Thanks to the media, especially the “Antiques Roadshow” and a rash of HGTV “antiques and collectibles” shows in the late 1990s and first half of this decade, Americans now are alert to the potential value of family heirlooms, childhood treasures and other types of personal property. The dream of finding one or more hidden treasures in one’s attic, closet, basement, etc., or at a garage sale, flea market or antiques mall has become part of the American psyche, a dream that increases exponentially during difficult economic periods.

Once an object is found, the first question asked is, “I wonder how much this is worth?” Finders divide into three categories: (1) those who are convinced they know what their object is worth because they saw one just like it on the “Antiques Roadshow,” (2) those who will refuse to believe what anyone tells them because they are convinced the world is out to cheat them and (3) those who are willing to do the research or hire an appraiser to do a market determination. This column is for the third group.

(Author’s Aside: This column will not explore the differences between retail (what a person pays when buying an object) and wholesale (the selling price into the secondary market) value, a topic covered in previous columns and certain to be touched upon in future columns.)

When uncovering a potential hidden treasure, it is only natural to turn to an expert.

“Hello. I inherited my grandparents’ dining-room set, and I would like to know what it is worth. A friend told me to call you.”

“Have you checked out my Web site, harryrinker.com? My home page contains a list of my appraisal services and their cost.”

“Well, I only want an approximate, not a specific value. Can’t you give me a rough estimate?”

“I do not do free appraisals. Appraising is one of the ways I make my living. Again, please check out my Web site, or I can explain your options now.” Like most appraisers, I offer several options, including evaluation from photographs, a visit to my office, walk-through appraisal and formal written appraisal. All have a specific cost attached.

“How do I know if my object is worth having appraised?”

“This is a risk you have to take if you want me to look at it.” Since almost every call begins with the person telling me what they want appraised, I often indicate that I do not think it worth their while to consult an appraiser. I am astonished at how many times this subtle hint falls on infertile ground. The primary reason online-appraisal services failed is that their $30-to-$40-per-object fee was within a few dollars of what a majority of the objects being appraised were worth.

Personal property appraisers charge fees ranging from $30 to $150-plus per hour. Hourly fees often correspond regionally to those charged by a CPA or general-practice lawyer. “You get what you pay for,” admittedly a tired cliché, applies.

I do appraisals for less than half the individuals who call or e-mail with inquiries about my services. Once I explain my services and fees or they visit my Web site, they exit stage left with the line, “I will think about it and get back to you.” I stopped holding my breath long ago.

You do not have to be an expert to research the value of an object. You can do it on your own. If you decide to proceed, follow these four steps:

1. Authenticate your object. Before you start your value research, you need to determine the identity of the object you are researching.

2. Determine what value you want. If you plan to keep the object, you need replacement (retail) value. If you are selling the object, seek auction or private sale value.

3. Do price research. Confirm all values using multiple sources. Field check all book values. List value is not sale value. Most objects are discounted prior to sale. Relying on a single value, especially if it is one that pleases and surprises you, is foolhardy.

4. If the final value you find exceeds $500, hire an appraiser to review your findings. I was tempted to use 1,000 as the threshold, but chose the lower number after considerable thought.

What sounds simple is not. It is work. After you complete steps one through three, you may find your object has little to no value. At least, you know. The answers we seek are not always the ones we desire.

You cannot tell the players without a scorecard at a sporting event, and you cannot value an object without knowing what it is. There is no wiggle room in antiques and collectibles. Apples are apples, oranges are oranges, etc. When authenticating an object, there has to be an exact match.

I recently received the following e-mail inquiry: “I have several Star Wars toy action figures in what I know to be complete sets . . . 1997 Kenner Collection 1. I read your article in a magazine that said Princess Leia could be worth $500-$600.” If this was the “Gong Show,” I would strike the gong. The Princess Leia in question was the first-issue action figurine still in its near-mint condition blister pack issued in 1977.

TRIVIA QUIZ: THE GONG SHOW PREMIERED ON NBC’S DAYTIME SCHEDULE ON JUNE 14 IN WHAT YEAR?

Antiques and collectibles picture price guides serve a dual purpose—identification and value. Your goal is to find a picture representation of the exact object you own. If there is a specialized price guide that focuses on your object, start there. When researching, make note of similar items. Ideally, you will find the exact object you own. Realistically, you may have to rely on comparable objects.

Try your local art museum, historic site or historical society. While curators are ethically prohibited from valuing objects, they can and often are glad to help identify object. Pick a museum, historic site or historical society that has like objects in its collection.

Experts abound at auctions, flea markets and antiques show. Most auctioneers and dealers will react favorably to a request for identification help. Do not ask them to value the piece. Although they are not appraisers, they are professionals. Most charge a fee when value information is requested. Do not be surprised if you are asked, “Do you want to sell that?” Over-the-transom (out of the blue) inquiries are a primary source of material for auctioneers and dealers.

Authenticating is not an exact science. If possible, confirm all opinions with a second and third source.

Do not overlook the Internet. Chances are you will turn first to eBay. Beware. Errors abound in eBay listings. Accept no information from an eBay listing without multiple confirmations from non-eBay sources. Artfact.com now offers free access to the past 12 months of fine art and sculpture listing. Go Antiques’ PriceMiner is another source. I have located dozens of reliable independent Web sites, e.g., morninggloryantiques.com for Victorian and other historic jewelry pieces.

Once you have authenticated your object, proceed to step two.

When I began this column, I had a vague suspicion that it was a two-part column. Suspicion confirmed. Part II will discuss steps two, three and four.

TRIVA QUIZ ANSWER: 1976

You can listen and participate in “WHATCHA GOT?,” Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT?” streams live and is archived on the Internet.

“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.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

When I do an appraisal clinic at a residential care facility, I expect to see some great stuff. When individuals downsize, they take their most treasured possessions with them.

Prior to appraising, I explain the guidelines I plan to use, e.g., all values are retail and family value is an emotional and sentimental value, not necessarily a dollar value. Can family heirlooms have substantial monetary value? Absolutely!

America’s residential care facilities are antiques and collectibles treasure troves. I speak from firsthand experience. When my appraisal clinic concludes, I often am invited to visit the rooms of one or more residents. I see period furniture and tall case clocks, eighteenth and nineteenth century corner cupboards filled with ceramics, glass, and metals from those same eras, childhood toys, and a wealth of other objects.

I vividly remember my first lecture at a residential care facility. It was in the mid-1980s. When the lecture was over, I went to the room of a resident to look at a table. There I encountered one of the finest Philadelphia, Hepplewhite, drop leaf tables I have ever had the privilege to handle. I still dream about it.

Unfortunately, there is another aspect to this story. Over the past year, I have had several phone calls and e-mails from heirs/executors of residential care facility residents asking me to provide a value for an object that was in a parent or relative’s room and which is now missing. No one, not even the resident if alive, is certain when the loss occurred. The object was there one minute and gone the next. All the inquirer can provide is a verbal description. I love playing “Guess the Goodies.”

Theft is a problem in residential care facilities. This column focuses on how to prevent theft and loss of antiques, collectibles, and other personal objects in residential care facilities that provide unassisted, assisted, and skilled care. It does not deal with identify theft, another major concern.

When moving into a residential care facility, ask for a copy of the facility’s theft & loss policy and program. If one does not exist or is not available in printed form, think twice. Copies should be provided to the prospective resident as well as the resident’s family member, agent, or legal representative.

Make a detailed inventory of all personal belongings. Since inventories often ask that clothing and daily need items, e.g., eyeglasses, hearing aids, etc., be listed, I recommend three additional separate listings: (1) antiques and collectibles, (2) jewelry, and (3) household goods from furniture to ceramic, glass, and metal objects. Do not forget to include photographs and wall hangings in the household goods inventory.

These lists should be prepared on a computer or, if handwritten, in ink. The person making the list should initial and date it and ask a representative from the residential care facility to do the same.

In addition to the written inventory, take a series of general photographs of each room. Be thorough—better too many pictures than to few. Do individual and detailed photographs of key pieces, including the jewelry. Keep an album of these photographs in the room. Maintain the originals on a computer or disk in another location. When pieces are added or removed from the room, retake the appropriate photograph(s).

If possible without harming the object, place the resident’s name or an identification number on it. Like objects should be displayed or stored together, thus making it easier for the resident to enjoy or find them. Place a fluorescent dot beneath valuable objects so if moved or taken, the resident is aware of any change immediately.

Most residential care facilities are required to provide a secured storage area for residents. Some will install locks on cabinets or drawers if requested by a resident. Limit the number of individuals who have access to the keys or lock combination.

Residential care facilities do not insure the personal property of their residents, albeit they may be responsible, depending upon state laws, for property listed on a resident’s personal property list. Residents are encouraged to contact their insurance agent and ask about the applicability of renter’s insurance or a special personal property insurance policy.

If a loss with a current market value of over $25 occurs, the resident or his/her representative should report it to the facility. The facility will document the loss. If the loss exceeds $100, the facility also may be required to report the loss to local law enforcement. Many residents are reluctant to report a loss, believing they have misplaced the item and not wanting to be embarrassed when the object is found. Encourage residents to report all potential losses promptly. The old cliché better safe than sorry applies.

