RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1449

Copyright © Harry Rinker, LLC 2014 

Questions and Answers

QUESTION:  In the early 1970s, my husband assembled a collection of 11 felt pennants from various sports teams and people.  Among the pennants are: (1) a generic “Oakland 1972 World Champions” pennant with a yellow baseball on the left and “The Swingin’ A’s” in green on the inside; (2) a Mohammed Ali “I WAS THERE – ALI – ALL THE WAY – SOUL – CHAMP” pennant featuring a fist with a crown on top and dated March 8, 1971 (my husband dated it in pen Feb. 28, 1974), (3) a generic white and red “Phillies “ pennant featuring a red baseball cap on the left and a white “P” on the cap, and (4) a Disneyland pennant with a red ground and featuring a castle in blue and green on the left side.  While I presume they do not have much value, I thought it best to write you before discarding them or selling them for a dollar or two each.  – CG, Boyertown, PA, Email Question.

ANSWER:  As a former mathematics major, albeit briefly, at Lehigh, I find myself constantly advising individuals to “Do the Math!”   At one dollar each, your pennants are worth $11.00, at five dollars each $55.00, and at ten dollars each $110.00.  It is surprising how fast small numbers add up.

As with any collection, value rests primarily in the better items.  The common, generic material has minimal value.  Further, sports value is regional.  An Oakland A’s pennant has more value in the greater San Francisco area than it does in Kansas City, Atlanta, or Boston.  Again, doing the math reveals the pennants are 40 years old or older, more than sufficient time for these to achieve “collectible” status among collectors.

Researching your 1972 Oakland Athletics “World Champions” pennant, I found several period varieties.  “Buy It Now” prices from eBay sellers ranged from $35.00 to over $50.00.  Since these are asking, not selling prices, a conservative value is $20.00.  The Mohammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier fight, known as “The Fight of the Century” was held on March 8, 1971, in Madison Square Garden.  Frazier won the fight.  Publically, Ali denied his defeat, although he admitted it privately.  I was not able to find an exact match to your pennant.  Comparable Mohammad Ali pennants from that time period sell for $100.00 and more.  A 1970s Philadelphia Phillies generic pennant identical to the one you own is listed on eBay for a “Buy It Now” price of $19.95.  Given this, $8.00 is a reasonable secondary market value.  “Buy It Now” examples on eBay of your Disneyland pennant start at $35.00.  Again, figure $15.00 to $20.00 as a viable, quick sale price.

Given the above, an offer between $125.00 and $150.00 for the 11 pennants from a collector or dealer is reasonable.  You most likely would exceed this figure if you sold the most valuable pennants on eBay or Craigslist, however you then would be left with the generic examples and most likely would be unable to sell them.  Should you take the latter approach, donate the remaining pennants to Good Will or another charitable group.

QUESTION:  I received a Royal portable typewriter as a high school graduation gift in 1965.  It was old at the time.  The typeface is elite.  It is in a greenish turquoise case, which I doubt is period to the typewriter.  It served me well through college and still is in working order.  Please advise me as to value. – AG, State College, PA, Email Question

ANSWER:  Before determining value, it is necessary to identify your portable typewriter’s model.  Using the picture attached to your email as a guide, I visited a number of typewriter websites.  You own a 1935 Royal Standard Portable (also known as Model O or The Touch Control) with a touch control feature.  Royal introduced its Royal de Luxe a year later.

While the Royal Typewriter Company had its headquarters in New York City, its manufacturing facility was in Hartford, Connecticut.  Edward B. Hess and Lewis C. Meyers founded the Royal Typewriter Company in 1904.  The first Royal typewriter was sold in 1905.  The company continually improved its models.

Royal did not enter the portable typewriter market until 1926, seven years behind Underwood, 13 years behind Remington, and almost 20 years behind Corona.  G. E. Smith, Royal’s president, secured the broadcasting rights to the September 23, 1926, Dempsey-Tunney championship fight to promote Royal’s portable typewriter.  Thanks in part to its portable typewriter, Royal became the #1 selling typewriter brand by the late 1920s.  [For more information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Typewriter_Company]

While the Royal Standard Portable is somewhat box-like in appearance, it still is aesthetically pleasing.  The de Luxe model featured chrome bands around its sides.  The touch control allowed the typist to set the key resistance to his/her pleasure.  Bernard Joseph Dowd (1873-1946) and Henry Joseph Hart (1898-19??) were responsible for engineering innovations in the two Royal portable models.  Clarence H. Bills and John J. Kittle designed the case.  The Royal Standard case came in black, brown, green, maroon, olive, purple, red, and yellow.  For more information, see: http://www.antikeychop.com/#!royal-model-o-portable-typewriter/c2ch]

When I encounter a 1930s through the 1950s portable at an appraisal clinic, I tell the person that the machine’s value is primarily decorative and/or conversational and the standard secondary market value is between $20.00 and $30.00.  Researching the internet, I found several sources that agreed with my estimation.

