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Ten Signposts to Identify Endangered Collecting Categories

Harry Rinker — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:57:43 +0000

en•dan•gered col•lect•ing cat•e•go•ry: [en-deyn-jerd kuh-lekt-ing kat-i-gawr-ee]

–noun

1. A category that is collected by such a small number of individuals that it is in danger of becoming extinct.

There are endangered collecting categories. Those who are unwilling to acknowledge this should consider the Borg’s signature phrase—Resistance is futile. Dozens of 2010 collecting categories will not be collected in 2050. By the 2100, that number will exceed 1,000. Collecting without Avon bottles, collector edition bells, figurines, plates, scale model vehicles and lusterware (copper, pink, and silver) is easy to imagine. Collecting without cast iron toys, Depression glass, Fiesta, Hummels, 18th- and 19th-century English soft-paste ceramics, and “Playboy” is more difficult.

Endangered collecting categories are not new. The concept has existed for centuries. Collectors failed to recognize this phenomenon in the past because the categories disappeared gradually. The process took centuries, driven by a growing lack of merchandise in the secondary marketplace and changing collecting tastes. Today, the disappearing process can and often does take place within the lifetime of a single generation of collectors.

The following is a checklist of 10 signposts to determine if a collecting category is approaching or has reached endangered status. If five or fewer of the signposts apply, the collecting category is nearing endangerment. If eight or more apply, the collecting category is endangered. It is critical that a person using these signposts not allow personal feelings to cloud their application.

SIGNPOST 1: The average age of collectors exceeds 60. An average age of 55-60 is a warning. New collectors must be attracted to the collecting category to keep it viable.

Why not 65 instead of 60? Value within any collecting category reaches its peak when the first generation of collectors is between the ages of 45 and 60. The ability to replace collectors who die or lose interest steadily declines once the average age exceeds 60.

SIGNPOST 2: It is possible to count the number of major collectors on two hands and/or the number of collectors is 50 or fewer. The pool becomes smaller and smaller. Death is only one of the enemies. Reduced living space, less and less contact between key collectors (the social aspect), and decreased discretionary income are others.

A collecting category’s vitality depends on everyone knowing the players. Everyone means collectors within the category as well as major collectors from spin-off and other collecting categories.

SIGNPOST 3: A collectors’ club or clubs disappearance. This is happening with alarming frequency, not just for 19th-century-focused collecting categories but for 20th-century-based collecting categories as well. I included the addresses for collectors’ clubs in the category heads for the price guides that I edited and authored. The decline in the number of collectors’ clubs began in the mid-1990s. Recently, I tried to confirm the existence of a Roseville collectors’ club. I did not find one. I failed to locate a Roseville discussion group on eBay. I did find a Roseville Web site, but this is a far cry from the connections a collectors’ club offers through its newsletter or journal, annual convention and other social networking opportunities. There was a time when it appeared as though there was a collectors’ club for almost every collecting category. It is not true in 2010.

SIGNPOST 4: Objects from the collecting category are no longer available or found in limited quantities at antiques malls, shops and shows. This is a Catch-22 situation. Dealers will not offer merchandise if it does not sell. Merchandise does not have a chance to sell if it is not offered. This is just one of a growing number of damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-do-not situations developing in the antiques and collectibles trade.

Enthusiasm is essential to the survival of any collecting category. Collector enthusiasm is a given. Collectors love their things. Dealer enthusiasm is the key. Dealers sell the sizzle as well the as merchandise. Their role as collecting category champion is more important than that of the collector. When dealer enthusiasm disappears, sales flatten.

SIGNPOST 5: The sell-through rate on eBay drops below 20 percent. While there are many antique collecting categories where eBay is not the principal sale source, eBay is the primary sale source for mass-produced objects manufactured since the last decade of the 19th century. It is responsible for the explosion of collecting categories. More than 90 percent of these collecting categories focused on 20th-century objects.

Supply now exceeds demand in thousands of collecting categories. In hundreds of collecting categories, collector/buyer fulfillment has reached 100 percent. As a result, there are no buyers for new material listed for sale from the collecting category, no matter how cheap the initial bid request is.

“There is a price at which an object will not sell” is one of the marketing principles that evolved from the 1988-1990 recession. “An antique or collectible can reach a point where there are no longer buyers” is a 21st-century marketing principle. Its application will only broaden.

SIGNPOST 6: Nothing is able to check the steady decline in value. Value decline affects only the middle and low-end items initially. In 2010, many collecting categories are experiencing a major decline in value at the high end. Historically, the high end was immune from price decline. Now there are hundreds of collecting categories where high-end prices have peaked and are in decline.

Likewise, there are some categories such as baseball cards, gold coins, Gold and Silver Age comic books, and firearms, where the high end continues to set record prices. Investors appear blind to the speculative bubble on whose surface these prices rest. There is always a day of reckoning.

SIGNPOST 7: Objects disappear or are sold in lots at auction. Major collectors refuse to sell their collections in a declining market. They pray for a price reversal. It will not happen. When these collectors die, their heirs are more willing to accept whatever an auction brings.

It is hard to watch 18th-, 19th-, and early-to-mid-20th-century objects that once sold by the piece now being offered in lots. Lot sizes of two or three are in the past. Today lots include four to 10 examples. The local auctioneer’s goal is to exceed an average of $100 to $200 per lot. Christie’s and Sotheby’s have raised their lot minimums to more than $3,000.

SIGNPOST 8: No new specialized price guide or reference book on the collecting category has appeared within the last five years. Five years suggests endangerment. Fifteen years is the kiss of death. Ten years is the divide.

Reference books, with or without price guides, are checklists. They are an essential tool of the new collector. They are critical to keeping collecting interest alive. Check the 2010 Spring-Summer lists for Collector Books, House of Collectibles, KP (Krause Publications) and Schiffer Publications. Compare the title count to 2005. The 2010 number is greatly reduced. Antiques and collectibles price guides and reference books are tough sells in the electronic/Internet age.

SIGNPOST 9: Trade periodicals provide little to no coverage of the collecting category. Trade periodical editors are not the saviors for any collecting category. Their job is to publish articles their readers want. The periodicals focus on what is hot. What is not is ignored. Little wonder the readership of the “Magazine Antiques” is decreasing.

SIGNPOST 10: The collecting category disappears, is grouped with other collecting categories, or is totally ignored in general antiques and/or collectibles price guides. The number of antiques and collectibles categories has grown so large that it is impossible to list all of them in a general price guide, even one limiting its coverage to antiques or collectibles. Many of the specialized general price guides—such as toys, for example—are experiencing a similar problem.

Information fuels interest. When information about a collecting category is no longer readily available, the collecting category is approaching endangerment. When information vanishes, the collecting category is endangered.

Apply these signposts to the collecting categories you collect. Then again, maybe you should not. It breaks my heart to see grown people cry.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

You can listen and participate in Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show “Whatcha Got?” on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. It streams live on the Genesis Communications Network.

“Sell, Keep Or Toss? How To Downsize A Home, Settle An Estate, And Appraise Personal Property” (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via Harry’s Web site: http://www.harryrinker.com.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected queries will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. You can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

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Q & A with Harry Rinker: Heraeus Sunlamp, Red Mill Cat, Perry Como Memorabilia

Harry Rinker — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:25:21 +0000

QUESTION: My wife bought a 1920s/1930s sunlamp as part of a “job [box] lot” at an estate auction many years ago. When I first saw the sunlamp, I thought it was an old electric heater and relegated it to the basement. In preparing for a garage sale, I decided to clean it. This is when I discovered it was a carbon arc sunlamp. The lamp is marked “AKTINARC / Ultra Violet Ray / Sun Lamp / 110 AC or DC 1000W / Model P / Lamp Division / Keene Chemical Co. / New York, USA.” “UVR Laboratories, Inc.” is embossed on the bottom of the pedestal. The sunlamp appears to be in decent shape—no damage or broken wires. The screen has no holes or dents. The cover of the circa 1926 cord is a bit frayed. I would not plug the sunlamp in for fear of blowing a breaker or worse. What is my sunlamp worth?