I do not agree with those individuals who argue that a person should not take anything to a residential care facility that they are not prepared to lose. Individuals should be surrounded by the things they love or those with the highest memory quotient. Adequate prevention is the key.
It is critical when placing furniture and other large objects in a residential care facility rooms(s) to leave adequate walking and sight paths. If the resident requires a walker, extra care must be taken to avoid the walker striking the antique or collectible.

Jewelry, whether precious or costume, should either be under lock and key or replaced with inexpensive reproductions. When one transitions from the period pieces to copies depends on the mental capacity of the resident.

Decreased mental and reasoning capacity is a product of aging. This occurs gradually and is often far more advanced than caregivers recognize When one hears phrases such as “he is having trouble remembering,” “he is slipping,” or “he is not as alert to today as he was yesterday,” it is time to intervene.

As long as a person is deemed competent, he has the right to control the disposition of his things. Power of attorney is not the same as legal guardianship. Having a person declared mentally incompetent is viewed as a last step rather than a preventative one. An honest valuation is critical.

Older individuals, especially those who feel death is imminent, exhibit a tendency to rid themselves of their possessions. If someone, e.g., a friend, advisor, or residential care facility employee, admires something, they often respond, “If you like it, take it with you.” The object can be and often is a family piece designated to be passed down in the family. The resident forgot.

First, it is essential the residential care facility have a firm policy that its employees cannot accept gifts of any kind from residents. Second, facility administrators must stop and question all individuals, especially if they do not recognize the person, leaving the facility with personal property. If they are not happy with the answers to their questions, they need to check with the resident source.

A family member, agent, or legal representative should inform the residential care facility of all personal property that is to remain in family hands following a resident’s demise. Once again, this is a slippery slope. The residential care facility contracts with the resident. If the resident is competent, the facility must abide by his or her wishes. The resident can change his or her mind.

The critical question is whether or not the resident care facility has an ethical and moral responsibility to notify the appropriate family member or agent. Do not assume it will. Ask.
Older individuals also are subject to unscrupulous individuals who attempt to buy objects, often at a price below existing secondary market value. Since the older resident has no awareness of the market, the value offered seems like a great deal of money for “that old thing.” Again, ask what policy, if any, the residential care facility has in place to prevent this from happening, both in respect to outside as well as inside (other residents, etc.) buyers.

Older individuals misplace things. Before assuming theft, conduct a thorough search of the resident’s apartment or room. Also make certain the lost item was on the inventory list. Memory play tricks on older people.

Be sensitive to the resident’s needs. If you remove an object, take the time to explain what you did. Take a picture of the object in its new location and give it to the resident so he will be aware of what has happened to it.

Antiques and collectibles belong at residential care facilities. Their survival depends on joint cooperation between the resident, family, agent, or legal representation, and the facility. A little sensitivity and firm policies are all that is needed to make their stay a positive one.

You can listen and participate in “WHATCHA GOT?,” Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT?” streams live and is archived on the Internet.

“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.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

As you turn the corner at an antiques and collectibles show, your eyes immediately spot an item on a shelf in a booth at the end of the aisle. It is the piece you have sought for decades. You had relinquished hope of finding it years earlier. Your eyes begin to tear. Reality becomes a dream. You float down the aisle, pushed by a current you have no will to resist. You enter the booth, lovingly, gently, caressingly grasp the object, and place it next to your heart. If you expect to negotiate a discount, forget it!

Dealers read customer’s emotions. They can spot a sucker, i.e., someone who is going to pay the full retail price without argument or discussion, before he enters the booth. The clues are obvious—the look in the customer’s eyes, drool on his lips, the body posture, a soft restful sigh, and/or a lack of awareness to his surroundings. The dealer looks at the object and customer with only one thought—SOLD!

[EDITOR’S ALERT: Expect one or more letters from dealers objecting to the “sucker” reference in the second sentence of the above paragraph. Dealers perpetuate the myth that sticker prices are real prices. In rare (one of the few times I have used this work in my column) cases, they are. In reality, all prices are negotiable. The only question is by how much.]

When buying antiques and collectibles, the best buys are obtained when the head rules the heart. The head is a much tougher buyer. It is far more critical of condition and price than is the heart. While far from objective, the head introduces a sense of perspective, albeit often monetary, in the buying process.

Love and passion, even obsession, play a role in collecting, and well they should. I love the antiques and collectibles I own. I am passionate about learning more about them and sharing that knowledge. I am obsessed with collecting.

Yet, I buy ninety-seven to ninety-eight percent of the objects I acquire using my head rather than my heart. Okay, I slip occasionally. Every collector does.

My approach is a simple one. I view the buying process as a courting process. I want to romance the object before I marry it, i.e., add it to my harem of other treasures. In many cases, the courtship takes place in minutes rather than hours or days. I believe in whirlwind romance.
Since I only sell information about antiques and collectibles and not the objects themselves, I marry the objects I buy for life. Divorce (sale) is not an option. I have a far better track record with my objects than I do with my wives.

Are there times when the heart should prevail? My heart says answer yes, but my head cautions to do so reluctantly.

Several weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Jennifer Goldberg-Murga, my wife’s daughter, asking my help evaluating a desk listed on eBay. As a youngster, Jennifer owned a Hitchcock Empire-style writing desk. The desk disappeared. The reason is best not discussed. Moving on, Jennifer had fond memories of the desk and wanted a duplicate example. It had to be the identical desk, nothing else would suffice.

Shortly after I met and married Linda, Jennifer’s mother, Jennifer asked my help in locating the missing desk. I asked her to describe it. Although she knew it was manufactured by the Hitchcock Chair Company (1818-2006) in Connecticut, she was not able to provide an exact description, thus making it impossible to hunt it for her.

It is rapidly becoming a truism that if you are patient and search long enough, any object you want will eventually be offered for sale on eBay. Jennifer spent years tracking “Hitchcock” listings on eBay. She was rewarded for her diligence when she found a listing for an exact duplicate of her desk.

I buy antiques and collectibles using the three-part “God means me to own it” theory—the object is in the condition I want to find it, at a price I am willing to pay, and with money in my pocket to pay it. Let’s apply these criteria to Jennifer’s situation.

Using the eBay link Jennifer provided in her e-mail, I opened the listing. I was surprised by the form. Based on Jennifer’s earlier descriptions, this was not the desk I imagined. The desk was a generic Empire-style writing desk with a rectangular writing surface with a multiple tier letter, paper, and supplies, open-faced storage unit across the back, a horizontal drawer in the front apron, and turned (ball and column) legs. The overall color scheme was black with gold accents and highlights. The writing surface and apron sported a dark brown finish. The drawer featured stenciled, floral vignettes.

The desk was in fine or better condition. Although not brand new, it was clear that the previous owner or owners of the desk properly cared for it. Finding a desk in a similar or better condition would take years if not decades. The desk was in buy-me-now condition. The traditional dealer’s “you will not find another one like it” sales ploy applied.

The opening bid was $325, extremely high by my standards. The price failed part two of my buying theory. The “Buy It Now” Price was even more, $375. The eBay listing was several days old and had three days to run when Jennifer discovered it. She was ready to pay the “Buy It Now” price the moment she saw the desk. Her willingness to pay price was far higher than mine.

When I spoke with Jennifer, it was clear this was a heart, not a head purchase. Given this, I encouraged her to buy it. Waiting and bidding at the last moment would have been excruciating. Jennifer wanted the desk, and she wanted it now. She paid $375
.
What should Jennifer have done? The answer is homework in respect to the secondary market for Hitchcock Chair pieces. Had she done so, she would have found that $325 was a very high price and that $375, obviously was a much higher one. The chance of someone paying $325 was marginal to nonexistent.
The eBay seller was located in Shoemakersville, Pa., a 25-minute drive from her grandmother’s and brother’s residence in Wyomissing. Linda and I drive back and forth almost every weekend from our Connecticut home to our Pennsylvania home to visit her mother. We could easily pick up the desk and avoid shipping costs, a plus for Jennifer. Our weekly visits also created another possibility.

My head said do not bid. Let the auction fail. Once this happened, I would visit the seller’s shop in Shoemakersville with $250 or $275 cash in hand and offer to buy the desk. There was no doubt in my mind, the dealer would have sold.

Jennifer should have followed the desk through the listing’s final half-hour. If there were no bids, she had had two choices—opt for the above approach or place a bid of $325 backed up with a sniping bid of $375 or higher just in case another last second bidder appeared. The chances of this happening were far greater in Jennifer’s than anyone else’s mind.

“Woulda, coulda, shoulda,” as my friend Norman Martinus used to say. Maybe things would have worked as I predicted, maybe not. We will never know.

The good news is that Jennifer has the desk. Linda and I picked it up and met Jennifer just north of Hartford, Conn., for the exchange. The extra $100 Jennifer paid pales in comparison to the additional time and effort she would have devoted to continuing the search. One of the wonderful things about antiques and collectibles is that you can rationalize any scenario.

