Chicago Antiques Guide Blog
Lalique Vase -Lamp Conversion
Posted Saturday, December 15 by Brian •
I was given a few item's from my Great Aunt & Uncle The First is a glass lamp, I was told by a friend that it should be insured. I've searched on all my item's, only to come up with a whole lotta nothing! Can you tell me what kind of lamp this is? How much it might sell for & to whom I might sell it? Thank you for your time! Sincerely, Jamie
The glass part of the lamp appears to be a Cherry vase by Lalique from the 1930's. Unfortunately, to make the vase into a lamp, a hole was drilled into it to allow for the electric cord. If perfect the vase alone is worth about $300. however, a lamp identical to yours sold on Ebay 4/22/06 for $62. That is how much the value is reduced by drilling it.
There are ways of making a vase into a lamp without drilling or otherwise damaging the piece, but none of them look quite right. If you must make a vase into a lamp, choose a method that will not affect the original piece's value, or realize that it will greatly reduce any future appreciation.
McCoy Jack-O-Lantern Cookie Jar
Posted Wednesday, April 04 by Brian •
My wife bought this cookie jar at a garage sale 25 years ago. She always said it was valuable. Is it? Thanks Bill
Valuable is a relative term. But, I would say your wife was right. Your Jack-O-Lantern cookie jar was made by McCoy in the mid 1950's. I contacted Mercedes DiRenzo-Bolduc of Jazz'e Junque Inc., Chicago's first vintage cookie jar shop. She said that in 18 years of buying and selling cookie jars, she had only had this McCoy Jack O Lantern twice. In the past she has sold them in the $600-$700 range.
In today's market you would likely find one in an antique store for $500 and up depending on condition. It is definitely one of the harder cookie jars to find, especially in good condition.
Slag Glass Lamp with Metal Overlay by N.W. ART SHADE CO.
Posted Friday, February 16 by Brian •
Dear AntiquesGuide,
I'm delighted to find a Chicago group who can look at my lamp. This lamp was in grandma's house in the 1940's and I was lucky enough to acquire it. It is marked - N.W. ART SHADE CO. / CHICAGO,ILL. / N 40
Any info you would care to provide would be sincerely appreciated. Thank you. John
Lamps made with so called "slag glass" and decorative metal overlays were popular in the 1920's and early 30's. Lamps with bent glass are more labor intensive to make as well as being more attractive. They were more expensive when new, and still are. The lighted base is also a sign of a more expensive lamp.
A lamp nearly identical to yours sold last December at Skinner in Massachusetts for $3,250. You can see a photo and description of that lamp on the Live Auctioneers site.
You should notice a few differences. The most obvious is the color of the blue/turquoise glass in their lamp. Although I see some blue/turqoise in your lamp, it is not nearly as vibrant. I don't know if it is the glass itself or the lighting in your photo. A second difference is the finial. I believe yours is original, but the other is certainly more eyecatching.
I also found your lamp in Electric Lighting of the 20's -30's Vol. 1. The book reproduces pages from old catalogues. I don't consider it a particularly good reference book for two reasons. First, they did not even identify the company that the catalogue page was from.
Secondly, the prices in the back of the book said that all lamps on the page were $750+. Clearly some of the lamps were worth much more and some might not be worth the $750. The only really useful information was the picture of your lamp which confirmed that the finial on you lamp is original.
Finally the finish in the metal overlay on your lamp appears to be a dull gray, almost like it is the bare pot metal with no finish at all. The one at auction was said to have a gold finish and the catalogue listed the lamp with a polychrome (multi color) finish. Antique gold was mentioned on the catalogue page as a finish on other lamps.
Variations in glass color and metal finishes were not uncommon. Given all the minor variations, it is very hard to tell if yours would sell for the same price. But clearly, it is "a very high grade number", as the catalogue entry described it.
A True Silverplated Whatzit?
Posted Wednesday, January 31 by Brian •
Last October, I sent you a picture of an item and you were able to tell me what I had. I have come across this latest thing. I thought it was pretty cool. I think it’s a toothpick holder. There is no stamp on the bottom, but on the underside of the handle, there is a stamp. I’ll try to describe it.
