Cats are favored over dogs when it comes to collecting. Those whodevote sales to paintings, figurines and other depictions of animalsfind that sales are better for cats, then dogs, then horses, thenchickens and roosters, followed by pigs and maybe frogs. But birdsare probably the most popular of all.
Emile Galle (1846-1904) is best known as a maker of cameo glass.He opened his own factory in Nancy, France, in 1873 and made cameoglass, enamel-decorated glass and art glass in the art nouveaustyle. But he also made unusual pottery from about 1874 to 1904.
Galle pottery is not as well-known as Galle glass, and it israre. Collectors today like all Galle pottery, but most intriguingare his many figures of cats, each about 10 inches long.
The cats have human expressions and are decorated with flowersand other designs. The cats sell today for more than $500 if inperfect condition.
Q: I have a J.K. Rishel Furniture Co. desk that must be more than50 years old. Please give me some information about the company.
A: The J.K. Rishel Furniture Co. was founded in Hughesville, Pa.,in the late 1800s. By the early 1900s, the company was headquarteredin Williamsport, Pa. Rishel continued making furniture until atleast the mid-20th century. Some Rishel pieces, particularly those100 years old or more, sell for thousands of dollars. Pieces fromthe mid-1900s attract less interest and much lower prices.
Q: I have a strange metal "picture" made with bullet holes. Ihave heard that this type of bullet picture might be valuable. Canyou tell me something about it?
A: Bullet drawings are made by shooting bullet holes into atarget. The technique was made popular by Texan Adolph Toepperwein(1869-1962) in the early to mid 1900s. After a brief stint as anewspaper cartoonist, he performed as a marksman on the vaudevillecircuit and later in a traveling circus. In 1901 he became anexhibition shooter for the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. He and hiswife, Plinky, toured the country giving shooting exhibitions formore than 40 years. He ended each show by "drawing" an indian's headwith bullet holes shot into a board. Silhouettes of indians,cowboys, cartoon characters and Uncle Sam were made by severalhundred bullet holes spaced a half-inch apart on a sheet of tin.Other shooters also made bullet drawings, but those made on tin byToepperwein bring the highest prices. His pictures sell for severalhundred to a few thousand dollars.
Q: My clock was made by the Prentiss Clock Improvement Co. of NewYork. It was hung in the Phillipsburg, N.J., railroad stationin1929. It has square openings at the bottom that were supposed todisplay the month and date, but the printed pieces are missing. Iwould appreciate any information about this clock. Where can I findthe calendar parts?
A: Calendar clocks have dials or hands that indicate the month,date and day of the week, and sometimes the phase of the moon. Theywere invented in Europe in the 1600s. John Hawes of Ithaca, N.Y.,was granted the first patent for a calendar clock in 1853. Calendarclocks were popular in the United States from the 1860s until theearly 1900s. Prentiss Clock Co. was founded in New York in about1870. It became Prentiss Calendar & Time Co. in about 1880 andPrentiss Clock Improvement Co. in 1897. Prentiss Improvement ClockCo. was known for its calendar clocks and long-running clocks. Somecould run for 60 days before being rewound. Most small clockcompanies like Prentiss bought clock movements from Seth Thomas andother well-known clock companies. Companies that supply parts forclocks are listed in the directory on our website, Kovels.com. Youalso can try searching the Internet for companies that providereplica parts for old clocks. Type the words "calendar clock parts"into a search engine.
Q: A dear friend of mine gave me a demitasse set she received asa wedding gift in 1946. She never used the set. The set's onlyidentification is a paper label on the coffee pot that says "BradKeeler Artwares." The only other Keeler pieces I can find online areanimal and bird sculptures and platters with lobster handles. Canyou give me more information about dishes he designed?
A: Brad Keeler (1913-1952) started modeling clay figures, mostlybirds, in the mid-1930s. By 1939 he was working out of a ceramicsstudio in his family's garage in Glendale, Calif. Within a shorttime, the popularity of his lifelike bird figurines led him to leasespace at Evan K. Shaw's American Pottery Co. in Los Angeles. Shawliked Keeler's work so much he included Keeler's figures in thegiftware line he sold to the trade. After Shaw's pottery burned downin 1946, Keeler opened his own plant in Los Angeles and expanded hisproduction lines to include vases, bowls, ashtrays and tea sets. Soyour set dates from 1946, the year your friend received it as agift. Keeler died of a heart attack in 1952 and his business closedthe following year. Sets of Keeler dishes do not interest collectorsas much as his animal figures and lobster dishes.
Tip: The more a charm for a charm bracelet moves or makes noise,the higher the price.
Current Prices
Emerson electric fan, Type 6250F, brass blades, oscillating,countertop, c. 1949, $55.
Lennon Sisters paper dolls, three stand-up dolls, 104 costumesand accessories, Whitman Publishing, 1953, $60.
Mattel Baby Smile 'n Frown doll, vinyl, blond hair, smiles whenleft hand is raised, pouts when lowered, plastic teardrops, wets,jointed, 1965, 9 1/2 inches, $65.
Ferdinand the Bull figural pencil sharpener, amber Catalin,decal, Ferdinand seated and smelling flower, 1938, 1 3/4 inches,$85.
Scrubbing Bubbles advertising wristwatch, polished brass, smilingcharacter on face, Marcel, 1970s, Swiss, 9 inches, $115.
Diane Love evening bag, envelope style, multicolor brocade, snapclosure, curb link chair, c. 1980, 7 1/2 x 8 inches, $460.
Sambo drink advertising sign, black porter holding tray withbottle, "If You Like Chocolate Malted Milk, Drink Sambo," metalframe, 1930s, 18 x 24 inches, $600.
Loetz vase, tree-trunk shape, random ribbing, three open holes onsides, gold iridescence to pink, 10 inches, $825.
Baseball "Mascot" still bank, cast iron, boy holding baseballwhile standing on large American and National League baseball,Hubley, c. 1914, 5 13/16 inches, $860.
Gustav Stickley Arts & Crafts dining chairs, quarter-sawn oak,ladder back, pegged construction, fitted slip seat, leatherupholstery, 1930s, 37 1/2 inches, set of eight, $3,935.
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