THIS OLD THING
Q. This small box has been in my possession since I was a little girl. It seems to be made of paper, and the scene on the lid is cute and colourful. It measures 11 by 7.5 by 5.7 centimetres (4.25 by 3 by 2.25 inches). I don’t know what purpose it had but I remember gazing at it, fascinated with all the details and wondering what might have been hidden inside. I’ll enjoy it forever regardless of how much you can help. — Alyce, Buffalo
A. Your charming little miniature dome-top trunk would have belonged to a lucky little girl around 1870, and would have housed her French fashion doll along with the doll’s clothing. Q. I found this beautiful bowl in my mother’s collection of glass. I don’t understand what it was meant for since it has a stopper-like peg on the bowl’s bottom which means it can’t sit flat. It’s a blue glass with thickly layered painted flowers. The diameter is 28 cm and about 7.5 cm deep not counting the 2.5 cm peg (11 by 3 by 1 inches). It’s too late to ask her what its story is. Can you help? — Debbie, Orillia
A. You have a stunning example of a centrepiece bowl. The heavy peg was ground to fit snugly into the socket of a very fancy silver-plated stand raising the bowl to about 30 cm (12 inches) high. There were many companies making the Britannia metal bases, but either Toronto Silverplate Co. or Meriden Silverplate of Connecticut would be good guesses for this 1880s combination. The glass bowls, meant to hold whole fruit, were imported from either European or American glass houses and fitted to the silver plate designs, which sometimes had matching floral applications. Your beautiful morning-glory bowl is worth $125 ‘as is.’ But with an appropriate stand, which can be found for about $75, its worth increases to
$325. Q. I bought this blanket at an auction about seven years ago. It’s wool with beavers and maple leaves. On one side the background is green with red leaves and black beavers. On the other side the beavers and leaves are green set on alternating black and red bars. The condition is good except for some fold marks. The whole thing is 142 by 182 cm (56 by 72 inches). It has no label or mark. Have you any information on the maker, age and value? — Graham, Caledonia
A. You have a blanket that’s Canadian through and through. It’s commercially woven, and the clever design makes it reversible for seasonal green and red leaves. Strangely, for such a wonderful Canadian pattern, it is quite scarce. It was likely made between 1930 and 1950. I couldn’t find another example, so the maker remains a mystery. It will be worth around $125 to the right patriotic Canadian buyer.