There is a little, what looks like it could be maybe a 3 leaf shamrock, or possibly a plus sign, I’m not sure. Then there is a name that says Wm. Rogers, then a 5 point star. Then it says “sectional”, not in quotations. After that, there are two numbers, maybe a letter and a number. The first one is either 1 or I, then stamped in separately looks like either a 5 or an S. The base is obviously made from a flattened spoon, I don’t know what the holder part is from.
If you have any information, I would be interested to know. Thanks, Becky
I am certain this is a "home made" piece, made from (as you said) a silverplated spoon (the base), and a handle from a dinner knife. Old silver knives had hollow handles filled with plaster. If left to soak, the plaster can become soft and the blade can be removed. Both pieces were silverplated.
The mark you gave is from the spoon. It is [an eagle], Wm. Rogers, [then a 5 point star]. I don't know what sectional means. The rest is IS for International Silver, which bought the company. I don't know the pattern of the spoon, since I can't see the handle, but much of it appears to be cut off anyway.
The knife handle is the "Heraldic" pattern by 1847 Rogers Bros. That is the name of the company, not when it was made. The pattern was introduced in 1916 and continued in production for some time, probably through the 20's and maybe early thirties, when styles started to change.
What the maker intended for it's use is a mystery. The opening is small for a toothpick holder. The handle gives it the form of an old candle holder, but again it is pretty small for that.
The value I think would be just as a curiosity, probably less than $25.
Chicago Antiques Guide will be on WGN Radio's Extension 720 with Milt Rosenberg
Posted Tuesday, January 02 by Brian •
Tune in to WGN radio (720 AM) this Thursday evening from 9PM to 11PM to listen to a discussion of The World of Antiques with Milt Rosenberg, host of Extension 720 since 1973, Brian Meyer of the Chicago Antiques Guide and Gene Douglas of Douglas Rosin Decorative Arts.
WGN can be heard at 720 AM in about 38 states. If you can't get WGN on your radio, you can listen on-line here.
For more information about Milt Rosenberg and Extension 720, click here.
Pickard Aura Argenta Linear Syrup Pitcher
Posted Thursday, December 28 by Brian •
Please find attached a picture of an item I recently received and I'm looking for the approximate value of it. It has the gold leaf mark on the bottom of both pieces.
Sincerely, Christine
The Pickard mark over a gold maple leaf was used from 1912 to 1918. The pattern on your syrup pitcher and underplate (to catch drips) is called "Aura Argenta Linear". The colors on this pattern are difficult to photograph. The name comes from the gold and silver colors used. Aura from the latin aurum for gold. Argenta from the latin argent for silver. The "silver" decoration on the piece is likely really platinum, because silver would quickly turn black. I assume that what appears to be black in the photos is actually shadow or reflection. I also have trouble photographing silver.
The Collector's Encyclopedia of Pickard China by Alan Reed pictures the syrup pitcher and underplate with a value of $295 to $375. As I've said before, this is one of the best reference books I own. It is well researched, well organized and well indexed. It also has over 900 excellent color photographs. It is unfortunately, I believe, out of print. But 3 copies recently sold on eBay in the $40-$50 range.
You didn't say if there are any artist initials on the pieces. Many pieces in this pattern are signed. Look for very small intials somewhere in the pattern of the piece not on the bottom. Look everywhere especially under the top of the syrup handle.
Duncan Miller Three Face Open Compote
Posted Friday, December 22 by Brian •
Attached are pictures of items that have been in my Father's family for years. The file labeled "ThreeFaces" is a bowl of some sort with three faces on the stem. The file labeled "GlassSlipper" is a small glass slipper about 8 inches long with "Gillender & Sons Centennial Exhibition" on the inside sole.
If possible I would like to know more about them and determine if either warrants any type of addtional insurance or care, etc.
Thank you, Paul R.
I'll answer the questions about the "bowl" first. As Maxwell Smart said, "missed it by that much". The actual name of this pattern is "Three Face", with out the more grammatically correct "s" on the end. It was designed by John Ernest Miller of the Duncan Miller Glass Company in the 1870's, using his wife Elizabeth as the model for the faces. It was first exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition and was reportedly awarded a prize.