– R.H.; Bryan, Ohio

ANSWER: In 1904, Richard Küch, a physicist and chief developer of new products for Heraeus, Hanau, Germany, developed a mercury-vapor quartz glass lamp that produced ultraviolet light identical to sunlight. Küch discovered that mercury vapor gives off a shortwave, greenish light when electrical discharges stimulate the vapor in a glass tube. This ultraviolet radiation passes unhindered through quartz glass, which is stable at high temperatures.

Heraeus and AEG created Quarzlampengesellschaft mbH in 1906 to develop the “Original Hanau,” a lamp designed for use in medical phototherapy. The lamp produced the invigorating effect of mountain sunrays. It also was used for vitamin D prophylaxis and supportive therapy. As a result, the lamp became a standard fixture in doctors’ offices and hospitals. A separate “Original Hanau” brand, utilizing a “Sun Man” logo, was created in the 1920s.

Heraeus began marketing self-standing, single lamp tanning/wellness devices in the 1930s. In the 1950s, the company offered the Höhensonne, a home tanning lamp. It entered the tanning bed market in the late 1970s. In 2010, Heraeus is a world technology leader in dental health, quartz glass, precious metals, sensors and specialty lighting.

The growing popularity of home tanning attracted other companies, one of which was the Lamp Division of Keene Chemical Corporation. An advertisement for the company’s Palm Beach Sun Lamp in the February 1938 issue of “Popular Science” begins: “That pale, pasty, inefficient indoor look is a business and social handicap. Why put yourself at such a disadvantage when you can get a handsome healthy TAN everyone admires right from your own home. In 10 days you can radically improve your appearance—look like a million dollars—as if you had just returned from Palm Beach.”

Keene Chemical bragged in the advertisement that it was the first American manufacturer to offer a double arc (4 carbon) lamp. The deluxe model sold for $14.95 with other models priced as low as $7.50. Purchasers could put $1 down and pay the balance in installments, thus justifying the company’s claim of a “price so low that it is within reach of everyone.”

Purchasers were instructed to use the lamp no more than four minutes a day and not allow it closer than 20 inches. During this brief period, the Palm Beach Sun Lamp emitted the equivalent of 50 minutes of mid-summer sunlight.

As with the Heraeus lamps, Keene Chemical touted its lamp’s health benefits: “The new Palm Beach Lamp helps increase youthful vigor and vitality. Tends to stimulate glandular function. Often decidedly effective in listlessness and anemia. Children respond rapidly. Invaluable in the treatment of rickets. For any specific ailment be sure to consult your physician.”

Although there must be sunlamp collectors, I do not know any. Chances are strong that your sunlamp is among the more commonly found types. If correct, its principle value is decorative. A tanning salon wishing to display the sunlamp in its lobby as a conversation/curiosity piece is the most obvious buyer.

Given its condition and questionable working ability, the secondary decorative market value of your sunlamp is between $15 and $25.

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QUESTION: I was given my grandmother’s cat collection 10 years ago. A hand-carved cat figurine marked “RED MILL” was among the items. The cat is 6½ inches long, 4 inches wide and 5½ inches tall. It is heavy, weighing close to two pounds. It appears to be wood, but it could be a very hard plastic. When researching the cat on the Internet, I did find a reference to a duck decoy marked “RED MILL,” but nothing more. I would very much appreciate your input.

– S.M.; Rice Lake, Wis.

ANSWER: The Red Mill Manufacturing Company, located in Fishersville, Va., made your cat figurine. The company produced a wide variety of animal (beaver, eagle, horses, turkey and wolf) and human (Indians and cowboys) figurines. A foil sticker in addition to the body marking was used to identify the company’s products. Red Mill products were marketed through gift and novelty stores.

The figurines are molded from a crushed pecan shell and resin mixture. Local artists created the sculptures used to create the molds. When the figurines were removed from the molds, they were rubbed with a soft cloth to enhance the patina. The amount and color of the pecan shells produced a variety of brown tones. Off-while examples also were made and are more desirable to collectors.

The Red Mill Manufacturing Company ceased operations in 2001 due to the death of one of its owners. The molds were sold. Recasts are being made in China and marketed under the name Red Mill Craft Company.

Although collectible, the value of Red Mill figurines is low. A seller on Craig’s list is offering a wide range of animal and human figures for $10 plus shipping per item. A resting foal closed on eBay for $2.24 plus shipping.

The good news is that: 1) cat collectors love anything that remotely resembles a cat; and (2) they pay premium prices for things they love. As a result, the value of your Red Mill cat is between $10 and $15.

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QUESTION: Where can I buy something that once belonged to Perry Como?

– JG; via e-mail

ANSWER: Perry Como (Pierino Ronald Como) was born on May 18, 1921, in Canonsburg, Pa. Although Como’s popularity as a singer blossomed in the late 1930s, I knew him from the jukebox and black and white television. In the late 1940s, Como was featured on a Friday night television program on NBC along with the Mitchell Ayres Orchestra and the Fontane Sisters. Como signed with CBS in 1950 and hosted his own television program for five years. He returned to NBC in 1955 and starred in the “Perry Como Show,” later the “Kraft Music Hall.” His show ended in 1963. Como also did a Christmas Eve special for ABC-TV starting in 1948 and ending in 1986. Como died on May 12, 2001.

Como’s cardigan sweaters were his trademark. Obtaining one of them should be your primary objective.

Authenticity (provenance) must be your first concern. Como’s cardigan became a standard male dress accessory in the early 1950s. Hundreds of thousands of mass-produced copies of his sweaters were sold. “It belonged to Perry Como” is not proof positive. A picture of Como wearing the sweater would enhance the documentation. However, this is not ample proof. How do you know it is the exact sweater? You should insist on nothing less than a detailed provenance, a list of the owners of the sweater from Perry Como to you. If there are gaps, walk away.

Your hunt will be an adventure. Check the Internet to see if any Como fan clubs remain. If they do, make your desires know. Contact the web master at perrycomo.net and ask if he/she can direct you to possible sources. Locate auction houses and galleries that conduct Hollywood memorabilia sales. These auctions often contain clothing from television stars as well.

http://www.perrycomo.net

Tracking down members of the family is a possibility, but a long-shot at best. You will not be the first person who has tried this method. Many of the antiques and collectibles trade periodicals offer business card advertising. The advertising is not expensive. If my previous suggestions fail, this is worth a try.

Good luck.

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QUESTION: I own a set of 12 square-shaped dishes featuring a relief motif of a pair of young cupids (nymphs) running in the open countryside in the center. The glaze is yellowish-orange. The dishes have chamfered corners and a concave indent in the middle of each edge. They are marked on the bottom “1801 / ITALY / 468.” What can you tell me about them?

– P.E.; Bethlehem, Pa. via e-mail

ANSWER: They were made in the mid- to late 1950s. The “1801” and “468” are production control or stock numbers. A production control number can designate the mold that was used to create the dishes, the person who applied the decorate glaze, or the individual who inspected the piece during production. A stock number allows a potential buyer to order quantities of the same item.

These dishes were sold primarily in Italian neighborhoods. I’m only going to get myself into trouble if I suggest the color and motif were something only an Italian could love.

At best the dishes are 1950s kitsch. Value for the set of 12 is less than $25. However, in a 1950s Modernism/Retro show, a dealer would have them priced at $75. The first price is reality. The second price is a dream.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected queries will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 22 Stillwater Circle, Brookfield, CT 06804. You can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

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Flying Car, Rare Coke Machine, Pink Diamond Offered in Red Baron’s Auction

WorthPoint Staff — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:55:47 +0000

This flying car—Frank Skroback’s roadable aircraft—built in 1935 and the oldest original flying car in existence will be among the items up for auction at Red Baron Antiques on March 13-14, 2010.

ATLANTA – An actual flying car built in 1935, an extremely rare Coca-Cola dispensing machine made around 1923, a 4.02-carat brilliant cut diamond ring surrounded in platinum, a 12-foot-long combination boat-car sculptural work and more than 2,500 equally dazzling and unusual items will be sold at auction on March 13-14, 2010, by Red Baron Antiques.

Bidders from around the world are expected to be wagging their paddles in a rush to buy the exceptional rarities Red Baron has combed the world to find. Offered will be a vast array of fine architectural antiques (to include a large selection of bars and mantels), vintage lighting, rare and classic vehicles, garden embellishments and fine jewelry.