The $375 was a price Jennifer was willing to pay. In fact, she may have been the only person on the face of the earth who was willing to pay that price at that moment in time. If the dealer is religious, he should go to church, light a candle and thank God for delivering Jennifer to his fold. Jennifer paid with a credit card, today’s version of money in one’s pocket. “Money in my pocket” means cash to me.

Heart, Mind—what difference does it really make? I WANT IT is the only reason I need to buy an antique or collectible. How about you?

You can listen and participate in “WHATCHA GOT?,” Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT?” streams live and is archived on the Internet.

“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.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

If you can’t see a mark on a piece of fine pottery or art glass, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. If your eye is trained to spot quality pieces but you are not able to find a mark, it can be well worth your time to keep on looking for one.

I once visited a very high-end antique store in Los Angles and was rather disappointed when I couldn’t find anything of interest I could buy and later resell for a profit. But, as I was leaving the store, for some reason I looked up at a top shelf where there were two extremely large vases. I asked the dealer if he would get a ladder and bring them down so that I could get a better look at them. Hesitantly, he did.

I examined the vases from top to bottom but couldn’t find a mark, even though I felt fairly certain they were Doulton Lambeth pieces decorated by one of their leading artists. I went over these pieces several more times but still couldn’t find a mark and was considering putting them back on the shelf. Being the stubborn person I am, as all that I refused to give up, so I examined them another time. Finally, I caught a glimpse of three letters within the body of the vase, “FEB” — meaning Florence E. Barlow, the sister of Hannah Barlow. This had just become my lucky day. The two Barlow sisters were Doulton’s best known decorators, and their vases always bring top prices.

Why hadn’t others found these marks? Very simply, the marks weren’t typically where one would find marks on pottery. I’m sure there had been hundreds of people who looked at the bottoms of these pieces and returned them to their shelf when they couldn’t see a mark. You see, ninety-five percent of these vases would have been marked on the bottom. But, not these. And, to make it more difficult, this particular mark, “FEB” had been incorporated into the actual design of the vase, making it almost impossible to find. But, not impossible to a persistant and stubborn person like me. This poor dealer had no idea these vases were special pieces.

I could barely hold my composure when I asked the price. “Two hundred and fifty dollars each,” was the dealer’s response. I didn’t know if it was time to dance or cry.

I returned to my car carrying these two precious bundles and carefully placed them in the back. Then, I pinched myself to be sure I wasn’t dreaming. You see, these wonderful 22″ vases were worth over $5,000 each at the time.

This type of find isn’t a rare occurrence. Lalique, Steuben and other art glass pieces with etched marks often present a huge challenge in finding the marks. The secret is to recognize the quality of the materials and the decorations on the piece. If they both meet the standards of a quality piece, then you should spend the time required to verify the maker.

The next show you attend, find a Tiffany Lamp and ask to look at it. I believe you will find it isn’t easy to located the marks because of their small size and because of where they are located under the shade.

You can learn to spot quality when you make a study of the most sought after pottery, porcelain, and art glass. Knowing the work and values of in demand artists will put you at the head of the class. You’ll be able to find the marks others miss.

Use every source you can in order to study. Search the Internet. See these pieces up close at shows. Invest in your own resource library. Used books can easily be found at reasonable prices through the internet. Choose your area of study.

When you spot that next high quality piece, be persistant in looking for a mark. It can pay you off tenfold.

For more information about marks, visit www.Marks4Antiques.com.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

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Everyone has treasures in their garage or attic – items they are not sure what to do with but hate to let go. How do you know whether your treasures are antiques or collectibles or simply of sentimental value? You could go to an event like the one held recently in Manassas, Virginia – where Worthologists and other experts examined and evaluated treasures. You can also look your item up in WorthPoint’s data base, called the Worthopedia, which provides recent prices from hundreds of auction houses. Worthologist Tom Carrier demonstrates the process.

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Royal blue beaded cardigan.

 

This is a guide on how to choose vintage clothing, how to wear it, what to avoid and WHY to collect it.

First of all, what is vintage clothing? Some people differ on the definition, but generally, if you look it up, you will find this:

“Vintage clothing is a term for garments originating from another era. Generally speaking, clothing older than 25 years is considered to be vintage, though opinions vary on this definition. Many sellers of vintage clothing consider even more modern pieces to be ‘vintage,’ provided that they are particularly representative of the era in which they were made.”

I tend to agree that 25-years-old and older constitutes “vintage”… until I do the math and realize that the clothes I wore in my “heyday” are now included within this timeframe. Personally, I classify clothing from 1970 and older to be vintage, until we go backward far enough to become “antique.” All too soon, those clothes I still have from the 1980’s will truly be vintage, and then I myself will have become “antique!”

There are several avenues one can explore in the search for vintage clothing, the most common being estate and garage sales, vintage clothing and thrift stores, and the ever-popular online auction sites, the latter being the largest and most convenient venue for buying and selling vintage items. No matter where you go, there are a few things you need to know in order to be able to discern the difference between trash and treasure.

First, unless you have the skill and time to spend refurbishing a vintage piece, avoid things with stains, holes, fraying of seams and linings, or missing parts (beads, sequins, buttons, etc.). Above all, if you get a whiff of mothballs, run the other way. No amount of washing or dry cleaning will remove that smell. The same goes with smoke, unless it’s very faint and you are not bothered by it. Fur, in particular, will never let go of unpleasant odors, so don’t buy something with the promise that “dry cleaning will take those stains and odors right out.” If a seller/shopkeeper tells you that, run, or click out of that site—nobody can truly know if a dry cleaning will remove a stain and old; “vintage” stains never come out, in my experience. Mild yellowing can be soaked out, but be prepared to change the water over and over many times, for about a week, using many scoops of Biz. All that work, and there is still no guarantee of success.

A leopard pattern coat and outfit

So, if you are set on wearing your vintage clothing as soon as you buy it, in addition to the aforementioned, look for the following things:

• Items with no wrinkles in the linings, indicating the item may never have been worn.
• Crisp labels, with no stitches out, again an indication that an item was very gently or never worn.
• All buttons and hooks/eyes sewn tightly, not hanging, yet another sign of an item being new/old.
• Linings not hanging below the outer garment fabric (eliminating the need to re-hem).

Fit is very important when debating whether or not to buy a vintage garment. If it’s too tight and you buy it just because it’s adorable, you may very well tear it under the arms or across the back shoulder seams due to the fabric being old and possibly not as strong as it was when it was new.

Many people look at vintage clothing and say they like it, but can’t imagine themselves wearing it. My answer to that is that there is no special time or occasion to wear vintage; these things are meant to be enjoyed, and one need not be wearing vintage from head to toe in order for it to make sense. My idea is to wear simple, well-fitting, understated clothing as the basis for the outfit, such as a black or neutral skirt or pair of slacks with a simple top or sweater. A fabulous vintage beaded cardigan, swing coat, fur jacket, collar or boa, along with a pert little vintage hat and special purse, can be plenty to identify you as a lover of vintage clothing and draw lots of attention and compliments. A vintage brooch and earrings and pair of glasses or lorgnette (for menu-reading), or using a vintage compact and lipstick can make one stand out at the dinner table as well.

You don’t have to be a size 2 to wear the above-mentioned items, but lucky you if you are! “Wiggle dresses” are all the rage now, but sadly, I have a bit too much “wiggle” to wear those vintage dresses. That is why I specifically concentrate on outerwear and accessories to satisfy my vintage appetite.

A lorgnette with chain.

As far as knowing what to “collect,” do your homework and look, look, look BEFORE you buy. True collectibles will be clearly indicative of an era, such as the sharp shoulders and fitted silhouette of the 1940’s, the swing coat of the 1950’s, the ring collar of the 1960’s, all things that will make people recognize that what you have is truly vintage and prompt them to say, “they don’t make ’em like that anymore!” You may see an item you like, then discover that it’s everywhere and not really unique, so don’t make impulse buys unless your gut tells you it’s special. If you buy everything you see that you like, you will end up with a lot of very ordinary things and not have money for the big special one that is probably around the next corner.

Everybody wants a bargain, and sometimes you will hit the jackpot and pay next to nothing for something fabulous, but there are times when you will understand that a high price must be paid for the uniqueness of an item in mint condition. If it makes you feel like a star when you put it on, fits like it was made for you and makes the other people around you say “OMG,” you MUST buy it! There are times to bargain and times when you should just pay, grab it and run before somebody else does.

Lastly, people ask WHY we should wear/collect vintage clothing. I think that by acquiring and caring for a vintage item, we honor the person who carefully kept the beautiful treasure for so many years. For me, there is a sadness as well as happiness in collecting these things. I always silently apologize to the original owner for taking her precious things, but then I promise in my heart that I will guard and care for her treasures and show the world the beauty of the past by wearing and using them. Vintage clothing is history, and we must study it, collect it, and never forget it.

Sharon Maxwell-Yamamoto is a Worthologist who specializes in vintage clothing and accessories.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

How Can You Tell If Decoys Are Real?

