85.

* Paper-clip holder, tin, advertising “Royal Typewriter Company, Inc., 75 Varich St., New York,” c. 1930, 3 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches, $125.

* Red Wing Pottery ashtray, Minnesota Twins, 1965 World Series, $150.

* Hutschenreuther figurine, Fox Terrier, seated, white with tan and black spots, red painted collar, Germany, 5 1/2 inches, $245.

* Toni doll, blond nylon hair, red cotton skirt, dotted Swiss blouse, red leatherette shoes, c. 1950s, 20 inches, $550.