The flying car is Frank Skroback’s roadable aircraft, built in 1935 and the oldest original flying car in existence. Skrobach was a retired industrial technician and electrician from Syracuse, N.Y. He got the idea for a flying car while studying the concepts of the French furniture-maker-turned-aircraft-designer Henri Mignet, inventor of the tandem wing monoplane.

Skroback wanted to modify Mignet’s design, to build a vehicle that could be multi-purposed. He envisioned a craft that could be used on the ground or in the air, for going from house to house using the roads as runways. His design consisted of six fixed 7-foot-wide wings that could lift a 21-foot-long tubular steel fuselage and spruce wing panels, all wrapped in linen.

An extremely rare, all-original “Siphonmix” cup-dispensing Coke machine (circa 1923).

The vintage Coke machine is certain to spark a spirited bidding war, as such machines are highly sought after by their many legions of fans. The example being offered, hidden away for years, is an all-original “Siphonmix” cup-dispensing Coke machine, with the original plate sign. Very few of these machines are known to exist.

A GIA-certified, 4.02-carat brilliant cut fancy pink diamond surrounded in platinum.

The naturally occurring, GIA-certified, 4.02-carat brilliant cut fancy pink diamond is surrounded in platinum. It is quite unlike anything ever offered before by Red Baron. Other fine jewelry will include men’s and lady’s Rolex watches, a custom diamond Riviera necklace with 4.23 total carat weight, and a 23kt gold necklace made with actual gold nuggets from the Gold Rush of 1849.

A boat-car sculpture, titled “Bonneville,” was developed for fictional character Jack Wolf.

The one-of-a-kind boat-car sculpture is a fantastic colossus titled “Bonneville,” executed in a retro American style and created in the spirit of adventure for a fictional character named Jack Wolf, who had many adventures in Days Gone By. At 16 feet long and 5 feet wide, the sculpture would make quite a statement (and a great conversation piece) for the bidder whose taste in art runs outside the box.

A cased .36-caliber English cane gun, made circa 1849 by E.M. Reilly & Company.

Fans of militaria are certain to bid on the rarest of all cane guns—a cased .36-caliber English cane gun manufactured by E.M. Reilly & Co. The weapon, made circa 1849, is more desirable for the fact that it is completely silent. Also to be sold will be a pair of World War II bomb scope binoculars from a navy ship and mounted on a brass stand—perfect for a boat house.

From the transportation category, one of the very first training tools for driver’s education will be offered. It’s a two-seat unit made of oak and bearing the markings of Lane Technical High School in Chicago, where the country’s first Driver’s Ed classes were developed during the 1930s and ’40s. Students used the machine to get the feel of a moving car before actually driving.

Also from transportation, a 1953 Ottoway Steamer amusement park train with seating for 15, once owned by Arto Monaco, the famed Hollywood set designer for Cinderella’s Castle at Disneyland. Monaco installed a Briggs & Stratton engine and used the train in his very own Land of Make Believe in Upper Jay, N.Y. It comes with enough track for a 60-ft. diameter loop.

As usual, Red Baron will be offering an outstanding selection of classic and collector cars. Examples include a 1997 red Ferrari F355 Spider Convertible, with ostrich leather interior; a 1967 Volkswagen “Herbie” Beetle, beautifully restored; and a 1957 white Ford Thunderbird convertible, with both hard and soft tops. Also sold will be a 1975 Vespa Piaggio motorcycle.

Just one of the many wonderful architectural antiques set to cross the block that day is a monumental Art Nouveau period room interior in carved oak, with large stained glass windows, tile inserts, beveled mirrors, marble-topped storage cabinets and a mantel with a mirror. This “Room Nouveau” is exquisite and massive—more than 10 feet tall and wide, and 18 feet long.

To learn more about this auction, call 404.252.3770, e-mail to info@rbantiques.com, or visit the Red Baron Antiques Web site.

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Why People Stop Collecting – Part IV

Harry Rinker — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:43:05 +0000

This is the fourth in a series of columns focusing on why collectors stop collecting. It completes my initial thoughts. However, it is not the last column I will write on the subject. Thus far, I have received more than 75 e-mails and letters from readers who responded to my request to share their thoughts. Once I have read and digested the many thoughtful comments, I plan to write a final column identifying and discussing the reasons not on my initial list.

I identified five primary reasons—personal, financial, availability, contemporary material and issues arising from the collecting process—why collectors stop collecting. Previous series columns discussed the subcategories within the personal, financial and availability categories.

Contemporary material divides into three subcategories: 1) reproductions (exact copies), copycats (stylistic copies), fantasy items (forms, shapes and colors mimicking an historical time period but never existing in that time period), and fakes (objects deliberately meant to deceive); 2) licensed product; and 3) stepped up manufacture of collectible material. Reproductions, copycats, fantasy items and fakes have plagued collectors since ancient Rome. In 2010, the production, distribution and deceptive selling of reproductions, copycats, fantasy items and fakes is a multi-million dollar business.

Historically, advanced collectors and specialized dealers assumed they could distinguish between period pieces and reproductions, copycats, fantasy items and fakes. As the manufacturing of these items became more sophisticated, this ability lessened. When the quality of Nippon reproductions and copycats equaled that of period pieces in the 1990s, many of the advanced collectors sold their collections and withdrew from the marketplace. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Twice shamed, many collectors stop collecting.

More and more companies are licensing their historic image. Coca-Cola is the leader, but owners of historical character and personality rights are not far behind. In many cases, the licensing rights include duplicate period forms. Because of the lack of an adequate hobby protection bill, many of these items are not marked as modern. Further, many manufacturers issue collector editions (a designation that literally means the manufacturer will produce as many examples as customers are willing to buy) or limited editions that number in the tens of thousands. Any edition containing more than 10 copies is not limited.

If the collector does not buy this contemporary licensed material when it is new, he fears the prospect of paying more for it in the future. Hence, he buys now. If he would wait, he most likely would be able to buy it for a dime on the dollar. Waiting is not part of the collecting mindset. When a collector wants something, he wants it immediately. When a collector spends more on contemporary rather than historic examples, something is amiss.

The same buy-it-now-or-wait dilemma occurs when the collected category is still being manufactured. Barbie is an example. In the 1990s Mattel increased its annual production of Barbie varieties and added special holiday and designer issues. Many were targeted toward adult collectors and not little girls. Exclusives, Barbie variations sold only by one merchant—usually a Big Box store—added to the problem. As the 1990s ended, a serious Barbie collector had to spend in excess of $25,000 to buy every example made in a single year, providing he/she could locate them. Barbie turned out to be a very expensive young lady to date. Since I do not want to be accused of picking on Barbie, let me make it clear she does not stand alone. Matchbox, GI Joe and his many reincarnations, and Beanie Babies are other examples.

Collections grow. Spouses believe antiques and collectibles breed and give birth at night. What else would explain their waking up in the morning and discovering a piece they never saw before? While in theory, a true collector can always find room for one more, the sad truth is collectors can and do eventually run out of space. Lack of space is one of the subcategories of issues arising from collecting. Insurance, security, the lack of ability to find enjoyment and the call of another Siren are others.

Collectors like to view their collections. Storing objects creates hidden guilt, a feeling the collector is not doing justice to the objects he acquired. I visited with an individual who collects children’s book illustration art. Every wall of every room in his house is covered with framed examples. His only display choices left are the ceilings or building an addition onto his home. He has the contacts and funds to buy more. But, where would he display his new acquisitions? He has no interest in archiving it in storage cabinets. We parted with no solution in sight other than to stop collecting.

I am surprised by the large number of collectors who do not insure their collections. Forget cost for the moment. The real reasons are: 1) collectors often do not want anyone else to know what they own; 2) making and maintaining a collection inventory is a gigantic pain in the butt; 3) collectors do not want to know what their things are worth, especially if they have declined in value; and, 4) collectors do not want to pay the costs involved with a professional appraisal. They would rather acquire a new object than spend the money on insurance or an appraisal.

In the 1990s insurance companies became aware of the potential loss involved in antiques and collectibles. As a result, many homeowner policies now limited the amount of loss that can be sustained for antiques and collectibles, just as they do for precious metals, firearms and jewelry. Because antiques and collectibles loss is not well documented, quotes per thousand for Fine Arts (Marine Inland) insurance are high. Most collectors refuse to pay and accept the risk of loss as one of the risks associated with collection.

