RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1453

Copyright © Harry Rinker, LLC 2014 

Questions and Answers

QUESTION:  I am the caretaker of the “Pagoda,” located atop Mount Penn and overlooking the City of Reading, Pennsylvania.  I have a pair of dolphin candlesticks that are reputed to be part of the original furnishings.  In researching the history of the Pagoda, I discovered an article indicating some of the furnishings came from a Japanese Emperor.  I also saw a similar pair on a US postage stamp.  What are your thoughts? – CC, Reading, PA, Email.

ANSWER:  William Witman, Sr., commissioned the building of the Reading Pagoda to cover his stone quarry in 1906.  The building was completed in 1908.  Witman’s plan was to create a local resort.  As a result of his failure to obtain a liquor license, he never opened the Pagoda.  After acquiring the building from Witman, Jonathan Mould and his wife Julia sold the building to the City of Reading on April 21, 1911 for the sum of one dollar.  [For more information, see: http://www.readingpagoda.com/history.html]

“Original” is a trick word in the antiques and collectibles business.  When considered in its broadest context, every antique and collectible is original, just like each is real.  CC used the word to suggest the candlesticks date from the period when the Pagoda was first built or furnished.  They do not.

My good friends, Randy and Debbie Coe, owners of Coe’s Mercantile (www.coesmercantile.com), editors of the periodical “Glass Tidings,” and authors of numerous books including “Elegant Glass: Early, Depression, and Beyond, 4th Edition” (Schiffer Publishing), identified your candlesticks as Consolidated Glass’s Santa Maria Dolphin candlesticks made between 1926 and 1931.  The sticks were made in amber and other colors.

The Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company (1893-1963) resulted from the merger of the Fostoria Shade & Lamp Company (Ohio) and the Wallace and McAfee Company (Pittsburgh).  Consolidated opened its plant located in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania in 1895.  The company first focused on the manufacture of globes, lamps, and art glass shades.  Within a few years Consolidated added pattern glass tabletop wares to its inventory.  By 1910, Consolidated was the largest glass firm in the United States.

When the lighting market declined following World War I, Consolidated shifted its production to tabletop wares.  The period from 1926 to 1929 was very creative in terms of new product and design.  The Martelle line (a Lalique copycat) was introduced in 1926.  The Catalonia line, a Spanish Revival look, followed a year later.  Consolidated Glass’s Ruba Rombic arrived in 1928.

As a result of the Depression, Consolidated discontinued its art glass production from 1932 to 1936.  Many of the art glass molds were lent to Phoenix Glass, which continued production.  [See:  http://glassloversglassdatabase.com/companies/ConsolidatedLamp.html]

Randy and Debbie noted in “Art Moderne in America” on www.coesmercantile.com that “While most of the pieces [of the Martelle line] were influenced by nature, the Santa Maria pieces came from the design of one of Christopher Columbus’ ships, Santa Maria. The sailing ship was the main part of the design on most of the pieces except for the candlesticks which had a dolphin on them. Other pieces were a footed console bowl; two covered jars- one for cigarettes and the other for cigars; cigarette holder; covered cigarette box; ashtray and two sizes of tray.”

Randy and Debbie provided an estimated value between $300.00 and $400.00 for your pair of Consolidated Glass Santa Maria Dolphin candlesticks.  I favor $325.00 to $350.00.

COLLECTOR’S ALERT:  Imperial Glass, using the period Consolidated Glass molds, reproduced these candlesticks in various colors from 1969 to 1980.  These later issues can be identified by the “IG” mark and a stippling pattern on the bottom of the base.

QUESTION:  I have a Maud Humphrey “Butterfly Time” print that has a Yankee Bread Company logo in one corner.  Supposedly only 50 prints containing this logo were made.  I have seen values on the Internet for the print without the logo ranging from $450.00 to $550.00.  Are these numbers correct?  Doe the addition of the logo increase the value? – DS, Henrietta, TX

ANSWER:  Maud Humphrey (March 30, 1868 to 1940) was a commercial illustrator and mother of actor Humphrey Bogart.  While best known for her baby and juvenile scenes, she did a myriad of other subjects as well.

