The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
The humble tile can be an art form
In present-day houses, tile is usually a humble building material, limited to bathroom or kitchen surfaces for its durability and ease of cleaning. To collectors, they are an art form; especially if they were made by the art potteries of the early 20th century.
Wheatley Pottery, the maker of this flowered tile that sold for $216 at Soulis Auctions, was one of them. Thomas J. Wheatley started his first pottery, T.J. Wheatley & Co., in 1880, but it closed within a few years. After some time working with Weller Pottery in Zanesville, Ohio, which was at one point the largest art pottery in the world, he tried again. Wheatley Pottery opened in 1903 in Cincinnati. In 1927, the Cambridge Tile Manufacturing Company of Covington, Kentucky, bought Wheatley Pottery. They stayed open until the 1980s.
Q: I have a L&L WMC lamp with two babies and three candle holders. The number 8360 is on the base. What is it worth?
A: Your lamp is made by Loevsky & Loevsky White Metal Castings, which went into business in New Jersey in the 1930s. They made lamps in many earlier styles, art deco, Arts & Crafts, Victorian, etc. Their lamps often had glass shades in a matching period style; for example, a Tiffany-style, stained-glass shade for an art nouveau base; or a frosted or painted glass globe and dangling prisms for a Victorian-style lamp. The number on the base of your lamp is probably a model number. We have not found that specific model, but similar lamps by the same company have sold for about $200 to $300.
Q: I have four Old Willow Myott teacup plates. On the bottom of the plates the following is written: “Old Willow Myott Made in Staffordshire England.” What are you able to tell me about the plates and their maker? Can you tell me when they might have been made? Are they worth anything? If so, who do you think might buy them?
A: Myott is one of the many potteries from the famous Staffordshire district of England. The Myott family purchased a pottery firm in 1898. Brothers Ashley and Sydney Myott opened their own factory in 1902. The company was incorporated as Myott, Son & Co. in 1942 and was bought by Interpace Corporation in 1969. They made dishes in hundreds of patterns. Old Willow is based on the willow pattern that has been made since 1780. It was inspired by Chinese porcelains.
Willow may be the most copied pattern in the world; pottery and porcelain factories throughout Europe, Asia and America have made their own versions. Willow pattern plates can sell for as little as $2 each to hundreds of dollars, depending on their age, condition, size and maker. Sets of willow plates made in
Staffordshire generally sell for about $50-$150. Cup plates like yours are an unusual size, which could either mean that there is less interest in them or make them more valuable to interested buyers. There are collectors’ clubs for the willow pattern (International Willow Collectors Club, willowcollectors.org), Myott (Myott Collectors, myottcollectorsclub.com) and Staffordshire dishes (Transferware Collectors Club, transferwarecollectorsclub.org). They may have additional information or be able to connect you with interested buyers. If you want to sell your plates, you may also want to contact a pattern-matching service like Replacements, Classic-Replacements or Missing Pieces. They sell individual dishes to replace missing or broken ones, and they may be interested in buying yours.
Q: My husband collected a series of gold-plated baseball cards from Danbury Mint a while back. He is downsizing and trying to sell these cards. To date, we have found no one who is interested. We have contacted Danbury Mint to see if we can find a value for the cards he has and they have not been helpful. Could you please offer some guidance as to whom we should contact? We have tried local sporting goods companies and some auction houses.
A: Danbury Mint made gold-plated baseball cards from 1996 to 2003. They released a new collection each year. The cards are made of cardstock with a very thin layer of gold. Sets of 50 cards bound in an album sell for about $30 to $100 at auctions and resale sites like eBay. The website Sportlots.com values most of the individual cards at about $2 each. Items like these that are marketed as “limited edition” or “collector’s edition” usually have relatively low values on the secondary market. Many people buy and save them with the intent to resell, so the collectibles market gets flooded. There is little value to the gold in the cards because such a small amount is used.
Tip: Don’t wrap things for storage in newspapers. The ink can yellow paper, fabrics and ceramics.
Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer readers’ questions sent to the column. Send a letter with one question describing the size, material (glass, pottery) and what you know about the item. Include only two pictures, the object and a closeup of any marks or damage. Be sure your name and return address are included. By sending a question, you give full permission for use in any Kovel product. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We do not guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. Questions that are answered will appear in Kovels Publications. Write to Kovels, Louisville Courier Journal, King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803 or email us at collectorsgallery@kovels.com.