Collectors are more willing to trust a security system, a cost that continues to increase. The annual maintenance cost often exceeds $500.

A security system is only the first line of defense. Security also involves screening visitors and deciding how much of the collection the collector will share. Visitors can range from friends, neighbors, colleagues and fellow collectors to a spouse’s and/or child’s friends. The collector has to be conscious of how he and others talk about his collection in public. Although little has been written about this, collectors live with a sense of fear that someone is going to steal the prize pieces.

This fear, coupled with some or all of the other issues raised throughout this series, begin wearing on the collector. As the pressures mount, the collector reaches a point where collecting is no longer fun. Collecting and maintaining the collection becomes work. When collecting is no longer fun, it is time to stop. This is my philosophy. I identify with it. Although I have come close to stopping collecting several times in the past decade, I have always encountered something that renewed my faith and rejuvenated my enthusiasm. I know many collectors who were not as lucky.

A surprising number of letters and e-mails I received from readers offering their thoughts on why a collector stops collecting stressed that collecting is an addiction. Once a person starts to collect, he cannot stop. All he can do is stop collecting one category and begin collecting another. However, in fairness, I have met a few individuals who have quit and walked away. They did not hear another Siren’s call.

I will always collect. I am typical and not atypical. Collecting is as integral to my life as is breathing. I no longer add to some of my collections for many of the reasons noted in this series. Fortunately, there is always a new Siren’s call to answer. Good times occur when the Siren is accompanied by several of her sisters. A true collector falls in love with all of them.
It is not too late to add your two, three, four or five cents to this issue. E-mail me at harrylrinker@aol.com or send your letter to Stop Collecting, Rinker on Collectibles, 22 Stillwater Circle, Brookfield, CT 06804. Thanks to all those who have responded thus far.

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WHAT DO YOU THINK? I would like to know your thoughts about why people stop collecting. The stack of e-mail responses from my readers continues to climb. Again, my thanks to those who have e-mailed. If you did not, please do. Send your thoughts to me at harrylrinker@aol.com or Stop Collecting, Rinker on Collectibles, 22 Stillwater Circle, Brookfield, CT 06804.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

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Dealer Spotlight: Peter Mellon at West Palm Beach Antiques Festival

WorthPoint Staff — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:36:46 +0000

Peter Mellon, who displays more than 2,000 watches, watch chains, knives and lighters in his booth, will be among the myriad of dealers at the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival on March 5-7, 2010.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Among the record-number of dealers setting up for the upcoming West Palm Beach Antiques Festival will be Peter Mellon of Pompano Beach, Fla., and his inventory of 2,000 vintage and antique watches.

Mellon originally got into the general antiques business as the result of a storage problem. He and his wife had accumulated more antiques than they had room for. His brother-in-law, an antique watch dealer, suggested Mellon specialize too. He did, taking a series of horology classes to bolster his knowledge. Now, after more than 20 years in the business, Mellon’s personal knowledge of watches has far outstripped the level of those classes he took.

Mellon sets up shop at the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival with a huge supply of watches, pocket knives and lighters. As customers stroll by his booth, Mellon says the most frequently asked question during a Show is: “Do all of these watches work?” The answer, he says, is: “Most of them.”

One of the few that don’t work also happens to be the oldest in the inventory. It is a 200-year-old French watch made by Charles Odin, who made this type watch only between 1809 and 1830. It needs about $400 worth of repair work to get it back into working condition, it but it has more than $500 worth of 18-karat solid gold in the case at current scrap prices. Mellon will sell it for anything offer above the scrap value.

The most expensive watch in the inventory is a three register chronograph with 40 jewels and a sapphire crystal made by Tag Heuer, priced at $1,500. Mellon gladly gives free market value appraisals of time pieces brought to his booth by show visitors and makes an active market both buying and selling time pieces.

Mellon also has a large inventory of pocket knives in all sizes. He says vintage, American-made blades are the favorite of his regular customers. Another popular item with his customers is his large collection of lighters including vintage Zippos, logo lighters and character lighters. Among the character lighters currently in stock depicts Wonder Woman, Babe Ruth, Howdy Doody, Superman, Mickey Mouse, Star Trek and many more. Mellon’s personal favorites are the Zippos, and he can show patrons how to read the date code on the bottom of a Zippo to tell the age of vintage Zippos.

The upcoming March 5-7, 2010 edition of the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is shaping to be a red-letter event, with a strong complement of regular dealers augmented by a growing number of new faces and the expectation of improving weather for the South Florida region, according to festival owners Kay and Bill Puchstein.

The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is held at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fair in West Palm Beach, Fla. For more information call 941.697.7475, e-mail info@wpbaf.com or visit the show Web site.

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Q & A with Harry Rinker: Goebel Figurine, Ocean Liner Silver-plate, ‘EROS’ magazine

Harry Rinker — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:44:04 +0000

QUESTION: I have a Goebel figurine featuring a baby boy standing over a turtle. The trademark on the bottom, identical to the logo used on Hummel figurines, indicates the piece was made between 1972 and 1979. The bottom also has the initials “da.” All efforts to find out more about this piece have failed. Can you be of any help?

– KS, via e-mail

ANSWER: Franz Detleff Goebel, a porcelain merchant, and his son William founded Goebel in 1871. The firm, located in Oeslau (later renamed Rödental), Germany, initially made slate pencils and children’s marbles. Franz and William asked the Duke of Coburg for permission to build a porcelain factory. Fearing a fire, the Duke said no. Franz and William persisted and prevailed. Goebel produced its first porcelain pieces in 1879.

Goebel specialized in producing dinnerware and figurines. When the Depression struck, the firm expanded its product line to include ashtrays, bookends, candleholders and lamps. In March 1935 Goebel launched its line of M.I. Hummel figurines.

Although Hummel figurines were only one of many Goebel product lines, they are the focus of almost all research efforts. Finding information about Chariot Byj’s “Red Heads,” “Co-Boy” figurines, Blumenkinder, Friar Tuck and other Goebel lines made during the 1970s is difficult.

Since no pictures accompanied your e-mail, I cannot provide further help. You might have one of Chariot Byj’s “Red Heads” (there are more than 100 child figures in the series) or “Blondes” (16 figures in the series). The Blumenkinder series depicts boys and/or girls experiencing common events.

Send a picture of your figurine to the Goebel Porzellanmuseum (Coburger Strasse 7, Rödental Germany) and ask them to provide the history of your piece. If this fails, then consider a trip to Rödental to do your own research.

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QUESTION: I recently purchased a handled, small, silver-plated bowl on a pedestal base. I would not have given it much thought, but the “R.M.S. SAXONIA” engraved on its side attracted my interest. Are items from 1940s/1950s ocean liners collectible?

– IA, Toronto, Canada, via e-mail

ANSWER: On February 17, 1954, Cunard Lines launched the 21,637 gross-ton RMS Saxonia, one of the last ships built for the transatlantic passenger trade. Lady Winston Churchill christened the ship. This was the second ship in the Cunard fleet that utilized this name; the first RMS Saxonia was built in 1905 and retired in 1925.

In 1962 the RMS Saxonia was refitted and renamed the RMS Carmania. The liner traveled the Caribbean and Mediterranean in the winter and spent the balance of the year on the Rotterdam-Southampton-Canada runs. Due to changes in U.S. fire regulations for passenger ships, the RMS Carmania had to cancel a 1968 trip from Port Everglades. Renovations were made, and the ship left Port Everglades in January 1969 only to run aground on a sandbank off San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. Three months later it collided with the Frunze, a Russian vessel.

Black Sea Shipping, a Russian company, bought the ship in August 1973 and renamed it Leonid Sobinov. It ended its service in October 1995 registered to Valletta of Malta.

Ocean liner passengers frequently borrowed or liberated (polite terms for lifted or stole) table accessories such as creamers, napkin holders, sugars, salt and pepper shakers, or similar smalls. Perhaps this is why transoceanic companies preferred silver plate rather than sterling as the metal of choice for tableware accessories.

