A wedding gift handed down by my grandparents
This is the fifth of an occasional feature on This Old Thing where we revisit items submitted for appraisal some years ago, and see how their values have changed. This week we look at a barometer, a pair of glass vases and a bread wrapper, comparing their current values with those of 10 or 11 years ago. Q. I was wondering if this paper bread wrapper is worth keeping or selling. It’s been folded up for years in a cookbook that belonged to my great-grandmother. It says ‘Victory Loaf, Mohr, Tavistock, Ont.,’ and it’s marked nine cents. I was thinking of selling it, but I’m not sure if anyone would be interested. — Angie, Waterloo A. This wrapper perfectly captures both the art and history of a time. Sadly, wrappers are meant to be ephemeral and most get thrown out. These facts make it very collectible. The bakery, founded in 1935 by former Weston Bakery employee Adam Mohr, began after he installed an oven in his father’s garage. The bakery ran until 1967. The use of ‘Victory’ in a bread name was in support of our fighting forces to help ensure they had as much white bread as possible. Huge campaigns during the two major wars encouraged people at home to cut back on their bread consumption and change recipes to include more fillers to lessen wheat use so troops could have more white bread overseas. This unbaked dough, costing the usual nine cents for a baked loaf of bread circa 1942, produced 24 ounces baked when most loaves baked were only 16 ounces (a pound) — an obvious saving of resources to be paid forward for the war effort. Competition for this wrapper will involve collectors of military, advertising and Tavistock items. As in 2007, I feel this is even more secure today at a value of $125.
Q.
My parents have had this barometer for about 55 years. It’s marked Gardner & Co., Opticians To the Queen, 53 Buchanan St., Glasgow. My farming parents used it to tell them when the weather would be good enough to harvest their crops. It’s 91 cm long (36 inches) and 9 cm wide at the top (3.5 inches). Can you tell me anything more about it? — Caroline, Waterloo
A.
This rare and beautiful stick barometer was made between 1860 and 1883. John Gardner was one of the best makers in Glasgow, and his company made eyeglasses for Queen Victoria. Your barometer case is made of mahogany and the barometric registers, as well as the thermometer scale in the middle of the piece, are all made of ivory. The piece is in perfect condition and has retained its original finish — all critical to collectors. Eleven years ago this barometer was easily worth $4,000. The better scientific instruments are still of great interest today, although prices have softened somewhat partly due to complications in shipping items containing ivory and mercury. Nevertheless, this will still be worth $3,000.
Q.
These two pink glass vases were a wedding gift to my grandparents, who married in December 1885. They’re 28 cm tall (11 inches) and 11 cm wide (4.5 inches) and weigh two pounds apiece. The floral pattern on the front is mostly white and there’s an all-blue different floral pattern on the back. There are no identifying marks. I’m interested in knowing what you might call these. — Gertrude, Guelph
A.
These were brand new when your grandparents received them. They are French or Bohemian, and the heavy weight is a sign of higher quality. The glass is called pink opaline or rosaline. They have a satin finish — achieved by exposing the glass to an acid-fume bath. They are hand blown into a mould, the edges polished then handpainted afterwards. The large size coupled with being a pair gives them significant decorative appeal. In 2006 they were worth $450. On today’s market they might be priced at $250, although it could take some time to find a willing buyer.