Farm equipment ad a sign of its times
Q I have a porcelain sign that's 46 x 101 cm (18 x 40 inches) circa 1940. It's in pretty good shape, with only a bit of chipping and rust along the edge where the attachment holes are. I'm just wondering what you would appraise this at. Thanks. —Ken, Kenilworth, Ont.
A You have a very attractive “porcelain” sign — enamel on metal. The Ohio company began about 1899 when teacher Joe Oppenheim realized the need for a machine to spread manure — a job that was done by hand at the time. He came up with his “new idea” of using paddles to improve a manure-spreading machine — one spawned from his observation of his students playing tom ball, a game that used paddles instead of bats. The company name soon followed and began with manure spreaders. Porcelain advertising signs are one of the hottest commodities and Dave Jacob, owner of Jacob Auctions Ltd. in Mitchell, Ont. said that this sign is rare and the colours “really pop,” which catches collector attention. He valued your sign at $750.
Q This is some sort of pottery my wife recently acquired. It is clean and has no chips or cracks in it. I'm hoping you can give me a hint as to what this might be and what it was used for. The piece is 43 cm tall and 35.5 cm wide (17 x 14 inches). The three columns are threaded inside and are stamped `FEED DIS
AIR from left to right. The body has letters and numbers above and below the stamped label of “Knight Ware.” Thank you for your time.
— Marc, Loveland, Colo.
A Maurice A. Knight bought an Akron, Ohio pottery manufacturer in 1910 and began developing the first vitreous pottery in the United States that was an accepted quality standard for acid-resistant pottery. Up to that point only this type was bought from England and Germany. The company continues to this day under the name of Koch-Knight. Your piece would be used for a particular mixing process which might be a sump used to neutralize corrosive acid waste. There is much interest in Industrial antiques, which people repurpose for modern use and decor. This could attract a collector of unusual pottery or someone wanting to invent a very unusual candelabra. It is worth $225.
Q My grandma gave me a pillow with silk or satin cigar ribbons. Her mother-in-law handstitched them together. They are quite colourful and probably came from the Niagara Falls area during the 1920s. The pillow is about 42 cm square (16.5 inches). Anything you can tell me about it would be appreciated. Cheers.
— Barb, Waterloo, Ont.
A The practice of making decorative coverings from silk cigar ribbons was promoted by businesses for advertising purposes beginning about the 1880s. The 30.5-cm-long (12 inches) silk ribbons were used to bundle small numbers of cigars for customers. Another form of folk art developed since silk material resists fading. Historically wonderful, samples here include Van Horne, Old Abe, The Turf, David Harum and Julia Arthur brands. The expert feather stitching adds a level of interest. Table coverings and quilts were also decorated with the ribbons. You can sleep easy with your $250 pillow.
John Sewell is an antiques and fine art appraiser. To submit an item to his column, go to the `Contact John' page at www.johnsewellantiques.ca. Please measure your piece, say when and how you got it, what you paid and list any identifying marks. A high-resolution jpeg photo must also be included. (Only email submissions accepted.)
* Appraisal values are estimates only.*