Secondary market value rests primarily on the reputation of the ship. Whatever knowledge I may have had about the RMS Saxonia was lost until my Google search. The value of your silver-plated bowl is between $20 and $25, perhaps a little more to a collector of Cunard liner items.

Ocean liner memorabilia was a hot collectible in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The market has cooled considerably, caused in part by the end of the golden age of transoceanic liner travel. Few are willing to invest seven days in an Atlantic crossing that can now be done in seven to nine hours in the air.

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TRIVIA QUESTION: What does RMS stand for when used in a ship’s title?

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QUESTION: I have copies of the first four issues of “EROS” magazine. The issues have a hard rather than soft cover. Do they have any value?

– DF, Fargo, ND

ANSWER: Ralph Ginzberg edited “EROS,” a quarterly hard cover magazine devoted to eroticism. Volume One, Number One was issued on Valentine’s Day 1962. Only four issues of the magazine were published. “EROS” is tame by today’s sexual standards. However, it created a major controversy at the time.

“EROS,” named for the Greek god of love and desire, was part of the 1960s sexual revolution. Contributors included Albert Ellis, Nat Hentoff, and Arthur Herzog. Topics covered a wide variety of sexual issues in areas such as art, history, literature and politics. Herb Lubalin, a leading typrographer/art director of the era, created the layouts. Ginsburg pushed the envelope of propriety by publishing Ralph M. Hattersley, Jr.’s interracial love photo essay as well as Bert Stern’s portfolio of a nude Marilyn Monroe.

Ginzberg’s three million direct-mail circulars promoting the magazine caused a bigger stir than the magazine. The Postmaster General received more than 25,000 letters of complaint. Ginzberg was charged with “sending obscene matter through the mails” in violation of the 1873 Comstock Act. In December 1963, Ginzberg was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. Appeals delayed his incarceration for 10 years. He began serving his five-year sentence at the Lewisburg (Pa.) Penitentiary on Feb. 17, 1972. He was paroled eight months later.

Sets of the four “EROS” issues are very common. It is not the type of publication that subscribers tended to discard once they finished reading it. Number 1, 2, and 4 list for around $30 per volume. Number 3, the issue containing the Marilyn Monroe photographs, books for around $90. Full sets sell at a reduced rate as opposed to a premium. Asking prices range from $90 to $120. They are a tough sell. Every collector who wants a set has one. New collectors wait to buy until they find a set at a bargain price. As time passes, “EROS” will become but a footnote in the history of the 1960s-1970s sexual revolution and Ralph Ginzberg largely forgotten.

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QUESTION: My father died and left me a collection of a dozen Frederic Remington bronze statues, one of which has a label reading “Frederic Remington / Coming Thru the Rye.” He acquired them over the years at auctions and local art galleries. Do they have any value?

– AR, Buffalo, NY

ANSWER: Let’s start with basics. The chances of your father’s Frederic Remington sculptures being period pieces are somewhere between slim and none. They are reproductions. Assuming this, the only questions remaining are (1) the quality of the reproductions and (2) their resale value.

Reproductions of Remington sculptures have existed for decades. They were a popular “salted” auction item in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Most were made by a reproduction bronze casting manufacturer located near Chattanooga, Tenn. “Salted” is a term used when an auctioneer adds newly purchased reproductions (exact copies), copycats (stylistic reproductions) and fakes (items deliberately meant to deceive) to an estate auction hoping buyers will assume that the new items are part of the estate and, hence, older than they really are.

Several contemporary bronze manufacturers offer reproduction copies of Remington’s “Coming Thru the Rye,” as well as several dozen of his other sculptures. Bronze Works sells a 29-inch-by-28-inch version for $1,899 or a “museum quality” version for $3,299. F & R Bronze lists a 29-inch-by-30-inch version for $2,737, but discounts it at $2.295. Bronze Direct offers a 30-inch-by-30-inch version for $2,500.

The issue is not what these reproductions sell for new, but what they achieve in the secondary market. I nearly fell off my chair laughing when I encountered a Craigslist listing by a Houston seller asking $3,750 for a “collector edition,” #44 of #100, of “Coming Thru the Rye.” You never know; there are plenty of fools out there.

When reproduction Remington statues appear on the secondary market, anything over a dime on the initial purchase dollar makes the seller a winner. The quality of these Remington reproductions is poor to fair at best. Their only value is decorative. They are not—repeat NOT—works of art, no matter what the certificate of authenticity that accompanies many of them states.

The good news is that these statues do sell at 10 to 15 cents on the dollar on eBay. At the moment, the collection of Remington reproductions in your basement is worthless, until you decide to sell. Whatever you get when you sell them is more money than you have now. My advice is to send them to a reputable auctioneer or list them on eBay and to let them ride.

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TRIVIA QUESTION ANSWER: RMS means Royal Mail Ship, a designation used by the British for a ship authorized to carry British and US mail.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected queries will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 22 Stillwater Circle, Brookfield, CT 06804. You can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

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Why People Stop Collecting – Part III

Harry Rinker — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:28:09 +0000

This is the third in a series of columns focusing on what motivates a collector to stop collecting. I have identified five primary reasons—personal, financial, availability, contemporary material and issues arising from the collecting process. Earlier columns covered five subcategories within the personal area—age/retirement, divorce, pressure from spouse and/or children, emotional issues and death—and two of the four subcategories in the financial area—financial necessity and recouping funds. Affordability and an irreversible decline in a collection’s value are the other two financial subcategories.

Affordability has multiple meanings to the collector. Collecting is fun when the collector has adequate discretionary income to purchase anything his heart desires. Few are this lucky. Most collect on a budget. I buy using the “God wants me to own it” method—a three-part method consisting of (1) finding the object in fine or better condition, (2) priced at or below what I am willing to pay, and (3) money in my pocket. Few things distress a collector more than finding an object that meets the first two criteria but not the third.

Collectors take no pleasure from just looking. Pleasure comes from the buy. When “look but do not touch” relates to the inability to buy, the collector’s heart is torn asunder. When discretionary income is tight, collectors do not attend antiques and collectibles shows and take a vacation from eBay and other Internet buying opportunities.

Affordability also relates to the unit cost to buy objects for a collection. When the unit cost is low, buying is fun. The collection grows. The average price per unit rises within a collecting category as it becomes more popular or trendy. Collecting categories price themselves out of the market when the unit price increases beyond the average collector’s willingness and capability of paying. Graniteware is an excellent example.

There are collecting categories where the starting unit price is above $500. I was tempted to use $1,000, but $500 is ceiling enough given the current recession. A general rule in the trade is the higher the average unit price, the fewer new collectors a collecting category will attract.

Advanced collectors own the low-end and middle market objects within their category. They need the upper echelon and masterpiece (ultimate) units to complete their collection. These are expensive. In many cases, collectors can afford the low-end and middle examples but not the high-end pieces.

Collecting is a continuing process. When a collector can no longer add to his collection on a regular basis, he stops and turns to another, more affordable collecting category. It is a rare collector that can kick the collecting habit “cold turkey.”

The value of objects in many traditional categories, for examples cast iron toys, TV cowboy collectibles and cut glass, are in decline. In the past, collectors held on to their collections believing interest would eventually return. Alas, this is not going to happen. There are dozens of endangered collecting categories where neither interest nor value will ever recycle.

A Feb. 8, 2010, e-mail from DD notes: “My mother collected Depression glass in the 1970s when it was poplar and expensive. I have now inherited her collection. I tried to sell some pieces, but there seems to be no interest right now. I would hate to sell it for less than she paid over 30 years ago. I have already been victimized by an auctioneer who took some pieces, then sold them for literally pennies . . . When I put pieces out for tag sales, no one even looks at them. This gives me the impression that the Depression glass market is depressed itself.”

Depressed is too gentle an assessment. The secondary market for low-end and middle range Depression glass is in the toilet. It is depressing. Even worse, the prices received today will seem generous compared to what the same pieces will bring 10 to 15 years from now.

Collectors are prepared to die with their collections rather than sell them for less than (a) they think they are worth or (b) they paid. Heirs who keep the collections in hopes of a recovering market are deceiving themselves. The auctioneer who sold DD’s mother’s Depression glass did not victimize her. He sold the Depression glass at its market value at that moment.