By Laura Collum

People who come in my shop look at all the decoys and often ask, “How can you tell if they are real?” Apart from the metaphysical question, what people mean by that is “are they old and were they really used as duck hunting decoys?”

There are several things to look at in dealing with decoys. But it is like dealing with any antique or collectible: First look at how they are made, and then look at the condition. In my shop, “antique” decoys were made from approximately 1890 to 1945. “New” decoys are those made after 1945.

Decoys were (and still are) used to bring wild ducks close enough to hunters to shoot. They were deployed in rivers, lakes, bays and even in fields of corn stubble. They were used in numbers depending how many the hunter could practically carry where he was going to hunt. Professional hunters used huge numbers and special boats as well. To keep them all from floating away, the decoys were joined together with rope or twine and weighted down with iron or lead weights at the ends of these so called “rigs.” So, when looking at how they are made, look for loops, nails or hooks that were used to tie them together. This would be underneath and toward the front or breast. They should also have a weight on the bottom and sometimes a keel with or without weight. If they don’t have these, do they have holes that tell of a hook, weight or keel in its past?

Decoys were made of many different woods and other materials as well. Cork and balsa were even used. Some in North Carolina were made from wood wire and canvas. But they will have hooks and weights or the indication of them. Decoys were constructed differently in different parts of the country, but that is another story.

“Antique” decoys were painted with oil-based paint; many times just house paint. Latex or rubber-based paint came along much later. They were painted in large blocks of color or painted finely with every feather delineated. It was up to the maker. So, take a look at the condition of the decoy. Does it show use? Was it hit with lead shot, banged up from being thrown about, chewed on by a Lab puppy? Is it in perfect condition? If it was ever shot over it will show some signs of wear. And if not shot over, it will still exhibit patina.

So, is it a real decoy? This information will help you decide. Also, talk to the dealer. Ask questions. Dealers love to talk about their stuff! Find books on the subject and read up. Look at the pictures as well; get to know the shapes, paint jobs, the gestalt of decoys. But most important if you are looking to collect, have fun!

Laura Collum is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in decoys, nautical and scientific instruments.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

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WorthPoint is pleased to partner with our sister company, GoAntiques, to inform and educate people about the diverse world of antiques and collectibles. In this video, Jim Kamnikar talks with Dave Crockett of Artifacts Antiques about what sets a painting apart and what to look for to determine its value.

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Evaluations are only as good as the information provided

It is extremely important members provide as much information as possible about their item. Clear photographs and descriptions of items will greatly aid in a more thorough response from our Worthologists. Here are a few pointers:

When taking pictures of your items make sure you capture the following views:

1) Front and rear

2) Top and bottom

3) Detailed photos of marks, signatures etc.

When writing the description of your item be sure to include the following:

1) Detailed description of the item, including colors, dimensions etc.

2) Assessment on condition, including any cracks, chips, tears, missing pieces etc. Also note if the item is operational (where applicable).

3) For artwork, type of material (canvas, paper, academy board, wood panel, etc.) on which the art was done.

4) History or background of the item, to the extent known.

When we think of community most of us think small. We tend to include in that equation, our town, parish or township. It might be even that we think statewide. Few of us think globally.

WorthPoint does.

WorthPoint not only offers a venue for collectors to meet, exchange ideas, ask questions and receive expert advice, but, in this case, gave a small-town community center hands-on know-how.

A month ago, I received a telephone call from Bill Leinbach, a board member of the Birdsboro (Pa.) Community Center (BCC). He had gotten my number through my mother, who still lives near that small community. Mr. Leinbach was seeking advice regarding the possible sale of a historic item. The item in question was a unique Mark Bird Hopewell Furnace six-plate stove, dated 1772, belonging to the Birdsboro Community Center and on loan to the Hopewell Furnace National Site, which is part of the National Park Service.

Sacrifice sale

Mr. Leinbach said the community center needed to sell the stove to raise funds for property upkeep and maintenance. This was a sacrifice sale, a step they did not wish to take. He went on to say that the stove had been on tour with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the ’90’s and was exhibited in New York and Los Angeles.

At the completion of the tour, the curator of the Met’s Department of American Arts suggested a possible figure should the community center, at some point, consider selling it. The Met representative let it be known, conversationally, that the museum might be interested in buying the stove. This is usually how deals in the fine-arts and antiques world get started. Many years later, the Birdsboro Community Center was ready to reconsider the offer and possibly open a dialogue.

The process begins

I invited Thom Pattie, WorthPoint’s chief Worthologist, to look at the stove with me. Thom and I were brought in as experts, appraisers and also as potential WorthPoint brokers. As brokers, a WorthPoint service that demystifies the selling process to an auction house by doing all the contractual-detail negotiation, we had already discussed WorthPoint partner auction houses we thought were best suited to handle a piece of this importance.

Why, you might ask, is this stove important? It was produced by one of the oldest foundries on the East Coast, a foundry that not only manufactured some of the most cutting-edge heating devices of its day but also made cannonballs for the American Revolution. The stove is considered the oldest, intact example of its kind in existence.

Stove’s condition?

We arrived at the Hopewell Furnace National Site and were met by the curator of the collection, Rebecca Ross, and preceded to examine the stove. It was, more or less, in pristine condition. The original door to the stove may have been replaced, a turning-screw fastening was replaced, but the fastening reproduction piece was excellent. The base of the stove, the ornate legs that the stove stands on which is a cast piece separate from the stove, had been replaced. No problem.

The stove was wonderful, decorative and an excellent example of state-of-the-art 18th-century design. Our curator confirmed that the base on which it sat was not original to the stove but would convey should the BCC decide to sell the piece. This was good news.

On our way back to Virginia, Thom and I were excited by the prospect of brokering such a piece and established, as we drove, that the value estimate at auction should be set at a reserve of $25,000. A reserve means that bidding on the piece would be contracted to start at, or slightly below, the estimate and could not be sold for less than that amount.

Local group wants stove to stay local

It is important to mention, as we were later to find out, that an interested party within the Hopewell community had recently offered, when the news that the stove was going on the market, $10,000. These funds would be from private and state-park funds. The offer was made so that the stove would remain at the Hopewell museum and become the property of the Friends of Hopewell. The offer was based on the value listed for insurance obtained by the Met when it shipped the stove in the ’90s.

We told Mr. Leinbach not to consider the offer as the stove was worth considerably more than that and to bear in mind that the Metropolitan Museum had suggested a value of twice as much. I thought that, barring a bidding war, the piece would go for at auction at around $40,000.

We received a call halfway back to Virginia from the curator of the Hopewell museum saying that she was in error about the stove’s base. It had been supplied by the state park system and would not be conveyed.

Stove can go, base must stay

But, I offered, reproducing the conversation that we had had earlier in the day, you said that it would convey, it not being original to the stove, and that the museum would not have any use for it as it was probably not produced by the Hopewell Furnace. She apologized for her error and remained implacable.

Seeing that the conversation would not bear fruit and that we would not ultimately get the stove with the reproduction base, I thanked her for her call and left it at that. Let me explain what the intricacies, should the Hopewell/state park system decide to part with the base, entail. It begins at the state-park level and proceeds through all the state parks in the U.S. If the base isn’t wanted by any park, the process then moves to the federal-park level.

Should the federal parks not want it, the state park then would bring in an independent appraiser to assess the value of the base. Then and only then, at the discretion of the state park, would the decision be made to deaccess (removing it from the museum’s collection through a sale) the piece.

Was the Met still interested?

Thom and I were neither impressed nor too disappointed, though we flagged a bit at that point. So we’ll just find a base or have a reproduction made, we thought. It became a personal mission, at that point, to help the BCC.

We began making calls looking for foundries that would make the base on a “cost” basis or would defray upfront costs until the stove was sold so as not to put additional strain on the BCC’s limited funds. I also let the Metropolitan Museum know that the BCC was interested in selling, asking whether the museum was in a position to make an offer on the stove.

This ignited calls from the museum to Mr. Leinbach and follow-up calls to me. The museum was, indeed, interested and would be making an offer. I informed the Met representatives of the auction-reserve price Thom and I suggested and our projected sale price being in the $40,000 neighborhood.

I also asked if the Metropolitan Museum had any issue with the Hopewell museum making a reproduction of the stove. Knowing that this was hardship sale for the BBC, a copy in the Hopewell Museum would be, almost, as good as having the original. This reproduction could have made out of resin and simulated to look like the original. The Met had no problem with that.

Met makes offer

The Metropolitan Museum came back to the BCC that week with an offer of $40,0000. Thom and I discussed it and agreed, though disappointed that we would not be brokering the piece, it was a good price, and the BCC should consider accepting it. We speculated that the piece might go for a higher price at auction and certainly the Met’s offer would generate interest from other parties.

I told the BBC about this possibility and waited for the board’s decision. It decided to accept the Met’s offer and not take the risk at auction. It was a good decision, and we were happy to be a part of the experience and to be closely connected with a piece of such importance. We were also pleased that its new home would be the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which houses one of the foremost collections of Americana in the world.

