When the Scalawags Were Voted Out, They Often Took Desks With Them
For many years, retiring public officials took some government office furniture with them when they left. Collectors like the pieces because the historic ownership adds to the prestige, value and aura. The White House was redecorated over and over by presidents, and the old pieces were either sold or given away.
In 1873, the desks used in Congress were replaced by more modern ones, and all of the Victorian desks were sold, often to the congressmen who used them. A desk that had been used by a representative during his term from 1869 to 1872 was auctioned recently for $14,950.
In the 1960s, when the Kennedy administration redecorated the White House and the State Department rooms, a law was passed that made sure the old, discarded furnishings remained government property and were kept in storage. Today, retiring politicians are not supposed to take any government furniture to their new homes.
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Question: My green pottery vase is decorated with real sterling-silver designs of swimming fish and bubbles. The piece is marked “Argenta” and has some other names I can’t read. What is it?
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Answer: Argenta is a special type of pottery designed in 1930 by Wilhelm Kage for the Gustavsberg Pottery of Sweden. Pieces are often marked with silver letters or with a paper label. Most of this unusual pottery was made in the 1930s and ‘40s. Some pieces were glazed blue, white or green.
The silver decoration is a piece of silver applied to the pottery. Be very careful not to rub too hard when cleaning it--the entire silver piece might come off. The best way to clean it is to rub toothpaste on the silver parts. It will remove the tarnish but will not scratch the pottery. An Argenta vase 6 inches high is worth more than $500.
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Q: My ceramic Uncle Wiggily mug was given to me in the early 1930s. There are two pictures on the mug. One shows Uncle Wiggily and Grandpa Goosey Gander. They are dressed in formal wear, standing near a tree trunk called “Ovaltine House.” The other shows Uncle Wiggily running above the phrase “Uncle Wiggily wants his Ovaltine.”
The bottom of the mug is marked “Uncle Wiggily, c. 1924, by Fred. A. Wish Inc., licensed to Sebring Pottery Co., manufactured for The Wander Co., Chicago, Makers of Ovaltine.” Can you tell me its history and value?
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A: Uncle Wiggily Longears was the central character in a series of children’s stories beginning in 1910. In the 1920s, a rabbit character also starred in a radio show sponsored by Ovaltine. This was the period when radio-show sponsors started offering premiums to listeners. A child listening to the show could mail an Ovaltine label to the Wander Co. in Chicago and receive a mug like yours. Today, your mug is valued at $80 or more if it is in excellent condition.
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Q: Why is a brass push-up candlestick called a “hog-scraper”?
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A: A straight-sided, cylindrical brass or iron candleholder was called a hog-scraper because farmers sometimes used the candleholder’s sharp-edged base to scrape the bristles from hogs after the hogs were slaughtered.
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Current Prices
Figures are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary because of local economic conditions.
* “Man From U.N.C.L.E.” playing cards, Robert Vaughn in 40 action photos, Ed-U-Cards Mfg. Co., 1965, $25.
* Cast-brass saucepan, iron handle, copper rivets, circa 1800, 6 inches, $70.
* Morton Salt sign, box of salt with baked potato, “What’s a potato without Morton’s?” 1940s-’50s, framed under glass, 18 by 36 inches, $185.
* George Nelson for Howard Miller hanging lantern No. 492, crenelated sections of molded vinyl, wire frame, white plastic liner, 1966, 18 by 18 inches, $300.
* Pressed glass berry set, Valencia Waffle pattern, cranberry stained, seven pieces, $345.
* Mahogany dresser, four drawers, brass hardware, carved bracket feet, circa 1930, 38 inches, $550.
* Bill Blass sequined evening trench coat, navy blue, full length, belt, size 4, labeled, 1970s, $975.
* Kathe Kruse doll, girl, brown hair, green eyes, closed mouth, pouty lips, circa 1915, 17 inches, $3,400.