Collectors do not understand the “some money is better than no money” concept. They have values in their head that depart significantly from market reality. Collectors have every right to live in a dream world. Collecting has a dream-like quality. It is my ardent wish that every collector never have to face reality.

Availability, the third primary category in my “why collectors stop collecting” list, has two subcategories—market flooding and the increasing difficulty of the hunt. Prior to the Internet, collectors could only speculate about the survival rate of objects within a collecting category. The Internet eliminated speculation and provided cold, hard numbers. To the surprise of most, if not all, collectors, the survival rate of objects is far higher than they imagined, even in their wildest dreams. America’s attics, basements, closets, garages and sheds are loaded. As more and more objects flood Internet auction sites, such as eBay and storefront Web sites, scarcity within all collecting categories has to be redefined. The end result is that almost all antiques and collectibles are common.

The law of supply and demand applies to the antiques and collectibles trade. Today, supply exceeds demand for almost every collecting category. High-end objects are the exception. However, the number of objects designated as high-end, often tied to value, has decreased in almost every collecting category. Further, the supply has become so great in some categories that all demand has been eliminated. Collectors do not want what everyone else has. Bragging rights come from owning examples others do not. Although collectors are loath to admit it, there is an elitist aspect to what they do.

With the large amount of material available on the Internet, the logical assumption is that the hunt has become easier. The opposite is true. Search engines are becoming less and less effective. As more material floods on to the Internet, the search increases in complexity. Asking the right question or inserting the correct search pattern is not enough. Final results usually number in the hundreds. The object or information sought is more likely to be on page 5 than page 1.

Collectors often talk about the “old days” on eBay, when a search almost always resulted in one or two pages of objects. As eBay broadened it search engine to incorporate material from its power sellers, especially those offering new and discounted merchandise, the search results grew to the point where 50 percent or more of the listings are worthless.

Internet search engines sell position. Bought positions often occupy the first page results. Many of these are for companies who charge for access to their data. The Internet becomes less “free” with each passing day.

The hunt also has become more difficult in the field. Dealers stock what they can sell. As the number of collectors in a collecting category decreases, demand for objects in that category lessens. Dealers get the message—there is no sense stocking “x,” it does not sell.

As more and more dealers specialize (it is impossible to be a generalist dealer in today’s antiques and collectible environment), they have little to no interest in stocking high-end material from other collecting categories, no matter how desirable it may be. If they acquire it, they are far more likely to pass it along to another dealer who specializes in that collecting category or put it in an Internet storefront.

Just as the collector base is aging in many collecting categories, so are the dealers who specialize in that category. In the 1980s, you would find dozens of specialized Depression glass dealers set up at a flea market. In 2010, the presence of one falls into the miracle class. Specialized dealers in many collecting categories are dying faster than their collectors. Tales of collectors going to a show and finding a favorite dealer MIA (missing in action) are increasing.

Finally, the auction hunt also is becoming less productive. Historically, collectors relied on major collections turning around every 20 to 30 years. Collectors are living and holding on to their collections longer. A decade or more can pass before a specialized collection featuring high-end pieces appears on the market. While old-time collectors hunt for a lifetime, they maintain their enthusiasm by hunting continuously. Gaps, delays and other problems with the hunt discourage them. The 2010 hunt is far different from the hunt 20 years ago.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

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Q & A with Harry Rinker: World’s Fair Doll, Jefferson Bible, Heileman Brewery Ad

Harry Rinker — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:54:28 +0000

QUESTION: Several years ago I purchased a Charlie McCarthy-type composition-head doll. Printed on the left pocket area of the doll’s orange jacket is “NEW / YORK / WORLD / FAIR / (Trylon and Perisphere logo flanked by ‘1939’) / © NYWF.” There is a pull string that extends from the back of the head that allows the doll’s lips to move. It no longer works. The composition head is deteriorating. What information can you provide about this doll and its value?

– AD, Youngstown, Ohio

ANSWER: My reference library, which contains several books about World’s Fair memorabilia and the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair memorabilia in particular, is currently packed in boxes in the auditorium of my home/school in Vera Cruz, Pa. As a result, I had to rely on the Internet, not always the best information source.

I did not find any reference to this specific doll. However, I discovered that the 1939-1940 World’s Fair Committee issued several licenses for “official” World’s Fair dolls. Further, many of the foreign pavilions sold native-costume dolls in their gift shops.

The pictures that accompanied your e-mail alleviated any doubts I may have had that this was not an officially licensed doll. The jacket color is ample proof. Orange and blue are the dominant colors found on 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair memorabilia. The orange of the doll’s jacket is an exact match to the Fair’s orange color tone.

Thanks to Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, who were at the peak of their popularity in the mid- to late 1930s, ventriloquism was enjoying a renaissance. “The Home Workshop” section of the June 1938 issue of “Modern Mechanix” contained Kenneth Murray’s article entitled “Popsy: A Simply Made but very lifelike dummy for the amateur ventriloquist.” It only makes sense that the New York World’s Fair Committee would license a ventriloquist doll.

The tragedy is the condition of the doll’s head. It is beyond repair. Not only is it cracked but the back half appears to be splitting off from the front half.

When encountering an object in this condition, you should walk away no matter how alluring it may seem. The only value in respect to the doll you own is its clothing. It can be switched to a World’s Fair doll whose head and body are in better condition, but whose clothing is badly faded or torn.

Its worth at the moment is under $25. In very good condition, the doll is valued between $125 and $150.

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QUESTION: My father has a Jefferson Bible. The last time I visited him in Oregon, I asked him to show it to me. I believe it is one of the 9,000 copies distributed in 1904. He paid a dollar for it at an antiques shop. I have no idea how much it is worth, but have a feeling that it should be insured. Can you help?

– RP, Lehigh Valley, Pa., via e-mail

ANSWER: Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1783 – July 4, 1826), third president of the United States, had a strong interest in ethics, morals, philosophy, and Christianity, which he referred to as the “Christian System.” He was a deist, believing in the power of a supreme being as the creator and man’s ability to use reason and observation of the world about him to understand his divinity. Christ was a great teacher, but not the son of God.

Jefferson cut apart the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and arranged the texts in chronological order. The result was his “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth,” completed in 1820. While Jefferson showed it to a few friends, he never published it.

The manuscript eventually came into the possession of Thomas Jefferson Randolph, his grandson. Working with the National Museum in Washington, he published Jefferson’s work in 1895. In 1904 Congress authorized a new edition. New members of Congress received a copy. Eventually Jefferson’s text entered the public domain. More than a dozen editions are in print today, for examples, a 2004 Akashic Books paperback, 2006 Applewood Books hardcover, and a 2006 Dover Publications paperback.

The 1904 Congressional edition was published by the Government Printing office. There are reference points that indicate that your example is not the 1904 Congressional edition. First, the publisher is Geo. W. Ogilvie & Co. of Chicago. Second, the title page clearly indicated that your book is a “reprint,” something the Congressional edition does not do. The advertisements in the back, such as the one for “Conklin’s Vest-Pocket Argument Settler,” would never appear in a government publication. Finally, it is the wrong size, binding style, and cover color.

Your example, however, is one of the early editions, most likely printed before 1915. The pictures attached to your e-mail indicate the book is in poor to fair condition.

1904 Congressional editions in good condition or better usually retail on the secondary market for $750 or more. Your edition has a secondary market value between $40 and $50. Professionally rebound, its value will double, possibly even triple.

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QUESTION: In the past, you answered an e-mail question from “VK” about a G. Heileman Brewing Company advertising piece featuring a printed image on canvas of a French Cavalier holding a bottle of beer in one hand and a full glass in salute in the other. I have the same print on canvas. I acquired it about 12 years ago when the dad of an old girlfriend who had it hanging in his basement passed away. I do not know when he obtained it, but I believe he had it as far back as the 1950s or earlier. I recently came across Paul Koeller’s and David DeLano’s “Brewed with Style: The Story of the House of Heileman.” The image is pictured in the book. My print is in a copper-colored cheap wood frame. I have searched the Internet and cannot find another example with the frame. My question is simple. If I removed the print and had it professionally framed in a nicer frame, would this deter from the print’s value?

– JG, via e-mail

ANSWER: The answer is yes, if the frame on the print on canvas is period—that is to say, started out life with the print. If the print was framed initially, the frame is an integral part of the complete unit. If the frame is missing, the print is considered incomplete.