The shape of the piece is called a compote (or sometimes tazza), being a shallow bowl on a stemmed foot. Some are tall, some short, and some have covers. It used to be sought after by collectors of Early American Pattern Glass (EAPG). But demand for pattern glass has fallen dramatically over the last 10-15 years. Price guides value open compotes in this pattern at $85-$150. But one like yours recently attracted only one bidder on Ebay. So the price never rose from the opening bid and failed to meet the sellers reserve. We won't know what the bidder was willing to pay or what the seller was willing to take.
It took me several years to sell a covered compote in this pattern for about $65. The covered compote also has the faces as the finial of the lid.
C. S. Bell Co. - Church or School Bell
Posted Monday, November 13 by Brian •
I talked to you on Sunday about this bell. We are looking to sell it & need to know a good asking price. Any advise will be very helpful. It is 22 inches across the bottom and is marked "The C S Bell Co. - Hillsboro O." Thanks! The bell appears to be very old.
Charles Singleton Bell began manufacturing bells about 1875. By 1890 the company was making over 20,000 bells a year in 15 different sizes. Smaller bells (less than 100 pounds) were known as farm bells, and larger bells (up to 1,000 pounds) were School and Church bells). Bell succeeded in developing a steel alloy that had a richer tone than cast iron.
This information was found in a short history of the C. S. Bell foundry, that I found on the web. I also found this somewhat
longer history.
The articles refer to three versions of the company names. They speculate that the name on your bell was likely first used around 1905. So, your bell was probably made in the early 1900's.
In the last 2 weeks several large bells similar to yours have sold on Ebay in the $200-$400 range. They were in the 14 inch to 20 inch range. A 38 inch bell (nearly twice the diameter of yours) sold for just over $1600. Search Ebay for "iron bell" and go to the Completed Listings to check them out.
I suspect that your bell would probably sell in the $300 to $500 range. Possibly more if you have the uprights that would have supported the bell.
Herbert J. Day Paintings and Biography
Posted Wednesday, November 08 by Brian •
Several years ago I did an estate sale in Des Plaines, Illinois, that included a number of paintings by Herbert J. Day. The estate sale was for a relative of his. I put together a brief biography of the artist from written materials found in the house, and published it on my other web site for the estate sale. Someone who purchased one of the paintings just called to ask me if I still had a copy of the biography. So I decided to publish it again on this site and leave it posted for everyone.
Biography of Herbert J Day (1875-1950)
Herbert J. Day held membership and exhibited paintings at the Hoosier Salon, the Art Institute , Chicago Artists Annual Exhibitions, and the All Illinois Society of the Fine Arts. He received his training at the Art Institute of Chicago and Smith Academy. He was a member of the Chicago Galleries Association where he exhibited regularly.
He worked in both oil and watercolors. Favorite locales included both Northern and Southern Illinois including the Des Plaines and Galena areas, Southern Illinois around Elizabethtown, the Illinois Ozarks, Indiana around Hobart and Turkey Run, and Wisconsin.
He came to the United States from London, England as a child, but spent most of his life as a resident of Des Plaines IL.
Below are two examples of his signature. The top one from 1922, the bottom one is typical of his signature in the 1940's.
There are 8 more images of his work available by clicking on Read the rest of this entry.
Shawnee Cameo Line Vase #2512
Posted Sunday, October 29 by Brian •
I would like some information on the following, please.
Shawnee Vase # 2512, and this was my mothers.
Age?
Current market value?
The second picture #2672, is more like the true color of the vase.
Thank you so much, and God bless.
Jeanie
Your vase is from Shawnee's Cameo line introduced in 1960. My price guide is old but lists it at $8-$10. One identical to yours was offered for sale on Ebay last week for $9.99 plus $6.85 shipping and received no bids. The 3 pieces of Cameo that did sell, sold in the $13.50 to $23 range including shipping costs.
If you can find a collector who wants it, they would probably pay in the $8-$12 range.