The dice is back in play

Just when you think a sale or transaction is neatly wrapped up, it isn’t. I received a telephone call from Mr. Leinbach. He informed me that Friends of Hopewell had made a formal offer to the community center of—you guessed it—$40,000. This would mean that the center would get the asking price, and the stove would not be leaving the Hopewell Museum, which made the board of directors of the community center happy.

It looked, according to Mr. Leinbach, that the board of directors would strongly consider accepting the offer. Having gotten my feet wet many years ago buying, selling, negotiating for clients, I said that it was important to contact the Met and tell them of the offer and that the board was considering it. The board had not received anything that could be considered binding from the Met, contractually or monetarily, and therefore was not obligated one way or the other.

I also pointed out that the Met might add an incentive to its offer and that the community center should be prepared for that possibility. Mr. Leinbach assured me that the board did not want a bidding war. Nevertheless, I suggested, be prepared if they do.

To date, that’s where it hangs. I am frankly waiting for the next shoe to drop and feel, in a sixth-sense way, that WorthPoint is not done with this yet.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

Antique Furniture Glass – Is It Original?

By Fred Taylor

A question that invariably pops up during the examination of an older or antique piece of furniture is: “Is that the original glass?” It’s relatively easy to determine if a piece has been refinished—it lacks the normal wear and tear evident on an old finish. And it’s also easy to determine if a piece has been re upholstered. New fabric, new stuffing and new gimp are undeniable in appearance and smell. Even well done wood repairs can be detected with an exacting enough inspection, but how can you tell about glass? After all, glass is glass isn’t it? And it doesn’t wear with age, doesn’t smell when its new and you can’t repair it, so how can you tell?

Actually there are two basic inspection techniques you can use to determine if a piece of glass, or a mirror for that matter, has been replaced. The first technique looks at the support structure around the glass and the second looks at the glass itself.

Glass incorporated into a piece of furniture has to be supported and attached in some manner. The most common method of securing clear window glass in a cabinet is with wooden strips nailed into the case or door frame that hold the glass in place. In older furniture these wooden strips are very often brittle and can tell you if they may have been removed to replace the glass. Carefully inspect the strips for signs of removal which might include indentations left by the screwdriver or knife used to pry the strips from their original home. Also look for jagged breaks in longer strips that may indicate some rough use somewhere along the line. Lastly, look for a second set of nail holes in the strips. Very often a good repair person will put the original nails back in the original holes but sometimes that can’t be done for a variety of reasons and new nails in new holes have to be installed. These will be obvious with a close, critical look.

Another, older method of securing glass in place is with the use of original muntins, not to be confused with the plywood cutouts of the same name used in 20th century reproductions. Original muntins are strips of wood which surround a piece of glass in the center of a door and hold several individual pieces of glass in place to make a glass paneled door. Usually the glass is held to the muntins with a tiny headless nail and then the exposed edge of the muntin is covered in putty or glazing material. Look for signs of new putty around the muntins and tools marks in the surrounding areas, indicating the nails may have been removed and replaced.

Checking for original mirrors is usually even easier than looking for new clear glass. Most mirrors have a backing material of some sort over the frame in the rear. It may be just paper glued over the frame or it may be wood. If the old paper has been replaced you know right away that there is a good chance the old mirror has been replaced also. If the back panel is wood make sure it is consistent with the purported age of the frame. For example, a mid 19th century mirror will not originally have had a plywood back panel. It should have a solid board or several boards nailed in place to make the panel. Again, the nails are important. Mid-19th century nails are different from mid-20th century nails, so new nails are a big clue. So are the nail holes. A second set of holes or holes of the wrong shape or size could mean the panel has been removed and the mirror replaced or resilvered.

Then take a look at how the mirror itself is held in place in the frame. Most older mirrors are held in by triangular-shaped blocks, which were glued in place with the point of the triangle facing in toward the frame and the base of the triangle sticking out toward the back panel. Look for evidence of the blocks having been moved and reglued or renailed. Many repair people, professional and amateur alike, will not even fool with the old triangular glue blocks. They just cut square blocks and nail them in or use modern metal glazier’s points, flat, diamond shaped pieces of metal driven into the frame so that it hold the glass in tightly. Flat metal glazier’s points are 20th century technology, so they cannot be original to a 19th century mirror.

Finally, examine the glass itself. Make sure it is consistent with other glass in the piece if there is any and see if it matches the glass in other pieces from the same period. Keys points to compare are the color, is it clear or does it have a greenish tint, the number of seeds or imperfections and the clarity of individual panes of glass. Different glass-making techniques from different periods leave their own distinctive patterns of distortion in the glass, and if you know the patterns you can tell the age, more or less, of the glass.

Glass made prior to the 19th century was called crown glass, made by spinning a disk of molten glass until it was more or less flat. Crown glass has a circular swirl pattern in it from the spinning motion. Glass from the 19th century was mostly cylinder glass, made by swinging a blown bubble of molten glass rather than spinning it. Swinging the glass produced a cylinder which was cooled, scored down one side and reheated. As it reheated it laid itself out in more or less flat sheet. Cylinder glass has an evenly distributed mottled, dimply distortion pattern. Early 20th-century glass was pulled from the kiln and passed between iron rollers to flatten it. That produced the parallel wavy lines of distortion in old clear glass. Perfectly flat glass (within 1/25,000 of an inch) was perfected in the late 1950′s by pouring molten glass on a still bed of molten tin. This is called “fire polished” glass and is the most prevalent today.

If you are downsizing, or inheriting an estate or just want to sell your art, collectibles or antiques – where can you go to get accurate, straight forward, unbiased information and expert help? In this video, WorthPoint’s Chief Worthologist explains the key steps in WorthPoint’s Estate Advisor Service and why it is one service you can trust.WorthPoint – Get the most from your antiques and collectibles.

The grading of sports cards has become a widely accepted method for verifying a card’s condition and authenticity. Grading was first introduced to the hobby in 1991 by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) of Newport Beach, Calif. PSA is a company spun off from Professional Coin Grading Service. It was first thought having an independent firm grading sports cards would do more damage to the hobby than help. However, by now, many have found it to be the basis for trading all sports cards of value.

To grade a card, you send it to a third-party company for authentication and state its condition. This company does not buy or sell cards as a business and is independent and credible.

Grading has many aspects. If any type of alteration to a card is evident, the card will be either rejected or placed in a holder without a number grade. In the second case, it will be noted that while authentic, there is “evidence of trimming,” that it has been “altered” or something similar. Unlike other hobbies, where cleaning or restoration of the collectible is widely accepted, in the sports card area, there is no allowance for any type of modification to a card. It must be exactly as issued to be graded.

The sports card industry has four accepted grading companies and in order of recognition, are usually ranked PSA first, then Sportscard Guaranty (SGC), Global Authentication Inc. (GAI) and Beckett. All are independent companies that strictly grade and authenticate sports cards, other types of cards and sports memorabilia. PSA is the oldest and most widely known. They are experts in all areas of the field, but it is SGC that is widely recognized for its special expertise in 19th-century cards and collectibles. This isn’t saying the other companies aren’t good, but SGC is considered by many to be the most knowledgeable in 19th-century material. Beckett is popular for grading newer (1980-present) sports cards, and GAI is very reputable in all areas.

These companies vary in their philosophy, history and approach. PSA was the first on the market. Many people collect just PSA cards, so the company has that edge. Beckett was the first to use true half-point grading ranging from 1-10 and is one of the last to enter the grading market. New card collectors seem to like the half-point grading. SGC uses a 1-100 scale that is equal to the half-point system, though I just feel it took people a while to get use to that system, thus giving Beckett the edge in new-card gradings. PSA, because of its longevity, and GAI have strong expertise in pre-1969 cards. To go one further, if choosing 19th-century cards, SGC would be first, PSA second, GAI third and Beckett fourth.

Grading a card can add great value to your collectible. At first, most people assume that one would grade just the star players, such as Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and so on, but there is great potential for grading the common players in each set, too. Each of these companies have what they call a set registry. Collectors can register their sets and compete against others for top spots (highest-graded cards) in each year. Card sets have been produced since the late 1800s, so collecting everything would be extremely expensive. Some collectors pick a year and set out to get the best card in that set.

How does grading increase sports card value?

You may ask how can a card increase significantly if graded? Well, with all the online auctions, major auction houses and very strong prices of rare sports memorabilia and cards, third-party grading gives buyers confidence that they are getting what they are paying for. I notice a significant difference in prices realized when selling a graded card in comparison to a similar ungraded card. The reason, I think, for grading midgrade cards is that cards on a 1-10 scale will grade 3-6 because a buyer doesn’t have the card in front of him or her when bidding. But if the card is graded a 5 by a reputable company, the bidder would know what to expect condition wise and be confident there are no hidden faults with the card. In other words, peace of mind is usually why cards in these grades bring higher money at auction.

Meanwhile, for cards graded 7-9, especially 8s and 9s of cards pre-1969, the card grade adds value in that the buyers know they are not only getting a high-quality card, they are also buying cards that are considered investment grade and have potential to increase in value.

