Lettering Can Help Pin Down Year
Porcelain marks, written in alphabets other than the English version, are always difficult to decipher. The marks on Asian, Russian and other porcelains were so confusing that the U.S. government passed a law in 1891 that said each piece imported into the United States had to be marked with the name of the country of origin in legible English.
The Japanese used “Nippon,” which was the English equivalent of the Japanese word for Japan. It was not until 1921 that the United States changed the law so that pieces had to be marked “Japan,” not “Nippon.” These laws make it easy for today’s collectors to identify Nippon china.
It was made between 1891 and 1921. The word “Nippon” often appears with other marks that identify the maker. Most famous is the M in a wreath mark used by Morimura Bros. from about 1911 to 1921. Some pieces were hand-decorated with landscapes or portraits. Others had raised white lines forming designs, while many were made with gold trim and raised “beading.”
Tea sets, vases, plaques, humidors and other useful pieces were made. Porcelains marked “Nippon” are collected by many today.
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Question: My grandmother once told me the worktable she used was actually a “dough box.” I have inherited this piece, but I never asked her what a dough box was used for. It is pine, with a two-part wooden top that opens.
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Answer: A dough box like your grandmother’s was used in two ways. The closed top served as a kneading surface. Once kneaded, the dough was placed inside the box so it could rise.
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Q My mother used a square, cast-iron frying pan. I have never seen one like it. It measures 9 1/2 inches square and 2 inches deep. The bottom is marked “Griswold” inside a cross and double circle. Other marks include “No. 768,” “Square Utility Skillet” and “Erie, Pa.”
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A Griswold Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1897 by Matthew Griswold and his son, Marvin. Within 20 years, the company became a leader in the production of cast-iron cookware. Your mother’s skillet dates from the 1950s. By then, the Griswold family had sold its interest in the firm.
Your skillet is worth about $150. If you have the matching cast-iron cover, the value doubles.
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Q As a child, I lived in Freeport, Ill. We had milk delivered in a cream-top bottle. I told this to a younger friend who collects dairy bottles. He has never seen one and wants to know more.
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A Cream-top bottles were popular in the 1930s. Milk was not homogenized in those days, and the cream would separate from the milk and rise to the top of the bottle. The cream top was made with a bulge at the top for the cream. A special small ladle was used to remove the cream from the bottle. The tops were formed in many shapes.
There was “cop the top,” a molded man’s head with the suggestion of a hat; “toothache,” a top with a strange extra bulge; “baby face,” which looked like a baby; and others. They now sell for about $35 and up.
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Q I have a dish decorated with some little girls dressed in full skirts, aprons and sunbonnets. They are doing the wash, ironing, sweeping and other chores. I can’t read the mark on the back, but it seems to read “Bay --.” Can you tell what I have?
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A You might have a set of dishes made by the Royal Bayreuth Porcelain Factory of Germany.
The Sunbonnet Babies were characters in a 1902 book by Eulallie Osgood Grover. Each little girl was pictured with her face hidden by a deep sunbonnet.
Royal Bayreuth was licensed to use the designs in the early 1900s, and they made dishes and figurines. In 1974 they made a new series of the Sunbonnet plates. These were marked with the date, 1974.
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Q I have an 8 1/2-inch all-glass knife in its original box. The blade is 1 1/2 inches wide. Three snowflakes are embossed on the glass handle. The box reads “The New Cryst-O-Lite Glass Knife.” What was a knife like this used for? When was it made, and what is it worth?
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A Glass knives were popular during the 1930s and ‘40s. Those are the years when inexpensive Depression-glass dinnerware was made in many colors and patterns. Glass knives were used at the table to cut lettuce and soft foods, like butter or cake. It was thought that metal knives made the lettuce turn rusty. Your knife sells for about $10.
* 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.
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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.
* Poodle skirt, gray felt, pink-and-black poodle, sequin collar, chain, 1950s, size small, $40.
* Sunbeam toaster, model T-9, Art Deco with chrome plate, 1940-50, 9 by 8 by 4 inches, $55.
* Sheet music, “Precious Little Thing Called Love,” from “The Shopworn Angel,” Gary Cooper on cover, 1928, $110.
* Napco head vase, lady with coat and hat, hand on upturned collar, 5 1/2 inches, $175.
* Gibson Girl plate, “She Becomes a Trained Nurse,” 10 1/2 inches, $250.
* Brass bed, acorn finials, three spindles in headboard and footboard, circa 1900, 54 inches, $380.
* Royal Doulton figurine, Old Mother Hubbard, HN 2314, $550.
* Effanbee Honey doll, plastic, socket head, blue sleep eyes, blond mohair wig, circa 1950, 18 inches, $990.
* Queen Anne embroidered apron, silk, colored silks, green, red and metallic threads, circa 1710, $1,200.
* Bakelite-and-celluloid brooch, log suspending a tomato, carrot, radish, potato and 3 leaves, 1 7/8 inches, $5,175.
