For Those With Time on Their Hands
The clock and the idea of correct time measured by minutes probably started about 1660 when a Dutch inventor adapted the idea of a pendulum to the clock. Within 100 years, many variations of clocks and clock movements were developed, and most well-to-do households included a clock.
Time was no longer determined only by the striking of church bells. The clock movement remained much the same until the 19th century, when the key-wound clock was invented. By the 20th century, electricity moved the hands, and by the 1970s, many clocks used very accurate battery-driven quartz movements.
A few collectors want clocks with special movements, but most are attracted by the case. The tall grandfather’s clock of the 18th century, the clock with bronze figures decorating the case in the 19th century, and the many types of carriage clocks, novelty clocks and mystery clocks are all valuable today. A 20th century clock by a famous maker in the modern style, or a clock designed to show a face with moving eyes or Mickey Mouse with jogging legs may be worth more than a 19th century schoolhouse clock.
When selling collectibles, remember the “Kovelism”: If it moves and makes noise, it has value.
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Question: Can you tell me what “four-and-core” means? I heard the term used in relation to the way the legs were made on a Stickley chair.
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Answer: The five Stickley brothers were all involved in the furniture manufacturing business during the Arts and Crafts period, about 1900-1920. They made solid, unadorned Mission-style pieces but sometimes used different construction methods. L. & J.G. Stickley’s company, owned by Leopold and John George, made a chair leg by locking four boards together around a square central core of wood. This construction method was termed “four-and-core.” It was later used by other companies.
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Q My mother has a mat hanging on her wall that is woven with pieces of soft fabric. It pictures three polar bears sitting on an ice floe with snow-covered mountains in the background.
My mother grew up in Philadelphia in the 1930s and remembers receiving the mat as a childhood gift. She also remembers being told the mat was made in Newfoundland. Are you familiar with this craft?
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A Your mother probably has a Grenfell Mission silk-stocking mat. Sir Wilfred T. Grenfell (1865-1940) was an English physician who founded a mission for the fishermen of Labrador in 1892.
The rug-hooking craft was already well-developed in Labrador and Newfoundland by then, and Grenfell organized a cottage industry around the craft. He sought donations of old silk stockings and other fabric odds and ends from all over Canada and the United States. Grenfell Mission retail shops opened in New York City and Philadelphia in 1930. The mats pictured local images, such as dog sleds, reindeer, hunters and polar bears.
Grenfell mats are still being made under the label Grenfell Handicrafts. Craftspeople now use wool rather than silk to hook the copyrighted patterns.
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Q I have a white china teacup with the word “present” written in gold across one side of the cup. I know that the cup and its matching saucer were made in Germany. What does the word “present” mean?
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A German porcelain factories have made giftware and china sets for export to the United States since the 19th century. The word “present” simply means that the cup and saucer were designed to be bought by one person as a gift for another.
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Q I spent $1 at a Goodwill store for a 10-inch vase marked “Van Briggle” on the bottom. The other incised marks are “AA” within a rectangle and the number 9. The design on the vase starts at the bottom with daffodil bulbs. It continues up with leaves and ends at the top with daffodil flowers. The vase is maroon at the bottom but fades to black toward the top. Is it worth more than $1?
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A Your vase was made by Van Briggle Pottery, which has worked in Colorado Springs, Colo., since 1901. The pottery’s “Daffodil” design, No. 862, was created in 1911 by Anne Gregory Van Briggle (1868-1929). She was the widow of Artus Van Briggle (1869-1904 ), the pottery’s founder.
The two A’s in the mark stand for the couple’s first names. The “9” in the mark refers to a finisher who worked at the pottery in 1919-20. That is probably when your vase was made. The glaze on your vase is called “Deep Mulberry.” That color was discontinued in 1946. Van Briggle is still making the Daffodil vase but only in turquoise, lilac blue (purple) or dusty rose (pink). A new one costs about $55. Your old vase would sell for more than $600.
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 in different locations because of local economic conditions.
* NBA preseason game ticket, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 1986, at Duluth Arena, $10.
* “Don’t Give Up the Ship” sheet music from the movie “Shipmates Forever” with Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler, 1935, $20.
* Bakelite Swiss hatpin, profile, marbled butterscotch with red-and-yellow painted band, white celluloid feather, 2 1/2 inches, $210.
* Brown velvet coat, fur trim on sleeves and collar, brown silk lining, labeled Franklin Simon, 1920s, medium size, $265.
* Yellowware bowl and pitcher set, blue sponging, 15 by 11 3/4 inches, $275.
* TV Guide, Lucy’s $50-Million Baby, Vol. 1, No. 1, April 3-9, 1953, Minneapolis and St. Paul TV listings, $400.
* Vogue doll, Wee Imp, hard plastic head, green sleep eyes, freckles, orange hair, walker child body, 1959, 7 1/2 inches, box, $425.
* Satin Skin sign, die-cut, easel back, cherub whispering the secrets of cream and powder into young lady’s ear, circa 1911, 12 by 28 inches, $675.
* Pressed glass decanter, Bellflower pattern, cut ovals on neck, stopper, 1 pint, 11 3/4 inches, $690.
* Gustav Stickley daybed No. 216, five slats at each end, spring seat cushion, 78 by 30 by 30 inches, $3,100.
