Collectables
JOHN MCPHEE EVALUATES READERS’ PRECIOUS OBJECTS.
I HAVE A PARTIAL TEA SET comprising a teapot, sugar basin (minus lid) and two cups with saucers. I think the pieces were made at Sutherland Pottery in Fenton, England, by Hulme and Christie, who ran the pottery between 1893 and 1902. I am curious to know the approximate value of these pieces. Claire Takacs, ORANGE, NSW
Partial sets of Victorian china have little value, and a sugar basin without a lid has no value. However, there are collectors of both teapots and cups and saucers of all kinds. These transfer-printed and handpainted pieces could easily be mixed with more modern tableware. I imagine tea for two, with white plates for cake — a perfect morning tea. Collectors, who could be trying to make up a full set, might pay as much as $20 for a cup and saucer, more if there was a matching plate. Teapots may sell for $40.
THESE LITTLE
porcelain dolls belong to my 90-year-old mother Margaret. They were given to her mother by a penfriend in Canada, as a gift for her eldest daughter. I understand that the dolls were not new but had belonged to Nana’s penfriend for some time. There are no markings that can be seen on these dolls, which are only about 15 centimetres high. The clothes are made from cotton and felt with embroidery thread. Anything you can tell us about them would be appreciated. Kathryn Hede, MERIMBULA, NSW
These dolls do not look Canadian. I suspect they may have been the treasured possessions of a child with a European background. The pair of blonde children wearing simple clothes has a quality that marks them out as European, most probably Dutch or German. They are obviously not made by one of the great porcelain dollmakers of Europe, but have a charm that must have endeared them to your family. After the wars many migrants made their way to Canada, the United States and Australia. Some brought small toys with them or received them as gifts from relatives who stayed behind in Europe. I wonder if your mother knows where her mother’s penfriend or her parents came from? There are numerous specialist doll collectors and these two cuties would undoubtedly be popular. If you have a precious (or simply mysterious) object that puzzles you, send your inquiry, along with a colour print or high-resolution digital image, your suburb or town, and your daytime telephone number, to austcountrystyle@bauer-media.com.au. The photographs must be clear and show the whole object against a white background. Photographs will not be returned, even if they are not published.