Cards graded 9 and 10 bring top prices because they are usually the best of the best and the population (another factor in prices) is very low. The population is the number of cards in a particular grade in comparison to all the cards being graded. One example is if there are 2,000 of a certain card graded, and there are 3 graded 9 and 2 graded 10 and the rest are 8.5 and lower. When a 9 goes up for auction, it is not only being sought after by investors, but by people seeking to get the highest graded for their set in that year.

Ultimately, though, it comes down to supply and demand. I have seen common players from 1955 (and many other years) that would have a value of $15 if not graded, sell for as high as $4,000 graded as a 9 or 10. It isn’t because the producer made fewer such cards, it is just because getting one in a high grade is very difficult.

The most popular example of this I can use is a 1952 Topps Andy Pafko, card #1. Usually cards #1 and the last card of a set are tough to find in good condition because they are damaged from being on the top or bottom of a pile, have rubber-band marks and so forth. This particular card is worth about $500 in midgrade condition, and if graded up to the equivalent of a 4.5 grade, would sell for about the same price of $500. It’s when you get into high-grade examples that the price soars. Recently, this particular card graded an 8 sold for $81,000. It is a tough card in high grade, and set collectors along with investors are aggressively after it.

There are many cards that sell for 20-100 times their value when graded and in high grade. I could list hundreds of cards, but the main factors in determining high values for cards of players that aren’t major stars is the population of the card in the grade desired, along with the number of people collecting that set or player. You can have a very low-population card in high grade that won’t necessarily get a very high price if the set the card is from is one that is not popular with collectors. In that case, even though there is a low supply, there is just as low, if not lower, demand for it.

Again, while many star players in high grade bring high prices, it isn’t just the major stars that are increased in value by grading. The same is true for many common player cards. As with all hobbies and investments, investing in sports cards should be thoroughly researched before jumping in with two feet. Pick the areas of collecting and having your cards graded that suit your needs and desires.

Grading has many variables

To sum it all up, grading has many variables—the card, population of the card once graded and credibility of the grading company. I am not saying any one company is better than any other. Still, overall results show that if you take a pre-1970 card in the same grade but in the four different holders, chances are the PSA would get the highest price, SGC second highest, GAI third and Beckett fourth. Meanwhile, on post-1970 cards, it would be a close call between PSA and Beckett for top prices, SGC would be next and GAI last. I think this is just a matter of grader preference.

I have included pictures of miscellaneous cards that have been graded by the top four grading companies so that you can see what they look like in the various holders. There are more than these four companies, but the value of other companies’ high grades in comparison to these vary greatly. These four are considered the most credible companies in the industry. So saving a couple bucks and getting cards graded elsewhere will reflect greatly on the prices you can realize.

I noted the ratings by era not to confuse people but to show the different types of collectors and their preferences. This is an arbitrary rating, but I feel most would agree with the order I placed them by era.

While grading your cards can greatly increase your collection value and give it much more appeal to a potential buyer, it can also be very costly if you don’t get the grades you expect. So as noted above, proceed with caution, and always consult a professional for assistance so you don’t end up spending money on grading and not get any benefit from the service.

Patina is a natural surface tint which occurs on many objects of age. Most collectors consider patina desirable, and will pay more for an object with authentic patina.

Ivory items naturally turn slight yellow [Image #1 - Vintage whale teeth] to golden yellow [Image #2 - Antique whale tooth] through exposure to sunlight, handling (absorption of skin oil), room smoke [Image #3 - Tabua], etc. Mammoth & Mastodon tusk sections have a dark brown patina from being buried in the ground for thousands of years. Authentic patina can penetrate quite deeply into the ivory [Image #4 - Mammoth scrimshaw].

Copper, silver, bronze, tin, and other soft metal items can also gain patina with age. This is usually a type of surface oxidation caused by human handling [Image #5 - coins] & [Image #6 - silver service], exposure to air [Image #7 - outdoor bronze statue] & [Image #8 - outdoor copper statue], or submerged in the sea [Image #9 - bronze cannon].

Iron & steel can also display a decorative dark patina color from being buried in the ground [Image #10 -cannon ball]. Usually though, iron corrosion is the undesirable brown/orange rust that continues to eat-away, and may eventually destroy that item [Image #11 - rusty chain].

Stone items can also acquire patina through burial [Image #12 - arrowhead], and atmospheric exposure [Image #13 - Stonehenge].

Patina on glass items is a special case, as the amount & color can be directly related to the glass formula, length of burial, etc. [Image #18 - glass bottle]. Worthologist Bill Lindsey has written an inclusive WorthPoint article about this subject, entitled Patination and Historic Bottles.

ALL of these types of patina can be faked through the use of dyes & washes [Image #14 - faux patina tooth], or through intentional exposure of metal items in slightly acidic solutions [Image #15 - modern weather vane]. Sometimes this is obvious, and sometimes it takes a well-trained eye to reveal the forged age. For this reason, many collectors like to view items with patina intact. Patina can be a measure of age, as well as an indicator of authenticity, or NOT.

Grime, dirt, transferred oxidation, etc., are NOT patina, and are therefore not desirable. I have carefully cleaned many antique scrimshawed whale teeth, using Q-tips and denatured alcohol, to remove grime from a hundred years of handling. Natural patina is NOT effected, and the scrimshawed image can become more obvious against the naturally patina-colored background. Care must be taken to not disturb the antique ink used to accent the scribed design [Image #16 - sea turtle shell].

I have also used a clean cotton cloth with a touch of “Silvo” paste, to slightly surface-clean antique silver jewelry to reveal the natural color of the metal, and to enhance the engraved design. The residue is then buffed-off with another clean cloth. Immersion into a liquid cleaning solution will remove all of the oxidation, even in the engraving. This may be desirable for contemporary silverware & silver service in use, but usually not desirable for show pieces, like antique silver service, candlesticks, jewelry, picture frames, etc. [Image #17 - antique Sterling silver].

Remember, it is easy to clean “just a bit more”, but impossible to “undo” removed patina.

One of the first things to be looked at when trying to determine the age of a piece of older or antique furniture is the type of joinery used in its construction. Knowing the history of the technology of various periods goes a long way toward explaining clues about the age of furniture, and none is more important (or accessible) than the type of joint used to secure a drawer.

Mostly what we see are dovetails of a sort. The interlocking dovetail joint came into general use in the William and Mary period in the late 1600s and very early 1700s, and for the first time, allowed the construction of reliable drawers, a device with extremely limited use or convenience until then. Before this innovation, most furniture consisted of simple boxes called coffers or some type of open-shelving arrangement and cabinets with shelves behind doors, such as the old court cupboard.

Dovetail drawback

As useful as the dovetail joint started out to be, it did have a serious drawback—it was hard to make by hand, and of course, everything of that period was made by hand. By the end of the 18th century, some progress had been made in furniture technology. Rotary saws were on the horizon, and all nails were no longer made one at a time by a blacksmith. The early 1800s saw lots of advancement in woodworking machinery, and by the Civil War, mechanized furniture factories were on line, but the dovetail drawer joint was still a holdup.

While the joint had been refined and perfected, it was still too difficult to be made by a machine. Some progress had been made by the use of jigs to help guide the hand-powered saws in their cutting, but essentially, the dovetail was the last holdout of handwork in a machine era.

Several inventors were hard at work on the problem in the 1860s, and most concentrated on trying to duplicate the handmade dovetail using a machine—that is until Mr. Charles B. Knapp of Waterloo, Wis., applied himself to the task. He did some creative thinking and solved the problem not by duplicating the dovetail joint but by inventing another type of joint entirely that was at least as good as the dovetail and could be made by machinery.

The joint he came up with has several colloquial names—scallop and dowel, pin and scallop, half-moon—and all describe the new joint, which looks like a peg in a half-circle on the side of a drawer. If you look at much old furniture, you undoubtedly have seen this unusual-looking arrangement and wondered what the heck it was. Now you know—it is a Knapp joint.

In real life, the Knapp joint is often obscured by wear and dirt on the drawer sides.

And knowing that, you also get some very valuable information about the age of the piece on which you saw the joint. Mr. Knapp patented his first joint-making machine in 1867. In 1870, he sold the rights to an improved version of the patented machine to a group of investors who formed the Knapp Dovetailing Co. in Northampton, Mass. The investors proceeded to make further refinements in the machine and actually put it into production in a factory in 1871 where it proved to be a technological miracle. Where a skilled cabinetmaker could turn out 15 or 20 complete drawers a day—on a really good day—the machine, on any day, could turn out 200 or more and work more than one shift if required. The drawer department had finally caught up with the rest of the factory.

By the mid-1870s, the great factories were in full swing turning out late-Victorian creations consisting mostly of Renaissance Revival and Eastlake furniture. While not all the great factories used the Knapp machine, particularly those of Grand Rapids, Mich., most of the Eastern factories and other mid-Western areas were faithful customers of the Knapp company. Over time, maintenance on the machines became a chore, but they were still a better alternative to handwork.

In the late 1800s, the Knapp joint was commonly found in the less-expensive version of the Renaissance Revival style called “Cottage Renaissance.” These pieces were made of inexpensive lumber and were cheaply decorated and finished.

