Collectables
JOHN MCPHEE EVALUATES YOUR CURIOS AND SATISFIES YOUR CURIOSITY.
THESE ORIENTAL FIGURINES
were found in a farm shed in the early ’70s. The green staff that the taller figure is holding is in line with the open mouth of the fish and, if the figure is placed in a bowl with water at the correct level, a perpetual flow of water can be set in motion. The taller figure is 27cm high and the shorter one is 20cm. Laura Grainger, Strathalbyn, SA
Your figurines are Chinese, made for the Western market in the first half of the 20th century. It’s difficult to be certain which mythological figures are represented, but the objects they hold may be the key: the figure standing on a frog-like creature may relate to good fortune in business. Chinese potters delighted in playful tricks such as the perpetual flow of water. The enlarged skull of the other figure might mean that he is one of the Eight Immortals.
I BOUGHT THIS
old payphone from a local secondhand shop a couple of years ago and paid about $300 for it. I’m not sure if it works. Is there a market for old phones? Chris Mebberson, Dulwich Hill, NSW
A blast from the past! The red Victa payphones were made in Japan and introduced into Australia in 1964. As yours is fitted to take two- and five-cent coins it must be from after the introduction of decimal currency in 1966, and at that cost for a call, perhaps very soon after. I have come across several enthusiastic collectors of old telephones. There are clubs for collectors of almost everything: to find out more visit telephonecollecting.org. Telephones still in working order are most valued and examples with a set of keys to open the money box are offered for prices as high as $600. Non-working models turn up on ebay for about $100. If your phone doesn’t work, getting it into working order obviously increases its value.
John Mcphee is an art historian who has worked in art museums for 30 years and was curator of Australian Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Australia. 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.