Table and chair set serves breakfast well
Q This is my very old Canadiana maple/pine circular table and four arrow-back chairs. I have used this kitchen set for many years in our family home. We purchased the able at a Cambridge antique show in 1972 for $200 and bought the arrow-back chairs at a farm auction for $150. My husband refinished he chairs. The table has a 101centimetre-diameter top (40 inches) and we were told it is pine with a maple pedestal and it used to be a tilt-top table. The chair seats are over one and a half inches thick (3.8 cm) and quite comfortable to sit on. I would very much appreciate your expertise in determining a
Q This is an acorn-shaped humidor I received as a family heirloom. It belonged to my great-grandfather, who used it for tobacco storage. I believe it is caramel glass. It is 15 cm high (six inches). There are no identifying marks on it. Any information about its age and value would be appreciated.
Susanna, Cambridge
A Your heirloom obviously worked well as a humidor. It’s actually a covered sugar bowl and was produced at the Indiana Tumbler and Goblet Company of Greentown, Ind., (1894 to 1903) and collectors have referred to the products of this company as “Greentown Glass.” The wellknown type of “caramel slag” was sold and described originally as “chocolate glass.” The company’s original name for this pattern was “No. 400,” which is
Q I received this bowl from my grandmother who once owned an antique store. I believe it is very early Wedgwood. It has a matte finish like jasperware and the inside is glossy. The bowl is 18 cm in diameter and 10 cm high to the ornate tips (7 by 4 inches). There are obscure markings on the bottom. Could you please provide an opinion as to the age and value of this bowl?
Susanna, Cambridge
A Your porcelain bowl was made by the firm of Schafer & Vater — founded in Rudolstadt, Germany, in 1890. The white relief decoration on the sides is moulded — in Wedgwood pieces, side decorations were separately applied. The contrasting pink interior is striking. This company value of this set in today’s market.
Carol, Kitchener
A I believe your set was made in Ontario and the converted table suits breakfast well. The arrowback style of Windsor chair was very popular for many years in the 19th century — always extra nice and earlier with the single “plank’’ seat like yours. This form of tripod table was a space saver as a tilt-top and quite popular at the time. All your pieces date are circa 1850s. I might suggest that the pedestal is cherry along with a leg or two. The furniture market is for buyers these days — not sellers. Prior to 2008 this set would have held a good profit for you.
Today, it might be doing well to see your original investment back. It is a pleasing Canadiana set, regardless. known today as “Leaf Bracket.” Some pieces were embellished with painted decoration, which yours still has traces of. The chocolate colour was invented by Jacob Rosenthal in 1900 when he joined the Greentown company. Your sugar bowl was part of a four-piece breakfast set including a butter, cream pitcher and spoon holder. It is in hard-tofind perfect condition — the feet being quite prone to damage — and carries a value of $60 today. is well known for having produced comical and bizarre figural figurines, bottles, tea sets and ashtrays. Generally called “German jasper,” much of it was made circa the 1920s. It is also common for the mark of a crowned star containing an “R” to be unclear. Your unusual and attractive serving dish is worth $65 today.
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