This was barroom and beer distributor advertising, made to hang on a wall for a few years and then discarded. While well made, it was done as cheaply as possible.

The color tones of the late 1950s were turquoise, copper, and chrome. Hence, the copper color on the frame is a strong hint that the frame is period.

My recommendation is to continue your research and do nothing to the print and its frame. If after another year or two you can find no evidence that the frame is period, then replace it.

How about a little help from the G. Heileman Brewing Company collectors among my readers? Is the frame period or not? E-mail the answer to me at harrylrinker@aol.com.

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QUESTION: I have a “Carigas Emergency Gasoline Can” that my Dad gave me approximately 35 years ago. As I recall, he mentioned that it came with a Model A or Model T Ford. I am not certain which one he specified. He carried it behind the seat in the event he ran out of gas. I checked for this item on eBay and was unable to find anything like it. Any information that you can offer regarding its resale value would be greatly appreciated.

– WT, Lehigh Valley, Pa., via e-mail

ANSWER: This is one of those cases where I know what you have, but I do not know what you have. As indicated by the images that accompanied your e-mail, a label on the can reads: Aetna Sales Co. / Baltimore.” My first thought was that the Aetna Insurance Company used the can as a form of advertising. In 1913 Aetna established its Automobile Insurance Company for the purpose of writing fire insurance on cars. But, is it the correct Aetna?

Google research resulted in a number of hits for an Aetna Oil Company, which was based primarily in Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois and was part of Ashland after a 1948 merger. I found sale listings for several Aetna Oil Company maps and other memorabilia. None had a logo that was remotely close to the one on your can.

I failed to find any information on an Aetna Sales Co. located in Baltimore. However, I did find a WorthPoint.com reference for an almost identical can. The can pictured on WorthPoint.com had an extra information strip beneath the Aetna Sales Co. logo. The listing indicated the can was patented on March 3, 1925. The color scheme of the can, red background with yellow and black label information, is a typical Art Deco color pattern.

I also was not able to establish if this emergency gas can was standard equipment on a Ford Model A. I strongly suspect that it was not.

After reviewing the pictures you sent, your “Carigas Emergency Gasoline Can” is in fair to good condition. Its secondary market retail value is between $15 and $20. Its wholesale value is around $6.00 to $8.00. The principal buyer is someone who owns a Ford Model A and wishes to acquire the can to add a bit of ambiance to his car presentation.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected queries will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 22 Stillwater Circle, Brookfield, CT 06804. You can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

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Why People Stop Collecting – Part II

Harry Rinker — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:30:35 +0000

There are five basic reasons why collectors stop collecting—personal, financial, availability, contemporary material and issues arising as part of the collecting process. Each divides into a number of subcategories.

Initially, I identified five “personal” subcategories: (a) age / retirement; (b) divorce; (c) pressure from the spouse and/or children; (d) emotional issues; and (e) death. I was certain additional subcategories would become evident as I continued to think about the concept. They did. Add “lack of time” to the personal list.

In a previous column—Why People Stop Collecting – Part I—I explored the subcategories of age / retirement and divorce. Pressure from the spouse and/or children is next.

In most relationships, one spouse or partner collects, while the other does not. The time the collector spends assembling the collection, the costs ranging from purchase to travel, the space consumed by display and storage, and the exchange with other collectors are a few of the many collecting aspects the spouse tolerates, often with a smile on the face and resentment inside. Collecting is not something that can be stopped “in the name of love.” What the collector fails to understand is the spouse’s continual thoughts that the time and money could, perhaps should, have been spent on “us” or “me” and not on another of those damn objects.

When each spouse or partner does collect, they rarely collect the same thing. He has his stuff. She has her stuff. I know couples who do collect the same thing, but they are few in number.

Pressure begins when the spouse and children come to the realization that when the collector dies, they are going to be responsible for the disposal of the collection. Having little to no knowledge of the collection—how large it is, the many places where it is stored, who can and cannot be trusted for advice, and the collection’s value—the disposal prospect becomes overwhelming. The pressure increases when the couple is faced with downsizing to move into a smaller home or retirement community.

The collector does not accept the “you cannot take it with you” adage. He believes he can. The collector knows better, but has no desire to face this reality.

As the collector becomes older, the pressure increases. A sudden temporary illness is an excuse to advance the disposal agenda. The get-rid-of-it chorus expands to relatives and friends. The collector faces the prospect of being hounded to death until he agrees to sell.

It takes a strong individual to withstand the onslaught. Most eventually succumb to the pressure. The warm-hand theory prevails—better to dispose of a collection with a warm hand than a cold one.

A collector’s emotions are complex. When trifled with or altered, the result can be traumatic. The collector is passionate, in love with what he collects. The objects are animate—real, alive, breathing.

From the hunt to research to display, collecting is about fun. When the fun disappears, the urge to collect diminishes, even vanishes. Assembling and maintaining a collection is hard work. However, the collector does not view what he/she does as work. The work spent on the collection is actually soothing and relaxing. Collecting helps the collector escape from the realities of the real world.

[Author’s Aside: I will be involved in the antiques and collectibles business as long as it is fun. When it becomes work, I am gone.]

An increase in a collector’s seriousness transitions collecting from fun to work. Quality collecting is pressure free. When pressures such as having to be at a particular antiques show when it opens or on a computer when an auction closes mount, a subtle shift in mental attitude occurs. Instead of relief, the collector begins to feel overwhelmed. Satisfaction disappears. The collector begins to see the collection through a new, jaded set of eyes.

Questions begin to arise, the most frightful being: “Do I need another?” An active collector never questions need. The mere fact that he sees and wants something is all the justification required. Questions drive away fun. If the collector is not careful, he slips into a lethargic state.

When operating at full strength, collectors have no problems finding time to devote to their collection. Business and family obligations are ignored. The collection always comes first. It is amazing how retirement changes this. “I am busier now than when I worked.” Retirement is the start of a new life. Couples can now do things together. Grandma and the children increase pressure to become better acquainted with the grandchildren. We finally can travel to all those places we have never had a chance to visit before. Change is the order of the day. We no longer live in a Couch Potato world. New and exciting things to do challenge the time the collector previously spent on his collection. Is it more invigorating and rewarding to find time to do something when one does not have the time available than when one does? The answer appears to be yes.

Death is the final arbiter. If there is a God, I want to be buying rather than selling an antique or collectible when I drop dead. Death is final proof that the collector really meant it when he said, “it is not about the money.”

Resisting the pressures of personal reasons to cease collecting is easier than resisting the pressures created by financial issues. The financial reasons why a collector stops collecting divide into four subcategories: (a) financial necessity; (b) recoup funds; (c) affordability; and (d) unstoppable decline in a collection’s value.

In theory, collecting is driven by discretionary income. In reality, a collector is prepared to do whatever it takes to acquire an object he/she desires. In many cases, “to spend” can be substituted for “to do” in the previous sentence. Collecting is fun as long as the collector has money to spend. Charging a purchase on a credit card or negotiating a layaway presents no problem.

When a collector’s financial resources become tight, collecting is not fun. The collector avoids going to auctions, flea markets, mall, shops and shows. Time spent on the Internet lessens. He has no desire to see things he cannot buy. Even worse, the prospect that the object may wind up in the hands of a rival is cataclysmic. Failure to hunt also decreases the amount of social interaction with other collectors, dealers, and friends.

Divorce (covered in a previous column), loss of job, a decline in the stock market, illness, and family issues are just a few of the causes for loss of purchase funds. Retirement also is an issue, but only for older collectors. It usually does not become a consideration until the collector is in his mid-60s to early-70s.

Although I have no proof other than my own gut feeling, once a collector is forced to cut back or abandon collecting because of financial reverses, he will not resume collecting with the same degree of intensity when his financial situation improves. In fact, he may never return. Once the collector learns to live without, the passionate need to possess diminishes.

When financial reversal occurs, the collector is forced to consider the sale of some or all of his collection as one of the solutions for financial relief. Reaching this conclusion is painful. It hurts even more when the financial reversal occurs during an economic slump, thus increasing and perhaps ensuring the probability that the collection will sell at a loss.

