Valuable ship cargo on board

THIS OLD THING

Q. This wood carving was created sometime in the 1940s by a German prisoner of war interned in a camp in Sherbrooke, Quebec. My grandmother later won it at a bingo game. It is housed in a glass case (not in this photo). The ship itself is 36 centimetres high and 56 cm long (14 x 22 inches). There are 48 stars on the American flag arranged in eight rows of six. Can you tell me what it’s worth? — Sharon, Ottawa A. There were about 35,000 German POWs in Canada during the Second World War, housed in 26 camps across the country. Many turned to art to pass the time, with the results later traded or sold to interested guards. This is very well done, and the artist was probably a welleducated fellow. The 48 stars are historically accurate, reflecting a time before Alaska and Hawaii joined the U.S. A savvy investor who might even identify this clipper ship will snap this up for at least $1,000 — earlier POW work can be prohibitively expensive, so I expect this will grow in value. Q. I bought this item about two years ago on Kijiji for $100. It’s a pistol-shaped cigar cutter with a small bone penknife that pulls out and the cigar mouthpiece forming the gun barrel which also pulls out. It’s 15 cm in length (6 inches) and holds the matches through the trap door at the end of the handle. The gentleman I bought it from said it came from his grandfather’s estate in England. The bone-handled penknife says “Perry & Co. No3 Cheapside.” The cutter only says “PATENT” on the vesta door. I’ve never been able to find anything like it. Could you shed any more light on how common or uncommon this cutter is or what it might be worth? — Chris, Stoney Creek A. There were hundreds of different figural forms of cigar cutters made during the so-called Golden Age of the Cigar, (1860-1910), but this model is unaccounted for in the literature. The closest thing I could find was a couple of handgun-shaped cigar lighters. London-based Perry & Co. started out selling pens and pencils in the 1820s, and later became one of the world’s largest suppliers of pen nibs. By 1876 they had expanded into sundries for the growing tobacco market. In general, cigar cutters are relatively rare, and most forms have been seen before. This one is a true rarity and it’s worth at least $250. Q. I bought this painting for $38 at a yard sale at Castle Kilbride, Baden, Ont., in the late 1990s. It is signed Franz Frankl, Muenchen. I recognized the landscape immediately as one in the upper Woernitz River valley near the famous historic city of Dinkelsbuehl in northern Bavaria. Frankl belonged to a Munich painters’ group who spent summers in Dinkelsbuehl. The flax oil magnate James Livingston, builder and owner of Castle Kilbride, had bought this picture, measuring 75cm x 56cm (22 x 30 inches) without frame, on the occasion of a visit in Munich. I am interested in its worth today, although I do not intend to sell it because of its nostalgic value. — Hans-Armin, Kitchener

A.

Franz Xavier Frankl (1881-1940) began his training as a graphic artist in Munich and later exhibited much of his work there. He continued his arts education at the Stuttgart Academy and later in Paris and Metz. This lovely scene evokes a late-summer day with the trees and their shadows leading the viewer along the river to the village in the distance. In fact, Frankl painted this scene many times from a variety of different angles. Your great provenance definitely adds value, and I’d say your yard-sale treasure is worth about $1,250.