Some Want to Get Mitts on Potholders
Potholders and other handmade kitchen items are becoming popular with collectors. They can be displayed or used, and can be found at rummage sales and flea markets for less than $10. The most popular are crocheted potholders shaped like pants, dresses, faces or pieces of fruit. Bright colors or unusual designs are a plus.
Potholders made of woven loops of fabric are still being made. The old loops were made of cotton, while the new ones are of synthetic fabrics. Quilted and embroidered potholders show off the needlework of an earlier time. Other examples of needlework for the home are trivets (sometimes made of thread-covered bottle caps), doilies and kitchen towels with edgings or embroidery.
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Question: I have a low, oval wooden table with six matching stools that are shaped so they can be pushed under the tabletop. The top and edges of the table and the edges of the stools are intricately carved with an Asian battle scene. When and where was it made, and what is it worth?
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Answer: Your table and stools were probably made in China or Hong Kong sometime in the 1930s. The set was made to be exported to the United States, where the style was popular. The set is worth about $1,500.
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Q Jay Leno recently joked about the Slinky toy--how it’s the only toy that encourages kids to play on the stairs. It made me wonder when the toy was invented and by whom.
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A The Slinky spring toy was invented in 1945 by a mechanical engineer named Richard James. A torsion spring he was testing fell off a table, and its bouncing motion gave James the idea that he could made a “walking” spring. He patented the toy, his wife named it, and James Industries of Hollidaysburg, Pa., was born. Slinky has stayed popular for 55 years.
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Q I bought a short graniteware pot at a flea market. The lid is gray and white and has a handle. The cover fits about an inch down into the pot. It has a large hole in the middle and several small holes nearer the edge. The dealer called the pot an “upcooker,” but she could not explain its use. Can you?
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A An “upcooker” was used to boil milk or another liquid. The liquid could boil up through the holes in the lid. Because the top was below the rim, the liquid was prevented from boiling over onto the stove top. The central hole was designed to hold a funnel for pouring more liquid into the pot.
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Q My heirloom vase is marked with a circle and the name “Crossware, Chicago.” When was it made?
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A Crossware Pottery worked in Chicago from about 1905 to about 1908. It was run by Nellie Agnes Cross and her sons, Richard and Charles. Very few pieces of the pottery are known.
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Q In 1964 or ‘65, my daughter received a pair of black, textured nylon stockings from her aunt. When you look at the stockings, you can see the Beatles’ faces. The thigh-high nylons have never been worn and are in their original package. What are they worth today?
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A A British company called Scott-Centenaire Ltd. sold two brands of nylons like those you describe. A near-mint pair of either brand, in the original package, is valued at $150.
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Q I am interested in old advertising labels and packaging. I have been told that some familiar food and household products have been sold in the same kind of containers and labeled the same way for a long time. Can you name a few of these products? How can I figure out how old the packages are if they all look alike?
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A Once a brand name becomes familiar, a manufacturer may decide not to change the design or color of the brand’s package. Some brands whose packaging labels have remained the same since at least the early 1920s are Carnation Milk, Knox Gelatin, Royal Baking Powder, Coca-Cola and Bon Ami. You can still date the products by looking at the words printed on the labels.
The simplest clues relate to addresses. Postal zones were introduced in 1943, ZIP Codes in 1963. Bar codes were introduced in 1973. Ingredient lists were required on most food labels beginning in 1938, and nutrition information has been required since 1973.
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
Figures are recorded from antique shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary because of local economic conditions.
* Andy Griffith record, “What It Was, Was Football,” by Capitol Records, 45 rpm, 1950s, $65.
* Chris-Craft poster, paper, pictures the company’s various 1948 models, “Make a Date for ’48 with a Chris-Craft,” 24 by 17 inches, $110.
* Beatles wallet, vinyl, Day-Glo pink, facsimile autographs of all four Beatles, by Ramat & Co. Ltd., London, 1964, $135.
* Hummel figurine, Valentine Joy, No. 399, West Germany mark, $175.
* Heart-shape cookie cutter, sheet iron, Pennsylvania, early 19th century, $210.
* Vogue Mistress Mary doll, composition head, blue eyes, 5-piece body, 7 inches, $345.
* Needlework sampler, “Agnes Sunley aged 10 years,” alphabet panel above vine border, red threads, 12 1/2 by 12 inches, $355.
* Buddy “L” Junior Dump Truck, opening doors, headlights and bumper, 1920s, 24 inches, $770.
* Pewter lighthouse-form coffeepot, hinged domed lid, tapered body, encircling rings, William Calder maker, $1,150.
* Queen Anne maple dining table, circular drop-leaf top, straight apron, four block-turned legs, pad feet, 1750-1770, 26 1/2 by 41 by 42 inches, $1,610.
