Our expert shares facts and figures about antiques.
Our expert offers information on an array of metal and pottery collectibles, from a sturdy iron doorstop to a delicately painted china mug.
Question:
This heavy iron doorstop came from my grandparents’ home. The name stamped on the back appears to be “Albany.” It is 12 inches high and 111/4 inches wide. Do you know who made it and how old it is?
Answer:
Like most cast-iron doorstops found today, this one was made in the United States between 1900 and 1940. The decorative, as well as useful, weights were especially popular in the 1920s and early 1930s. Hubley Manufacturing of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, famous for cast-iron toys, also produced doorstops in many designs. The most common subjects are ships, baskets of flowers, and animals. Albany Foundry Company in Albany, New York, made your Spanish galleon doorstop, but identical examples are attributed to several other companies. Condition and original paint are important. While better doorstops can sell for several hundred dollars, and rare ones can be worth thousands, the best auction price found for this common model is no more than $60.
RESOURCES: Doorstops: Identification and Values by Jeanne Bertoia (1985: Collector Books, out of print); LiveAuctioneers, www.liveauctioneers.com.
Question:
This delft pottery plaque belonged to my late father, a World War II veteran, who said it had been in his family for as long as he could remember. Can you share some details about this pottery?
Answer:
Delftware is a tin-glazed earthenware originally made in Holland in the 17th century. In the last half of the 19th century, it became commonly referred to as delftware, acquiring the name from the Dutch city that had become the major center for its production. Most pieces found today were made after 1890. One popular type was blue-on-white transferware decorated with Dutch subjects such as countrysides, windmills by the sea, farm animals and children. This plaque made in the late 19th century falls in that category. Delft plaques of identical shape and size have sold at auctions in recent years for $725 to $1,200.
RESOURCES: Warman’s English & Continental Pottery & Porcelain, 3rd Edition, by Susan and Al Bagdade (1998: Krause Publications, out of print); LiveAuctioneers, www.liveauctioneers.com.
Question:
Candle molds are easy to come by, and I like to use them for decorating because of their unusual shape. This particular mold is lightweight and fairly worn. What can you tell me about it?
Answer:
Candles illuminated American homes well into the 20th century. Until candles were readily available in stores, candle making was usually done on farms, where fat from slaughtered livestock provided the necessary tallow. An alternative to the traditional method of dipping candles was the use of the candle mold, which consisted of a group of tubes set in a frame. Wicks were inserted into the tubes, and boiling tallow was poured in. When it solidified, the finished candles were removed. Molds were made of pewter, tin, copper or pottery. This mold appears to be old and made of tin, which is the most common material and accounts for its lighter weight. As a rule, tin molds sell for about $5 per tube; 12-tube candle molds sell for $50 to $60.
RESOURCE: The New and Revised Catalog of American Antiques by William C. Ketchum Jr. (1980: Gallery Books, out of print).
Question:
We bought this ceramic tile in Houghton, Michigan, while vacationing in the Upper Peninsula in 2003. It is 115/8 inches by 81/8 inches and marked on the back “Pewabic 100 years” and “Pewabic Detroit.” We had it framed in barnwood. We’re unfamiliar with this pottery. Can you shed some light on this tile?
Answer:
Ceramic artist Mary Chase Perry Stratton (1867–1961), who was born in nearby Hancock, Michigan, cofounded Pewabic Pottery in Detroit in 1903 with her business partner Horace James Caulkins (1850–1923). She named the pottery “Pewabic,” after the Chippewa word “bewabic,” which means iron or steel, and specifically refers to the Pewabic copper mine in her hometown. Some of the early artware was glazed a matte green, much like your modern tile. While never a big operation, Pewabic Pottery became a major name in the Arts and Crafts movement. Under Stratton’s artistic leadership, Pewabic employees created lamps, vessels and architectural tiles. She remained active at the pottery until her death at age 94. The studio is still active today and is operated by the nonprofit Pewabic Society, Inc. Pewabic’s contemporary tiles of comparable size retail for $95 each.
RESOURCE: Pewabic, www.pewabic.org.
Question:
My father bought this mug at the estate auction of a local physician in Ohio about 20 years ago. It is marked “J.P.” over “L.” over “France.” It appears to be handpainted. Is it anything special?
Answer:
The “L.” refers to Limoges, a city in central France famous for its porcelain production since the mid-19th century. Jean Pouyat, whose grandfather owned a kaolin (an essential ingredient in making porcelain) mine there, established a porcelain factory in Limoges in 1842. The Pouyat company was a major exporter of porcelain wares to the United States, both decorated pieces and undecorated wares called “blanks.” The blanks were used extensively by amateur china painters. The“J.P.”-over-“L”mark on this mug is the designation the Pouyat company used on its undecorated white wares until 1932. The mug was skillfully decorated by an amateur china painter, most likely in the early 1900s. Its current value is about $50 to $75.