1800s baseball memorabilia draws top dollar
Q: I have a Lalique Champs Elysees bowl shaped like two
Baseball might have been first mentioned in the United States in 1791, when city officials in Pittsfield, Mass., banned playing the game near the town meeting house.
Years later, “experts” decided the game was invented by Abner Doubleday — a decision now called a myth.
Organized baseball started in the United States in 1857 with the formation of the National Association of Base Ball Players — 16 teams from New York. The first professional teams were listed in 1869.
Baseball memorabilia from the 19th century is rare. Last month, a poster for an 1884 championship game in Boston between the Philadelphia Keystones and the Boston Unions was auctioned by Bonhams in New York. The poster shows a batter and catcher in proper uniforms as they played on a site that is now Copley Square in downtown Boston.
It sold for $15,000. oak leaves. The leaves are frosted, and the base and connecting part are clear. The bowl is 71⁄ inches tall and 18 inches
2 wide and weighs 21 pounds. How much is it worth?
A: Rene Lalique (1860-1945) began making art nouveau glass in Paris in the 1890s, and it’s still being made. Pieces made by Rene were marked with the signature “R. Lalique.” Those made from 1945 until 1977 are marked “Lalique France.” Newer pieces include the letter “R” in a circle.
Your bowl is worth about $1,000 to $2,000. The pattern is still being made.
Q: I have a teapot that reads “Made in Occupied Japan” on the bottom. Other marks on the bottom look like the letter “G” surrounded by the letters “C” and “U.” I have been unable to find any information about the teapot or its marks.
A: The mark on your teapot stands for “UCAGCO.” It was used by the United China & Glass Co., an importer located in New York and New Orleans. The company was founded by Abe Mayer in 1850 and originally was called Abe Mayer & Co.
The UCAGCO mark was first used in the 1930s. UCAGCO was the first company allowed to import goods from Japan after the end of World War II. Items marked “Made in Occupied Japan” were crafted between 1947 and 1952. The company was later sold to Sammons Enterprises.
Your teapot is worth $20 to $30.
Current prices
Prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions nationwide.
Coalbrookdale platter, flowers, gilt scrolls, rococo scalloped rim, lobed, footed, circa 1825, 81⁄ inches, $80.
2 Royal Bayreuth toothpick holder, shell shape, footed, 3 inches, $150.
Baseball pennant, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1940s, batter, felt, cranberry, yellow, 22 inches, $165.
Bronze pen rest, tiger head, two wells, Continental, 7 inches by 41⁄ inches, $290.
2 Tiffany Favrile glass vase, green, gold, leaf-and-vine design, 6 inches, $430.
Elephant toy, carved teak, articulated, signed Kay Bojesen, Denmark, circa 1950, 5 by 2 inches, pair, $530.
Terry and Kim Kovel, authorities on collectibles, write for King Features Syndicate. Write to them in care of The Dispatch, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019. Or visit www.kovels.com.