Since there are no fixed values in the antiques and collectible field, there are individuals who push and test the market.  A Royal Standard touch control sold through on eBay on October 22, 2014, for $79.00 plus shipping and handling.  There were two bids.  The seller touted is as “office décor.”  Another eBay seller has listed a Royal Standard touch control typewriter several times, each time with an opening bid request of $300.00.  It never found a bidder or buyer.  The website http://mytypewriter.com/ lists a fully restored example of the Royal Standard portable for $595.00.  This person is a candidate for my “Most Optimistic Seller of the Month” award.

What is a reasonable secondary market value?  Perhaps $20.00 to $30.00 is low.  However, nothing has value unless there is a buyer.  The eBay seller had to acquire the machine, list it for sale, and pray a bidder came forward.  He/she was lucky.  In reality, 1930s through 1950s portable typewriters are tough sells.   After completing my research, I intend to value the next 1930s through 1960s portable I see at an appraisal clinic between $35.00 and $40.00.  I also will them about the website with a $595.00 example and suggest they email the person to offer their example for a quick $100.00 plus shipping.

QUESTION:  I have a 1920s/1930s tall, narrow chest of five drawers with a mirror attached to the top.  Is there a specific name for this type of furniture? – NM, Pueblo, CO, Email Question

ANSWER:  Furniture forms have names.  This is why furniture scholars and antiques and collectible dealers love to read old furniture catalogs.

Your chest of drawers is a chiffonier, defined as “a high chest of drawers or bureau, often having a mirror on top” or “a shallow, tall, open piece of furniture, of the 18th century, having shelves for the display of china.”  [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chiffonier]  Do not confuse a chiffonier with a chifforobe, “a closet-like piece of furniture having both drawers and space for hanging clothes.”

Many 1920s and 1930s bedroom suites offered a chiffonier and chifforobe along with the bed, night stand, and dressing table.  These forms usually are found in inexpensive, mass-produced bedroom suites.  They were featured prominently in mailorder catalog bedroom settings.

What furniture features a Martha Washington and Priscilla? The answer is a 1920s and 1930s sewing stand, albeit I found a living room chair labeled as a Martha Washington in one 1950s furniture catalog.  How many sofa forms can you identify?  The list includes: Bridgewater, Cabriole, Camelback, Chaise, Chesterfield, Contemporary Mid-century Modern, Davenport, Divan, English, Lawson-style, Loveseat, Mid-century Modern, Sectional, Settee, and Sleeper (multiple types).

These names are important when offering a piece of furniture for sale.  It is the seller’s responsibility to accurately describe any object offered for sale.

READER’S COMMENT:  The values of an ounce of gold and silver rose significantly in the first decades of the 2010s.  At one point, the melt value of silver coinage was over 20:1.  This meant the melt value of a dime was $2.00, a quarter $5.00, a half dollar $10.00, and a silver dollar $20.00.  Precious melt prices fluctuate.  The market must be tracked on a daily basis.

On November 7, 2014, I received an email from V. Kurt Bellman, a regular listener to WHATCHA GOT?, my syndicated antiques and collectibles call-in radio show that airs live on www.gcnlive.com on Sunday mornings from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM Eastern Time.  Kurt wrote: “As of now, U. Silver coin melt is down to 11.2 times face.”  This represents a drop of almost 50 percent against the market high of a few years ago.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Selected letters will be answered in this column.  Harry cannot provide personal answers.  Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned.  Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5955 Mill Point Court SE, Kentwood, MI 49512.  You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered.

You can listen and participate in WHATCHA GOT?, Harry’s antiques and collectibles radio call-in show, on Sunday mornings between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern Time.  If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT? streams live on the Internet at www.gcnlive.com.

SELL, KEEP OR TOSS?: HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY (House of Collectibles, an imprint of Random House Information Group, $17.99), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via www.harryrinker.com.