“Butterfly Times,” featuring bust portraits of five young girls in Victorian era dress handling flowers while butterflies flit about in the background, was first offered as a chromolithograph print in 1903.  Its size is critical.  The print measures 42 1/2 inches by 17 inches.  While longer than a yard, it is included in the “Yard Long” collecting category.

The demand for Maud Humphrey prints had decreased significantly in the last 10 years.  Today’s young collectors and decorators consider the Humphrey prints “old fashioned” and “too schmaltzy.”

My attempt to pinpoint the location of the Yankee Bread Company failed.  The name suggests it had to be somewhere in New England.  Given that the print is located in Texas and not New England, the added value for the logo is 10 percent or less.  If the print were in New England and the exact location of the bakery known, the added value jumps to 25 to 30 percent.

QUESTION:  I am trying to figure out how to sell some lovely vintage and newer jewelry that I inherited.  The jewelry was appraised for insurance purposes in 1963 and 1994, the later showing a significant increase in value.  A ring, appraised at $9,400.00, is among the items.  I cannot wear rings due to a medical condition.  I most likely would not wear most of the jewelry under any circumstances.  Some individuals have recommended that I approach a good dealer.  Others are pushing consigning the jewelry to auction.  Should I have another appraisal done before selling?  What do you recommend? – NO, Reading, PA, Email

ANSWER:  Jewelry appraisals are generally commissioned based on replacement value, that is to say, what it would cost to have a duplicate copy made.  This is a high-retail value.  If the piece has “antique” value, the final value easily can exceed retail.

If you are going to commission another appraisal, the values should be based on what the pieces will bring at auction or wholesaled to a jeweler.  Explain to the appraiser that you are looking for values that reflect what you will receive after the sale.  Insist that the appraiser provide detailed information about market venues in which these values can be achieved.

The difficulty with appraisal numbers is that once one reads them, “this is what the pieces are worth” is indelibly inked in their mind.  Appraisal prices, especially replacement prices, need to be interpreted.

My general rule is that 30 percent of replacement value is a realistic wholesale value, a price a dealer or jeweler will pay.  Hence, your $9,400.00 ring already is down to $2,820.00.  If you chose to sell it at auction, remember two points: (1) the auctioneer will charge a commission of 20 to 25 percent and (2) chances are the jewelry will be bought by dealers who are not going to pay more than wholesale.

The gold karat and size and quality of the stones are another factor, especially if forced to sell the jewelry for its melt and stone recovery values.  If the stones are small (today’s women prefer large diamonds – one karat or larger) and an older cut, their value diminishes.

My recommendation is to investigate several large regional auction houses in your area that have estate jewelry sales.  Allow their experts to view your jewelry and provide you with a list of recommended reserves if allowed to auction your jewelry.  I also would visit a larger antiques show that includes several antiques and vintage jewelry dealers, approach each dealer, indicate you want to sell your collection, and ask for an offer.  Chances are they will ask you what you want, a good reason to have a professional advise you before going to the show.  Under no circumstances allow a dealer to cherry-pick the collection.  Sell on a buy it all or not at all basis.

My concern is that the old appraisals have prejudiced your view of the jewelry’s worth.  At the moment, you have no money.  Any money you receive is more than you had when you began the selling process.

QUESTION:  I own four pulp magazines – “Unknown” (August 1941); “Startling Stories” (July 1948), “Science Fiction” (April 1950); and, “Astounding Science Fiction” (October 1950).  Do they have any value? – M, Email

ANSWER:  Pulps are collected for two primary reasons: (1) cover art and (2) stories included in them.  If the covers of your pulp magazines are damaged in any way, for example, torn or frayed edges, or dirty, they have little to no value.  If they look as though they just came off the press, then they do have value.  This value is between $10.00 and $15.00 retail.  Since you would be wholesaling rather than retailing them, a dealer in pulps would pay between $1.00 and $3.00 per issue.

You can try them on eBay.  However, I do not have high hopes for any of these titles.  If there is a Comic Con in your area and the admission is not prohibitive, you might take them to the convention and show them to dealers, especially those who specialize in golden age comics.

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.