Further, the collector is aware his collection is not easy to liquidate. A forced sale is a disaster. It takes time to develop and implement a viable sales plan.

When a collector parts with part or all of his collection, he equates it to selling his soul; doing business with the devil. If it has to be done, the sooner it is over the better. Again, the long-term effects are devastating. The chance of the collector returning to collecting is slim.

I will finish my analysis of the financial reasons and explore the availability issues that cause collectors to cease collecting in my next “Rinker on Collectibles” text column.

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REQUEST—I would like your help:. In a previous column, I asked my readers to share with me why they stopped collecting. I received more than 40 e-mails, in addition to the comments on the WorthPoint Web site. Thanks to everyone who wrote. If you did not, I would like to hear from you. Send your thoughts to me at harrylrinker@aol.com or Stop Collecting, Rinker on Collectibles, 22 Stillwater Circle, Brookfield, CT 06804).

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

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Q & A with Harry Rinker: Gerber Baby Lithograph, Narumi China, Swiss Link Bracelet

Harry Rinker — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:37:52 +0000

QUESTION: In cleaning out the house, I found an old Gerber Baby lithography dated 1931. It is in excellent condition and measures 8 ½ inches by 11 inches. Does it have any value?

– BS, E-mail Question

ANSWER: Frank Daniel Gerber and his son Daniel Frank Gerber owned and operated the Fremont Canning Company, located in Fremont, Mich., specializing in the canning of fruits and vegetables. In 1927 Daniel’s wife Dorothy was hand-straining foods to feed to Sally, their 7-month-old baby. She asked Daniel to do the straining at the company’s plant. Frank and Daniel realized the end product had commercial value. After several months of testing, Fremont Canning introduced its first Gerber baby food in 1928.

Prior to the launch, the Gerbers invited artists to submit artwork for a Gerber baby for use in the company’s promotion. The company received hundreds of works in a variety of mediums from oil to pen and ink. Dorothy Hope Smith (1895-1955), who specialized in children’s paintings and sketches, submitted what she felt was an unfinished charcoal sketch of four-month old Ann Turner of Westport, Conn. Smith’s sketch—which she offered to finish if accepted—of Turner with tousled hair, bright eyes and round, pursed lips was selected. The company liked the image as submitted. Smith was paid $300 and did not receive royalties. In 1951, Gerber paid Ann Turner Cook a one-time cash settlement of $5,000 for the rights to use her image.

That first year, 590,000 cans of Gerber baby food was sold. Smith’s Gerber baby image became the official trademark in 1931. The image has appeared on all Gerber packing and advertising. The Fremont Canning Company became Gerber Products in 1941. In 1996 a new label was introduced.

[Author’s Asides: All rumors that the Gerber baby was a sketch of Humphrey Bogart or Elizabeth Taylor are false. Gerber did not reveal the name of the baby at the family’s request. Ann Turner Cook, a retired English teacher and mystery novelist (“Micanopy in Shadow,” “Homossa Shadows” and “Shadow over Cedar Key”) living in Florida, eventually revealed her identity. Dorothy Hope Smith also did illustrations for Putnam children’s books and advertising images for Ivory Snow and Lux.]

Gerber issued several lithograph editions of Dorothy Hope Smith’s Gerber Baby sketch. The most common is a 1930 black and white lithograph numbered S4-71. It measures approximately 8 inches by 10 inches. The initials “DHS,” which appear in the baby’s left shoulder area, are part of the lithography. The quality of the lithography is such that when famed, many individuals confuse it for a charcoal sketch. Unframed images sell in the $25 to $35 range.

I found one dealer offering what appears to be a hand-colored version of the black and white image for $175. The seller also suggested the sketch was a period piece actually done by Smith. First, it is unlikely that Smith would have done duplicate images that are exact matches for the printed lithograph image. Second, black and white images are often color enhanced to increase their value. Caveat emptor—let the buyer beware.

Finally, I also discovered a listing for a larger size lithograph image that measures 24 inches by 30 inches. However, there was no date or value information.

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QUESTION: I have 12 to 14 place settings of Narumi China dinnerware in Shasta Pine (Pattern #5012). There are many accessories pieces—for example bowls and platters—in various sizes. There also is a tureen. I remember the dinnerware being used at Easter and Christmas. What is my dinnerware worth?

– KF, via e-mail

ANSWER: Narumi China Corporation, a manufacturer of bone china and plates for electromagnetic cooking, is a member of the Aichi-Brand Group. Its bone china products include dinnerware, giftware, hotel and restaurant china, and infant china.

The company traces its origin back to Imperial Seito, a china manufacturer, founded in 1911. The company later changed its name to Nagoya Seito. In 1938, Nagoya Seito built a plant in Narumi, which was acquired by Sumitomo Metal in 1943. Dinnerware was first made in 1946. The company became Narumi China Corporation in 1950. In 1965, Narumi first imported “bone” china to the U.S. market. In 2010, it is the second largest tableware manufacturer in Japan.

Narumi’s Shasta Pine pattern appeared on two body colors—white and cream. Judging from the number of examples that I found on china replacement Web sites, the pattern was extremely popular.

Valuing dinnerware is tricky. There are essentially four values for each form: (1) the price charged by replacement services; (2) the price charged by dealers; (3) the price brought at auction; and (4) the price obtained on Internet auctions such as eBay. Replacements, Ltd. lists a cup and saucer in cream at $19.99. Don’s Antiques in Brighton, Ill., lists the cup and saucer in cream at $20. China Lane offers the cup and saucer at $16.50. The same cup and saucer sold on eBay for $3.99. Five-piece place settings sell on eBay between $32.50 and $40.

The value in any dinnerware service rests in its serving pieces. The secondary market retail value of your dinnerware service is between $750 and $900. Depending on the auction, it would realize between $450 and $500.

My recommendation, as it is to everyone who owns dinnerware services, is to use it to create memories. If you do this, you create the possibility one of your children or grandchildren will want it. If you are not going to use it, then sell it. Use the money to buy something you will.

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QUESTION: I inherited a link bracelet that belonged to a relative who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in Europe in the early 1950s. A rectangular label on the bracelet is marked: “Made in Switzerland / Plaque Orl / 20 Microns / AGGA / Geneve.” What is it worth?

– J, Belvidere, N.J.

ANSWER: “Plaque Orl” indicates that your bracelet is gold plated. As a result, it has no metal melt value. Value rests solely upon a collector or other buyer’s interest in wearing it.

I found a listing that suggested the link system was called a “panther link,” but I could not confirm this from another source. All the examples I located contained five rows of links.

The values spread over a wide range. A dealer listed a 7 /12-inch-long by 15/16-inches-wide example in very good condition for $125. A similar example in fine condition closed on eBay on Jan. 17, 2010 at $50. Did a dealer buy the eBay examples for inventory? It is possible.

Although some will argue to the contrary, the secondary market value of many objects is determined by what they bring on eBay. Of course, it is essential that multiples of the object be sold and the market constantly retested before a reliable secondary market value becomes reliable.

Given the above, the value of your 1950s link bracelet is between $40 and $50—proof, once again, that when buying commonly found objects, it pays to comparison shop.

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QUESTION: I brought a horse and jockey decorative piece at an antiques show in Michigan a few years ago. At that time, it was used as part of a weathervane. On the left side of the green bar to which the horse is attached is what appears to be “© c. ferie 1982.” Because it has been out in the weather, it has some rust on it. I was told by an antiques appraiser that its value is between $1,000 and $1,500. Do you agree?

– LM, Lansing, Ill.

ANSWER: No, I do not. After studying the pictures that accompanied your letter and the information you provide, the horse and sulky with jockey weathervane appears to be a modern reproduction that has been artificially aged.

If the 1982 is a copyright (the © symbol) date, which I am assuming it is, it confirms the relatively recent origin of the piece. The quality of workmanship and the design of the horse also suggest this.

Admittedly, almost 30 years has passed since the weathervane was made. However, historic weathervane collectors want 18th, 19th and very early 20th century examples. Any mass-produced piece, which you weathervane is, made after 1920 has limited secondary market value.

In researching your piece, I found an example offered for sale at auction for $40. The $1,000 figure is way too high. My recommendation is to think $150 to $200 tops.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected queries will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 22 Stillwater Circle, Brookfield, CT 06804. You can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

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