At the very height of its greatest popularity and use, the death knell of the Knapp joint was being sounded by a new movement afoot in the furniture-design industry, and it had nothing to do with the soundness or the economy of the joint. Like so many things, its demise turned on sentiment.

That sentiment was the beginning of the Colonial Revival—the resurrection of things in style during the era of the founding of our country. And a round, technical-looking, obviously machine-made drawer joint just did not fit that image. At about the same time, machinery that did simulate the handmade dovetail was perfected, and by 1900, the Knapp joint had almost completely disappeared from the American furniture scene.

So now you know that a piece of antique furniture with those odd little drawer joints was made between 1871 and around 1905 without a doubt.

Mexico’s tradition of magnificent silverwork dates as far back as the 1530s. Mexico has abundant deposits of precious metals, so it was natural that a thriving jewelry and hollowware market would evolve there. But establishing authenticity, purity and age – especially for vintage and antique pieces – can be challenging.

Silver hallmarks stamped on a piece are supposed to signify a certain minimum purity – i.e. .925 and higher – and indicate that taxes and duties had been paid on the materials. Precious metals are linked to the currency reserves in many nations, so it’s imperative that nations keep a running inventory of available resources and an accounting of what’s been used. This process has been followed in Great Britain and France since the 14th century, and hallmarks can be used to accurately date silver pieces from there. However, these standards have not been strictly enforced in Mexico – or in the U.S. for that matter.

Since the 16th Century, this duty mark has been the image of the Mexican eagle. It often was referred to as “El Quinto Real,” or the one-fifth of the value of the silver used in the piece that was paid as taxes.

During the first half of the 20th century, the eagle disappeared. Mexican silver was generically marked with a SILVER or STERLING stamp.

The use of a newly-designed Mexican Eagle silver mark with outstretched wings appeared in 1948. It was meant to strictly represent a minimum of .925 silver content, but this was not always enforced. It also was used in association with specific numbers to indicate a manufacturer. There are numerous lists available online and in reference books to help you trace specific makers.

From 1955-80, the shape of the Mexican Eagle silver mark became more abstract, almost triangular. (See photo.) These marks were also assigned a specific number corresponding to a maker or the location.

Since 1980, the official notation is a registration code. The first letter denotes the location, the second denotes the workshop and the number denotes the actual silversmith. For example, MT-01 would indicate Mexico City, Tane (a famous workshop) and the person who registered it. Many studios also stamp a separate trademark or logo to help establish authenticity.

Alex and Elizabeth are WorthPoint Worthologists.

Identifying porcelain is more than just “reading” a mark. It involves careful consideration of many elements to confirm correct age and authenticity.

There are thousands of Porcelain marks and even experienced collectors and antiques dealers can have difficulty in determining whether an item is new, and avoid costly mistakes.

There has been a huge influx of porcelain items recently – mostly figurines and other decorative porcelain objects. Many are high quality and may be better for decorative purposes, but they are not antique. The vast majority of these products come from China, or Asia generally. Some have stickers or labels and many are marked with what appear to be older European or American marks and do not carry a country of origin mark. However, many of the new marks are so similar to authentic antique marks that distinguishing them requires a more detailed look.

Luckily, there are some additional ways to recognize most forged or imitation porcelain marks. Here are some tips:

• Examine the mark around the edges using a magnifying lens. If the mark appears too perfect and applied using an industrial machine, then the mark probably is recent. Most items made prior to 1950 had their marks applied by hand, so these stamps would wear out over time, or the firmness with which they were applied varied from worker to worker. Older porcelain marks are not as clear or sharp at the edges.

• Recent porcelain marks are close imitations of older authentic marks used by Meissen, Sevres, Chantilly, English Staffordshire Potteries (usually Coats of Arms or Crests), Gardner, etc… They almost always differ in one or two minor details from the old marks, such as the endings do not curl the same or have symbols that are obscure or out of scale. Although some older authentic antique marks were applied in free-hand style using an artist’s thin brush, the difference is still apparent once you have seen several examples of the original mark.

• Modern imitation porcelain marks often intentionally misspell words, such as “SEVRE” instead of “SEVRES” or “STAFORDSHIRE” instead of “STAFFORDHIRE.” Compare the name you read with the authentic one by running a quick search on Google or eBay.

• Typically, newer porcelain marks are larger than the originals. Older porcelain marks rarely exceed 1 – 1.5 inches.

• Because “china” also refers to dinnerware (as in “chinaware”), many newer porcelain marks include the word CHINA in the mark. For example, “IRONSTONE CHINA” helps to comply with the country of origin laws but also confuses a collector in thinking that this is part of the original company name. Many marks of older potteries included the word CHINA as part of their trademark.

• The universal symbol for “copyright” usually is the letter C enclosed in a circle. This did not exist before the 20th century. If a mark looks similar to an older or antique porcelain mark and also has this copyright symbol, it is a new imitation mark.

• Although there were a handful of companies that used the words VICTORIA” or “VICTORIAN” within their logo or as a name of a pattern, the words often are used in newer, imitation porcelain marks.

• Items made for export to the U.S. after 1891 must declare the country of origin. Older items usually include the country of origin as part of their overall trademark, or the name of the country – “Germany” or “England”, “France” etc.. – appears near the actual maker’s porcelain mark. Many recent Asian imports bypass this legal requirement by using a sticker or label, which is often removed or lost.

• Most antique porcelain shows tiny cracks in the glaze called “crazing,” especially on Earthenware or old glazed Chinaware that has been used extensively. New pieces exhibit similar crazing, but the lines appear very bright and white, indicating artificial stress during firing to create this effect.

Other reliable signs of age include:

1. Older molds tend to be “tighter” with almost no seams,
2. The “blow hole,” or the tiny opening that allows air to escape from within a piece while in the kiln usually is rough and hand-pierced on antique pieces.
3. The base or foot rim of older pieces show wear and tear, feel somewhat rough to the touch or are slightly discolored.
4. Older pieces used softer, gentler colors and are not too bright. Newer pieces tend to be very “intense.”
5. The “whiteness” of older porcelain is even and bright. Recent pieces tend to appear slightly gray or bluish.

Alex and Elizabeth are WorthPoint Worthologists.

Faience pottery, also known as Fayence in France, is often used as a synonym to Majolica because of their similar appearance and use of tin glaze. Yet, most collectors distinguish Faience pottery by their characteristic polychrome (multi-colored) designs and mostly white background, whereas Majolica tends to have decoration all over along with pronounced raised decorative details (relief).

Although the earliest specimens date all the way back to 1200 BC in Greece, most Faience items found in the antiques market or many museums today are made circa 16th century onwards, and primarily in Italy, France, Holland and England. The most desired of Faience pottery originates from France, such as the Quimper, Ruen, Luneville regions, or from Italy near Turin or Savona and Florence. Of course, as with most other popular pottery or porcelain, some Faience pieces now also come from China and other Asian economies, and in spite of their decorative appeal, these are not antique.

Most antique Faience pottery was of a quasi-utilitarian nature, like jugs or plates, but with a distinct aesthetic flair. Vases and other decorative ware were also made in those older days, but many tend to be of rather regular shapes. Designs tend to be floral or geometric in nature, and some have simple depictions of pastoral scenes with one or two persons carrying farm duties.

The vast majority of antique Faience was made in small studios or by individual artists. These early pieces were signed with the artist’s initials or monogram, along with a symbol or the full name of their location. Hence, QUIMPER or other names of regions where Faience pottery was made do not reflect any actual manufacturer or maker, but rather a number of art studios or artists that worked in the area. Much later, around very-late-18th century onwards, some studios were much larger or became collectives, and some marks and signatures from that period are linked to a specific company, as in the case of the HENRIOT factory in Quimper, France.

Old Faience is very popular nowadays and can fetch high prices at auction. Because early examples were made of earthenware and, as noted above, were of utilitarian nature, many show clear signs of distress and wear such chips or cracks. However, this is to be expected and in most cases it does not detract from their value. In fact, some collectors believe it adds character to a Faience piece. This is unlike what you would expect on a Meissen porcelain figurine or a pair of Sevres urns that are usually more valuable if in perfect condition, even though they date from a similar period, since the latter were meant to be used for display only.

Please see “My Collections” for some examples. The above is by no means an exhaustive account on Faience pottery, but rather a starting point for an interesting discussion. Please feel free to contribute your own experiences with Faience to this blog.

Alex and Elizabeth are WorthPoint Worthologists.

One of the easier to identify and most consistently accurate indicators that a bottle was manufactured during or prior to the American Civil War (i.e., the 1860s or before) is the pontil scar present on the base.

A pontil mark is a variably sized and type of scar left on the base of a bottle by a pontil rod. A typical pontil rod or “punte” was a long (4-6 feet) iron rod which was securely attached to the base of the just blown hot bottle. This attachment process was called “empontilling.” The rod had to be long enough so that the heat transference from the extremely hot (2000°+ F.) bottle did not reach the hands of the pontil rod holder. A pontil rod held the bottle during the steps in the bottle blowing process where the blowpipe is removed (“cracked-off”) from the bottle and that break-off point is “finished”, i.e. the lip or “finish” is completed in some fashion, with or without additional glass. (The process of “finishing” a bottle will be the subject of a future article.)

