This extremely rare American Brilliant Cut Glass square-shaped humidor in the Marlboro pattern by Dorflinger will be among the items in a multi-collection auction on Sept. 5.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Several prominent lifetime collections of American Brilliant Cut Glass, including a huge collection of Dorflinger pieces, will be sold at action in early September. The cut glass, known as ABCG, has a huge following and its collectors have formed a popular association to advance the hobby.

The centerpiece of the auction will be the lifetime collection of Allan Waldron, a member of the American Cut Glass Association, Lone Star Chapter. “Mr. Waldron consistently upgraded his collection and was able to achieve a level of quality that few collectors can equal,” said Jason Woody of Woody Auction, which is running the Sept. 5 auction at the St. Charles Convention Center. “He has one of the largest and finest Dorflinger collections we’ve ever offered.”

Also featured in the auction will be pieces from the Roger and Barbara Larson collection, plus two other collections from Florida. “Lovers of American Brilliant Cut Glass will have a field day at this sale,” Woody added. “Two extremely rare Libbey stemware sets in the Cathay pattern, as well as a large selection of seven-inch plates, are just a couple of highlights. Mark your calendars.”

A rare set of ten 7-1/2-inch Libbey rock crystal tall saucer champagne glasses, in the Cathay pattern, will be up for bid at the ABCG auction in St. Charles, Mo.

The Libbey stemware sets in the Cathay pattern are exceedingly rare and both were featured in the book “Libbey Glass,” by Fauster. One is a set of 10 7 ½-inch signed Libbey rock crystal tall saucer champagne glasses, with allegorical dragon, torch and basket design. The other is a set of ten 6 ½-inch signed Libbey rock crystal wine glasses. Woody Auction has only sold one such stem in this pattern in more than 40 years in the auction business.

Other expected top lots follow (all are examples of American Brilliant Cut glass, unless otherwise noted):

Vases will include one 9 ¾-inch-by-10-inch and one 8-inch-by-8 ¾-inch pedestal cornucopia-shaped vase, modified flashed star with Russian, strawberry diamond and fan highlights. Both feature a solid stem and pattern cut base. Other vases include a 13 ¼-inch glass pedestal vase with a huge pinwheel and hobstar base; and a 16-inch bowling pin-shaped vase in the Brazilian pattern by Hawkes.

One of the lots at the ABCG auction is this exceptional 13-inch-by-15-inch signed Sinclaire ABCG punch bowl, in the Intaglio & Brilliant pattern.

Punch bowls will be served up in quantity. Star lots include a signed Sinclair two-part punch bowl with Vintage panels and pine décor; a signed Sinclaire punch bowl in the Intaglio and Brilliant pattern, with delicate and attractive blank; a tall, two-part punch bowl in the Anona pattern by Dorflinger; and a single-piece punch bowl cut by William C. Anderson with intricate carvings.

Other bowls include an outstanding two-part salad bowl in the Wheat pattern by J. Hoare, with terrific blown mold and flawless cutting; a beautiful signed Sinclaire pedestal eggnog bowl featuring a hobstar chain with large panels and feathered ridges; and a signed Sinclaire deep bowl in the Assyrian pattern. Also sold will be a high-quality rolled rim three-part compote in the #161 pattern by Meriden.

Lots expected to get paddles wagging include a 7-inch plate in the Leota pattern by Libbey; a pair of 18-inch wide, five-arm candelabra with hobstar, cane, prism and fan motif; a 10 ¾-inch cheese and cracker server with triple miter-cut center and wild rose pattern; and a beautiful 7-¼ inch green cut to clear decanter with matching stopper and rococo and intaglio floral design, and a perfect handle.

Rounding out the anticipated top lots: a 16-½ inch kerosene oil table lamp featuring a Russian cut pattern with star buttons and the original burner; square-shaped humidor in the Marlboro pattern by Dorflinger, with pattern cut lid and sterling collar; an oval-shaped tray in the Coronet pattern by Hawkes; and a 15-inch round ice cream tray and 12 plates, the only known complete Hawkes fruit set.

