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Q & A with the Antique Detective
Q. I would like to know the
value of this clock. It has
a frosted glass door and
was made by the Ansonia
Clock Co., New York. I
think it is an eight-day
clock. O.M. - Stratford, WI
A. What you have is known
as a “gingerbread” shelf
clock, made around 1895.
Similar clocks sell in shops
for around
$250.
Q. I would
like to
know the
value and
information
of this
cinnabar
vase.
The inside is brass and mounted on a
wood base. I paid $100 in a
secondhand store.
A. Supposedly, antique
cinnabar vases shouldn’t be
mounted on a wood base.
That would cover any country
of origin mark. Also, the
interiors of antique cinnabar
vases are usually enamel or
lacquer, not brass. I toured the
internet and found hundreds
of new vases, similar to
yours, costing around $50.
Carved, red lacquer objects
when called cinnabar refer
to the color. When done in
other colors, it is considered
carved lacquer, cinnabar
style. Cinnabar pieces were
imported to the U.S. in great
quantity in 1876 for the
Centennial Exposition and were popular in the 1930s. Faked pieces
have been around since the 1940s.
Q. These three wax portraits are of
my wife’s great-great grandparents
and her grandparent. They were
made in Pforzheim, Germany in
1843. We would like to know how
they were made, what type of people
would have had them made, and
the value. B.G. - Thomasville, PA
A. Wax portrait miniatures were popular
from 1700 to the 1840s when photography
was introduced. It was an inexpensive
way to preserve family likenesses as
well as famous people. Plaster mold were
shaped of the sitter,
then covered with
wax and painted with
polychrome paints.
Individually your
portraits could sell
for $500. As a family
group, an auction
price could be as
much as $2,000.
Q. We would like
to know the value
of this caned highchair that folds into
a rocking chair. E.R.O. - Quincy, MA
A. Your late 19th Century highchair could
sell in a shop for as much as $300.
Q. I would like some idea of the value
of my old childhood accordion. It is
marked, “Walles Acc. Co. Chicago,
Emenee.” A.B. - Quincy, MA
A. Your toy, Emenee, golden piano
accordion dates to the 1950s. I found
several examples for sale on eBay, the
top offer was for $75. You could sell it
without paying for the ad on Craig’s List.
Try asking $100 if it is perfect condition.
Q. I bought this vase at a garage sale and was told it is 60
years old. No marks. It is 17.25
inches high. C.S. -Ft. Myers, FL
A. Your ceramic vase is actually much
older, dating to the late 19th Century.
Many of this type were made in Germany.
It could sell in a shop for $50 to $75.
Q. We purchased what we assumed
to be a triple pickle caster. Can’t find
any information. We are sure the
blue cut glass cups aren’t original.
Any information? C.L. - Orange, CA
A. I think what you have is an example
of a late 19th Century restaurant ware
relish stand. That would explain the
three containers.
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