Once the bottle is “finished,” the pontil rod itself is sharply tapped which breaks it free of the bottle. The base of a bottle which was held with a pontil rod will almost always retain some evidence of the pontil rod attachment. (For more information on the production processes of making bottles, please see my “Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website” (HBW for short) at www.sha.org/bottle/index.htm . In particular see the “Glassmaking & Glassmakers” page at www.sha.org/bottle/glassmaking.htm )

Four types of pontil scars

There were four main types of empontilling methods – all of which leave more or less distinctively different base markings. These are briefly discussed below:

1. Glass-tipped pontil scar (image #1) – This type pontil scar was formed by the use of a solid iron bar as the pontil rod. One slightly widened end of the bar was tipped with molten glass then applied and fused to the base of the bottle. A glass tipped pontil rod made contact with most – or all – of the bottle base within the confines of the diameter of the pontil rod tip. When the rod was broken free of the bottle, a generally round but fragmented scar was left behind on the base.

This is usually manifested primarily by an assortment of glass fragments protruding above the base of the bottle. See image #1 which is a mid-19th century sauce bottle. In addition, the rod would usually take with it some small glass fragments from the base of the bottle leaving a scar which is a round scattering of “bumps and gouges” without a distinctly unmarred scar center – like the blowpipe pontil scar described next.

2. Blowpipe or “open” pontil scar (image #2) – This type of pontil mark – which was also called the “ring pontil” or “open pontil” – was formed when a hollow blowpipe was used as the pontil rod. It is at least as common on American made bottles as the glass tipped pontil mark (Boow 1991). Using a blowpipe for empontilling was likely done to both save on the number of tools used by the glass blower and to save time.

When a blowpipe was used as a pontil, it left behind a distinctive ring shaped scar that is usually sharp edged, hollow in the middle, and round to slightly oval with an overall diameter that is roughly the size of the bottles upper neck. This is circumstantial proof that one blowpipe was usually used for both blowing and empontilling. Image #2 shows a very large and distinct blowpipe pontil on the base of a “Jenny Lind calabash” bottle that dates from about 1850.

3. Sand pontil scar (image #3) – The sand pontil scar was also a common method of empontilling a bottle to hold it for finishing, though less common on American made bottles than the other three primary methods described here. This mark was formed when the hot glass on the flared or ball shaped tip of a solid iron pontil rod was dipped in sand (or small glass chips) prior to application to the bottle base. The sand/glass chips were apparently intended to keep the pontil rod from adhering too closely to the bottle, facilitating easier removal.

A larger connecting surface at the end of the pontil rod was necessary with this method in order to ensure an adequate adherence to the bottle base and was of particular use with the ever increasing numbers of molded bottles during the first half of the 19th century. The sand pontil apparently conformed better than other pontil types to molded base shapes without distorting it (Jones 1971; McDougall 1990).

This type of pontil can be very subtle and hard to identify at times (it is also hard to photograph). It often must be confirmed by running ones finger over the base and feeling for the presence of a finger grabbing “sandpaper effect.” It feels and visually appears to be a generally round, sparse scattering of very fine sand, glass, or quartz grains imbedded onto and into the surface glass of the base. Some have described this as an “orange peel” effect (McDougall 1990). See image #3 which shows the base of an 1830s to 1840s patent medicine (“Health Restorative”) bottle from New York.

The sand pontil will usually (though lightly) cover a much larger diameter area on the base than typically affected by the other three empontilling methods covered here (although iron pontil marks can be wide also; see the next section). The base of a sand pontiled bottle will often show some distortion made by the red hot pontil rod ball tip/head application to the bottle base which often more or less outlines the sand pontil area. The noted image shows a sand pontil with the distortion (indented slightly) made by the pontil ball tip in evidence.

4. Iron or” improved” pontil scar (image #4) – This fascinating type of pontil mark is also referred to as simply an “iron pontil” or “improved pontil.” It is also commonly referred to as a “graphite pontil.” This is erroneous as there is no graphite (carbon) associated with any improved or iron pontil mark. Apparently the term originated from the fact that the substance often looks like a graphite smear. In actuality, the residual red, reddish black, gray, or black deposits are iron, typically oxidized iron – ferric (red) and ferrous (gray, black) oxides (Toulouse 1968; McKearin & Wilson 1978).

The iron pontil scar is the result of using a bare iron pontil rod with an appropriate shaped tip or head which was heated red hot and directly applied and fused to the base of the bottle to be held. There was no glass added (like the glass-tipped pontil rod) or remaining (like using the blowpipe for a pontil) on the iron tip of this type pontil rod.

Like the other pontil rod types, this one was probably removed by sharply tapping the rod near the attachment point. The iron deposits which form the iron pontil mark are very small fragments or residue from the tip of the bare iron pontil rod itself. Image #4 is of a “gothic peppersauce” bottle from the 1850s with a classic dark gray iron pontil mark.

For more detailed information on the fascinating world of pontil marks or scars – including many more images and illustrations – check out the “Pontil Scars” page of my Historic Bottle Website at www.sha.org/bottle/pontil_scars.htm

Dating bottles with pontil scars

Pontil rods and the resultant pontil scars go back to antiquity, having been used for bottle making as early as Roman times (McKearin 1941). All of the different pontil scars noted can be found on American made utilitarian bottles that date to or before the American Civil War (mid-1860s). Pontil scars on all types of “utilitarian bottles” (discussed below) became ever increasingly unusual as the 1860s progressed and largely disappeared by the late 1860s or early 1870s as various “snap” or snap case tools dominated the task of grasping the hot bottle for finishing.

However, the transition time for conversion from the pontil rod to the snap case was lengthy. The first use of the grasping snap tool in the United States may have been in the 1840s, but its use was definitely evident by at least the early 1850s. Thus, utilitarian bottles without a pontil scar can date as early as the late 1840s to early 1850s (though rarely earlier) and pontil scars can be found – though very infrequently – on utilitarian bottles made in the late 1860s and even early 1870s

More specifically, glass tipped, blowpipe, and sand pontil marks may all be found on most all bottles dating well before bottles were even made in any quantity in the New World, i.e. before the late 18th century, and continued to be common on a large majority of bottles up until the American Civil War. Some utilitarian bottles (though a relatively small percentage) were still being produced with these pontil marks as late as the early 1870s. After that time, those types of pontil scars are very unusual and related mostly to the production of low volume “specialty” bottles (e.g., fancy liquor decanters, barber bottles).

The bare iron pontil apparently had a fairly narrow lifespan as the majority of these bottles date between about 1845 and the mid-1860s, though they can be as early as 1830s and possibly as late as the early 1870s. They are particularly common on mid-19th century soda/mineral water bottles but can be found on a wide variety of bottle types (Toulouse 1968; Watson & Skrill 1971; McKearin & Wilson 1978; Cannon 1990; Boow 1991; Van den Bossche 2001).

Pontil scars and bottle values

It is very simple to summarize the impact of pontil scars on historic bottles: pontil scars of all types enhance the value of a bottle almost without exception (and I can’t think of any exceptions). The attraction of pontil scars/marks to collectors is largely connected with the fact that the mark proves a Civil War (or earlier) heritage and is a visual, physical connection of that bottle with the primitive, craft based bottle manufacturing methods of old.

As an example of how a pontil mark affects value, consider a “Hostetter’s Stomach Bitters” bottle – one of the most common bitters bottles made during the last half of the 19th century — which may be worth $10 to $500 depending on color (plain ambers at the lower end; various shades of green – like image #5 – or black glass at the upper end of the scale). However, if that same Hostetter’s bottle has a distinct iron pontil scar the value increases at least 10-fold! (Pontiled Hostetter’s bottles are extremely rare, but do exist.) Although the spread in value usually isn’t that great, most bottles are worth significantly more if the base exhibits a pontil scar than if it does not and is “smooth” to use collector jargon.

To view the references noted in this article view the HBW “References” page at www.sha.org/bottle/References.htm
For viewers unfamiliar with some of the terminology used in the descriptions, please see the HBW “Bottle Glossary” page at www.sha.org/bottle/glossary.htm

When collecting autographs, it is better to collect letters and documents and avoid clipped signatures (signatures that were cut from letters or documents). First, there is nothing historical about a clip, and Secondly, it is very hard to properly authenticate a clipped signature. Go for letters and documents and other “larger” items. Of course, a good number of letters and documents either have secretarial, autpen or printed/stamped signatures. A good rule of thumb is the routineness of the item, the time period and the author.

Sounds like a tall order? Not really. All fields, be it collectible, even investment vehicles (like the stock market) require either the consumer being the expert in the field (through learning) or entrusting that expertise to one who has been in the field for a long time.

I have been dealing and collecting in this field over 20 years and I still learn everyday……..find it exciting, too!!

When collecting, especially in the beginning, start small, READ (buy all the refernce books you can get your hands on!!). Also, know your dealer and his references!