Collectibles : Material Changes Put Chairs in Z New Age
The chair is a simple idea: legs, a back and a flat surface that serves as a seat. For centuries, the only change in the shape of a chair was the curve of the leg or the height of the back.
In the 20th century, new materials, such as plastic and new metal alloys, made it possible to totally change the look of the chair. A group of chairs was designed in the 1930s that had no back legs. The first of these was developed by Mart Starn. It was followed by a chair by Heinz and Bodo Rasch in 1927. The chair was shaped like a person sitting--a person with one very large foot, bent knees, a flat lap and a straight back.
Gerrit Rietveld of the Netherlands, inspired by this design, made an even simpler chair, then improved it to make the Zig-Zag chair. It was Z-shaped and had very tricky construction features, including a wedge under the seat, special screws and reinforcements. The chair was manufactured in 1934 and a version is still being made.
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Question: My sisters and I are going through some jewelry that belonged to our mother. There are a few pieces of fine jewelry as well as some costume jewelry. One attractive bracelet looks like real gold, but it is not marked with a carat number. It is marked “Panetta.”
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Answer: Your bracelet is a very good piece of costume jewelry. It is made of a gold-plated metal. Benedetto Panetta, an Italian immigrant, founded Panetta Jewelry Inc. in New York in 1945. His two sons worked with him.
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Q: My pottery candlesticks are marked in script with the words “Watcombe, Torquay, England.” I can’t understand the information I find in the research books. Can you help?
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A: Pottery was made in the Torquay district of South Devon, England, from 1870 to 1962. Most of the potteries used the name Torquay in the mark, so collectors call all of it by that name. The factories include Watcombe, Torquay Terra-Cotta Co., Aller Valle, Torquay Pottery and Longpark. The script mark on your candlesticks was used by Watcombe Pottery from about 1900 to 1925. Collectors pay high prices for Watcombe and Aller Valle pieces.
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Q: I have a fabric bag, about 18 by 24 inches, with a corked opening at one end of the top. On the front of the bag is a large ad that reads, “Atlas ‘Cool Drink’ Flax Water Bag, Cools by Evaporation, Soak Before Using, Atlas Supply Company, Made in U.S.A.” My mother-in-law says the bags were filled with cold water and strapped on a car’s hood before crossing a desert to help cool the engine. Is she kidding?
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A: Your water bag was designed to keep water cool for drinking, not to cool an engine. Water bags like yours were made of slightly porous fabrics, like flax. The evaporation that occurred through the fabric kept the water cool enough to drink. A different kind of bag was used to keep a car’s radiator cool on desert trips.
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Q: I am among the growing ranks of collectors of PEZ candy dispensers. A dealer in Ohio told me the price of a dispenser is related not only to its age, but also to its color. He tried to sell me a plain, red dispenser with a plain, white top for $100. He told me that the red color is rare. The dispenser did not even have the word PEZ on the sides. Being uninformed, I did not make the investment.
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A: The Austrian candy called PEZ was introduced in the United States about 1953. The early dispensers without character heads are called “regulars.” Some were made without the word PEZ on the side, some without a patent number, some with plastic rather than metal hinges, some without feet. Red ones are not particularly rare. However, the $100 price tag is not high for an early regular dispenser, no matter what color it is.
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Q: Can you tell me anything about my family’s silver tray? The marks on the bottom are “The Shelburne, GMCO,” an anchor, the letters “EP” and some small numbers.
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A: Your silver-plated tray was made in the 1920s by the Gorham Manufacturing Co. (now the Gorham Corp.) of Providence, R.I. “The Shelburne” mark could refer to the hotel that ordered the tray. The anchor is Gorham’s traditional mark, and the “EP” mark indicates that the piece is electro-plated silver.
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Q: I have some Beatles memorabilia from the 1960s. One of my favorite items is a 13-inch square metal tray. It’s decorated with individual color photos of John, Paul, George and Ringo. They look very clean-cut.
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A: If your tray is an original from the mid-1960s, it was made by Metal Tray Manufacturing of Worcester, England. Originals were sold with a company sticker on the bottom. The tray has been reproduced, so without a sticker it is hard to prove authenticity. In near-mint condition, an original tray is valued at $75.
For a listing of helpful books and publications, include a self-addressed, stamped (55 cents) envelope to Kovels, Los Angeles Times, King Features Syndicate, 235 E. 45th St., New York, NY 10017.
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Current Prices
Figures are recorded from antique shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
* Red Ryder pin, metal, Red Ryder Victory Patrol, 1 1/4 inches, $55.
* Snoopy and Woodstock telephone, by American Telecommunications Co., 1976, 13 inches, $140.
* Stoneware bottle, Hon & Winner, West Nanticoke, Pa., 1 quart, $165.
* Russel Wright cordial glass, Theme Formal pattern, 3 ounces, $210.
* Universal bread maker, Gold Medal winner, table clamp, St. Louis Exposition, 1904, $235.
* Orange Crush clock, square wood frame, tin lithograph face, white-and-red ground, black numbers, circa 1940, 15 1/2 inches, $275.
* Movie promotional poster, “Pride of the Yankees,” pictures Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright, 4 by 11 inches, $615.
* USGA Golf Magazine, February 1898, Vol. II, No. 2, 66 pages, playing tips, music, poetry, woman golfing on cover, $745.
* Frank Lloyd Wright chairs, wood dowel frame, H-stretcher base, Greek Key-carved edges, upholstered seat and cushions, set of four, $2,070.
* Kathe Kruse doll, character boy, oil-painted face, cloth, Series 1, 1915, 17 inches, $2,100.
