Advertising, art and history combined make valuable collectible
Advertising and store collectibles have historical significance and brand recognition as well as artistic value. A combination of all three brought this lamp a price of $2,700 at Morford’s Antique Advertising Auctions.
The lamp was made by Fenton, a well-known art glass company. Its bell-shaped blue shade for Bell Telephone Co. is eye-catching. The inscription “Local and Long Distance Telephone” marks it as a relic of the past.
There is little need for public telephones today when most people carry a phone with them and can get service wherever they go. But even before the age of cellphones, people liked having access to a telephone anywhere they went. This lamp probably hung in a hotel lobby to let visitors know there was a telephone available.
Q: My wife accumulated a collection of items at flea market sales. Most are matching cups, saucers and dessert plates made of pink Depression glass. Can you tell me if there is any current interest and value to items like this?
A: Pink was one of the most popular colors of Depression glass. The glass was mass-produced, made in many patterns and affordable. Some patterns are more valuable than others, and like a lot of collectibles, reproductions are abundant. Your photo shows several patterns. A 54-piece set of pink Depression glass in various patterns recently sold for $132.
Q: My grandmother’s cast-iron Lodge frying pan was one of her prized possessions. She had very particular rules about using it and how to clean it. Is Lodge collectible? Are frying pans and other old cookware valuable?
A: Lodge Cast Iron has been making heirloom-quality cookware and accessories since 1896. It is made in two foundries in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. People love their cast-iron skillets, and they sell well at flea markets. Skilled makers often carved small, unique figures (“maker’s marks”) into their work to identify themselves. Lodge skillets from 1900 to 1910 were called “Blacklock.” The skillets can be identified by an outside heat ring, raised size numbers on the top of the handles, raised molder’s mark letters on the bottom at 6 o’clock and smashed T-shaped handles. Your grandmother was wise to have rules about its cleaning. To keep and enhance the pan’s seasoning, it should be cleaned with a small amount of soap. If needed, use a pan scraper for stuck-on food. For stubborn stuck-on food, simmer a little water in the pan for three to five minutes, then use the scraper after it has cooled. Antique Lodge cast iron pans have sold in recent auctions and flea markets for $20 to $100, depending on the age, size and condition.
Q: Can you give me any information on a beveled mirror with a brass colored frame and stand that has a small picture of an old woman sitting in a chair on the back? The picture is 33⁄4 inches high by 21⁄2 inches wide. Below that is a tribute to “Mother” written by Baroness von Hutten. I bought the mirror at a yard sale over 30 years ago.
A: The picture behind your mirror is known as “Whistler’s Mother.” It’s a print based on a painting titled “Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1” by James Mcneill Whistler (1834-1903) in 1871. It became known as “Whistler’s Mother” because his mother was the model for the picture. Whistler was born in the United States, studied in France and lived in London for several years. The original oil painting is in the Musee d’orsay in Paris. It has been reproduced many times, both with and without the poem.
Q: Plastic and metal lunchboxes from the 1960s and 1970s really interest me. I have a Holly Hobbie lunchbox with thermos that I carried in grade school. Are lunchboxes hot collectibles?
A: Collectible lunchboxes bring back childhood memories of favorite television shows, movies, cartoons, sports teams and musical groups. Holly Hobbie (1944) is an American writer and illustrator whose artwork sometimes appears on lunchboxes. She is the author of the popular “Toot and Puddle” children’s books and creator of the character bearing her name. In the early 1970s, Hobbie sold artwork of a cat-loving, rag-dress-wearing little girl in a giant bonnet to American Greetings. These illustrations became immensely popular, and her originally nameless character became known as “Holly Hobbie.” Your lunchbox, if authentic, is worth about $40.
Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer readers’ questions. Write to Kovels, (Columbus Dispatch), King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803 or email us at collectorsgallery@kovels.com.