Online bidding for the auction will be facilitated by Proxibid.com. Absentee bids will be accepted with a written statement indicating the amount of the bid. For more information about this auction, contact Woody Auction at (316) 747-2694 or via e-mail at info@woodyauction.com.

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Videographer: Scott Shactman
Editor: Alison Harder

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Lisa Townley’s great grandmother’s bride and groom “pulgas vestidas” or dressed fleas.

One of the most unusual and interesting Ask A Worthologist questions that we have come across was posed by Lisa Townley, a WorthPoint member from Texas, regarding a small matchbox that contained miniature wedding dress and tuxedo—worn by a flea bride and groom. Lisa told me that she remembered the small box from when she was a child; she was told it had belonged to her great grandmother. Lisa further remembered that when she was a child, the flea groom had a top hat and the flea bride a veil, which have since disappeared. Oh, the things that people did for entertainment before radios, TV and computers. Women sewed and dressed these fleas in very elaborate costumes. One can only imagine the hours spent laboring on the itty-bitty costumes. It’s an unusual form of folk art that has all but disappeared, and I wonder who had the job to catch the fleas. Mike Wilcox, one of WorthPoint’s Generalists Worthologist, did the valuation for Lisa.

Dressed fleas from the Tring Museum.

“Flea brides and grooms (dressed, but dead) were popular collector’s items in the 1920s,” Mike reported. “In Mexico during that period you, might find “pulgas vestidas“—or “dressed fleas”—for sale. Fleas were dressed in tiny costumes. The history of flea art appears to have originated in Mexican convents, and was later taken up by the general tourist trade during the early 1900s.” There were also traveling shows, carnivals and flea circuses that went from town to town, where the audiences were amazed by that they saw. Or, might I say, what they thought they saw. Trained fleas were pulling and pushing objects much larger and many times the flea’s weight, as well as performing other amazing gymnastic triumphs. There were many tricks of the trade that gave the illusion of the fleas doing these tricks and performing. The curiosity for the flea circus died out in the 1930s, due to the general public’s increase knowledge of hygiene. The dressed fleas survived on as folk art souvenirs a while longer, until around the 1960s. To take a look at this short video to see a flea circus in action, watch this video.

A poster for Profesor Likonti's Flea Circus.

Mike Wilcox placed a fair market value for the dressed fleas at $75. The dressed fleas ranked a rare factor of 5 on our scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being most rare. Lisa’s wedding fleas remind me of one of the great pleasures of being a collector: to put yourself, if even for an instant, in the mind set of the people who created and treasured things long ago. Although we will never know who sat sewing these tiny costumes, we do know that flea circuses were bringing pleasure and entertainment to people as early as 1833, as they were advertised in England at that time. And we can imagine that the fleas belong to Lisa’s great grandmother, who probably took this little couple home, and kept them as a reminder of a very special trip to the circus. I always think how fortunate it is when family members hold on to special mementos and pass them on to younger generations. This is one of those little things that so easily could have been tossed away and forgotten about, but thanks to Lisa’s relatives, we all got a little look into the past. Dressing fleas belongs to a bygone era, but you can still see videos of flea circuses and how fleas are “trained” in the Internet. While the idea of flea circuses is fun and nostalgic, the way the insects were “trained” is a different and less-pleasant story. You can read about some of training techniques here. You can also find a list of current flea circus performers.

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]]> http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/dressed-fleas-flea-circus-necessarily/feed 4 http://www.worthpoint.com/wp-video/brimfield-antiques-collectibles-amazing-finds http://www.worthpoint.com/wp-video/brimfield-antiques-collectibles-amazing-finds#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 13:04:41 +0000 Will Seippel http://www.worthpoint.com/?p=2039064 Brimfield is a  always a mecca for dealers and fans including WorthPoint’s CEO and founder, Will Seippel, a lifelong collector. In this video, shot  during the July Brimfield, Will walks around Brimfield sharing his experience as a collector and dealer and finding treasures including Edison Cylinders, state license plates and a phonograph from the Sonora company, which his grandfather owned.

Videographer: Scott J. Shactman
Editor: Sharon Levy

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Videographer: Scott J.Shactman
Editor: Sharon Levy

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth