Published Aug. 30, 2002|Updated Sep. 3, 2005
Oak furniture from the early 1900s is back in style again. It is selling well at flea markets and shows. Oak and golden-oak furniture was popular from the late 1870s to the early 1930s. Furniture manufacturers were having problems buying walnut because the supply in local forests had dwindled. Oak is hard and has an attractive grain. The newly invented power saws made it possible to make a new type of mass-produced furniture. Carvings, turned spindles, a different style of dovetailing for the drawers, cut-out decorations and pressed designs were possible. Designers created special pieces and unfamiliar shapes and decorated them with carved animals and trim. They also developed several new finishes, including golden oak, weathered oak, antique oak and fumed oak. The furniture was imaginative and borrowed from the designs of earlier periods. So it is not unusual to see a William and Mary foot, Chippendale hardware and a totally new form, all in one piece. Oak furniture, scorned in the 1950s, is now considered so stylish that reproductions are being made. Old examples at antiques shows are often less expensive.
Antique advertising
Question: My chalkware bulldog is about 18 inches tall and weighs more than 15 pounds. The name "Dr. Daniels" is printed on the dog's collar. I've had this figure for 50 years, and it wasn't new when I got it. Can you tell me anything about it?
Answer: Your bulldog is a piece of antique advertising for a line of veterinary products. Dr. A.C. Daniels founded his veterinary medicine company in Boston in 1878. He sold medicines for horses, dogs, sheep, cows, poultry and cats. By the turn of the century, he was also selling catnip and other cat playthings. Dr. Daniels used promotional items like calendars and thermometers to promote his business. Your dog probably sat in a veterinarian's office. The Dr. Daniels business was sold in 1914, and then again in the 1950s. Dr. A.C. Daniels Inc. is still in business in Webster, Mass.
Fine quality silver
Question: My ornate silver basket has been in the family for more than 100 years. It is marked on the bottom "Silver, Barbour Bros. Co. Quadruple." Can you tell me anything about it?
Answer: Barbour Bros. Co. was in business in New Haven and later in Hartford, Conn., from about 1881 to 1892. The company sold plated silverware manufactured by I.J. Steane & Co. of Hartford. The word "quadruple" refers to the silver plating. Quadruple plate has four layers of plating, making it the highest quality of silver plate.
Glamour cowboy
Question: My mother gave me her 6-inch cowgirl doll. The doll is wearing a western hat, a holster and chaps. "Ken Murray, Glamour Cowboy" is printed on a tag attached to the doll. A signature, "Laurie Anders," is printed on the hat, and the phrase "I like the wide open spaces" is on the back of the doll's belt. Who are Murray and Anders? Is the doll a collector's item?
Answer: Ken Murray hosted his own TV comedy-variety series on CBS from 1950 to 1953. He had previously worked in vaudeville and in radio. Laurie Anders was a regular entertainer on the show, appearing as a cowgirl character. Her trademark phrase was the one printed on your doll's belt. Your doll was made by the A&H Doll Manufacturing Co., which made other dolls that look much like Vogue's Ginny doll. If your doll is in excellent condition, it is worth about $50. If you have the original box, it's worth twice that.
Portable lamp
Question: My portable kerosene lamp has a long, straight, glass handle. At the end of the handle, mounted in a brass fitting, is a glass ball that swivels within a gimbal ring. The ball rotates when the lamp is carried. The burner is attached to one side of the ball. We have not been able to find any information about how this lamp was used.
Answer: Your lamp might be a sophisticated version of a parade or campaign torch. It probably dates from the mid- to late 1800s. These torches were used at outdoor political gatherings and community parades. Campaign torches made more simply than yours were sometimes carried by lumbermen to light their way in the winter. The pole (handle) could be pushed into a pile of snow while the men worked.
Ceramic tile
Question: We bought seven identical ceramic tiles at an antiques shop in London in 1969. The tiles are 6 inches square with a teal-blue Art Nouveau floral design. The backs are marked "England, Rd 384652 No." Does the mark help date the tile?
Answer: The English Registry number dates the design of your tiles to late in 1901. That doesn't necessarily mean your tiles were manufactured that year. But the Art Nouveau style of the decoration suggests that they were made during the first decade of the 20th century. The word "England" was printed to comply with export regulations in effect after 1891.
Current prices
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Gold brick paperweight, marked "World's Fair Gold Brick, St. Louis 1904," painted iron, 2{ x 1 inch, $75.
Advertising change purse, "Compliments of First National Bank, Three Forks, Mont.," green suede body, metal snap top, 1909-1923, $95.
Egg timer, Little Red Riding Hood holding timer, wolf sitting at her feet, 3{ inches, $185.
Papier-mache tray, scenic, dated 1856, gold paint design, with lithograph of "View of the Court House at Pittsburgh, Penn.," 10 x 14 inches, $495.
Disneyana toy, Mickey Mouse and Minnie do acrobatics on 12-inch wire, celluloid, windup, 1930s, $750.
Royal Copenhagen vase, blue fluted pattern, applied figural snails, lace edging on top rim, c. 1894, 11 x 9{ inches, $1,450.
Victorian cast-iron hall tree, form of tree, with mirror, coat hooks, stick stand, shell-shaped drip dish, dated 1858, $1,650.
Madame Alexander doll, Maggie, plastic head, blue sleep eyes, closed mouth, pink pique dress, 14 inches, $2,250.
Sampler, "Wrought by Maria Worts, 1838," basket, house, birds, trees, insects, pair of birds in cage, vine border, 18 x 17 inches, $2,595.
Hepplewhite dining table, cherry, two drop leaves, two D-shaped ends, 95 x 47 x 28{ inches, closed, $4,700.
Send questions to Antiques, Ralph and Terry Kovel, c/o the St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122. Questions of general interest will be answered in the column.
This oak sideboard with griffin-carved panels was made about 1890. It is 83 inches high and 72 inches wide and has drawers, cabinets and a mirrored back. It sold at a Tom Harris auction in Marshalltown, Iowa, for $3,850.
