Prescott's "Instant" Appraisals

Objects provided by the Readers of the
Josie Prescott Mystery Series

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Metal & Tile Table

Description:

This heavy, heavy table was in my great-aunt’s apartment and I received it in the 1990’s.  A local antique appraiser says it’s something that was popular in the 1950’s.  The colors on top are still vivid and lovely.  Except for the “tiles”, the entire table is a heavy metal structure.  It is approximately 13” x 22” and 18” high.

Appraisal:

Metal and tile tables were indeed popular in the fifties and continue to be popular today.  As they are weather resistant and easy to clean they fulfill many uses around the house and on the patio.  Based on the information and photos provided, at auction I would estimate this table at $200/400.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Rocking Chair

Description:

This sturdy, wooden rocking chair was a gift in 1972 from my 75-yr old grandmother, who spent her lifetime in upstate NY.  She said it was in her family when she was a child living on the family farm.  There have been no repairs or refinishing in the last 34 years.  There are worn in spots as shown in photo.  There are no nails, and the only screws are ones attaching each arm to back of chair.  When my daughter was little, she carved my initials “K.S.R.” in the seat and in the headrest.

Appraisal:

While your chair does have an interesting history, and could be of 19th century manufacture, it is of a rather common form.  Generally we estimate rockers like this one at $100/200.  This estimate is based on the photos and information provided.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Yale Poem

Description:

This is a copy of a poem read at the Social Reunion of the Yale Alumni Association, Washington, D.C. February 22d, 1875.  The document continues to say that the poem was also read at The Banquet given to Chief Justice Waite by the Alumni of Yale College, Washington D.C., Monday evening, March 2, 1874 by C. C. Cox, Class of '35.  Gibson Brothers, Printers.  I bought it at an antique store for $22.  The condition is fair, with brown spots and a little fraying around the binding area.

Appraisal:

While this is an old and undoubtedly small edition it is also of interest to a very specific and limited number of collectors.  The $22 you paid for it is a reasonable retail price for it. This is estimate is based on the information and photos provided.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Longhorned Chair

Description:

My grandfather, Charles Bonge, (1870-1935) supposedly won this chair in a poker game in Nebraska. The chair was made during the era of the old West cattle drive days.  Before the live steers could be loaded into the railroad cattle cars, the horns were cut off. Evidently many things were made from the excess horns including this chair. What makes the piece unusual is it made from nine sets of matched horns from nine different animals.  It has the original upholstery with Victorian fringe. The horns are attached to seat bottom with what looks like nails from the time period.  In the state of Washington, twenty years ago, my uncle received an appraisal on the chair for $10,000.

Appraisal:

Horn chairs, and other horn furniture, came into fashion briefly in the Victorian era.  While yours is intricate and most likely 19th century, the appraisal your uncle received was probably for insurance or replacement value.  Today we see most similar chairs selling between $1000 and $2000.  This is based on the photos and information provided.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Railroad Lantern

Description:

This is a lantern from what I assume is the Boston and Maine Rail Road.  The glass has the letters B &M R R molded right into to the glass. The lantern is a little dusty and has some dents in it, but the glass is intact, and all the metal parts function.

Appraisal:

The Boston and Maine Railroad was one of the largest railroads in the New England area.  At their peak they had over 1000 steam locomotives and over 2000 miles of track.  Due to this history there are collectors for items such as your lantern, but there are also many other examples out there.  At auction I would expect your lantern to bring around $100. This is based on the photos and information provided.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Victorian Chair

Description:

This is a Victorian Chair all hand carved from England. I was told it is better then 150 years old. Condition is rough lots of scuffs and needs to be reupholstered. Sorry I don’t have a lot for you to go by. Any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated.   

Appraisal:

Your Victorian chair could be 150 years old as you were told.  Unfortunately, just because a chair is old doesn't necessarily make it valuable.  Chairs of this type were produced in fairly large numbers and come up on the fair quite regularly.  Given the condition issues, photos and information provided, I would estimate this chair at $100/200 for auction.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Roseville Pottery Vase

Description:

Although I don’t know the age of this piece of pottery, I believe it’s vintage. It is high grade pottery and in excellent condition. There are no markings or stickers attached. It seems to have the look and feel of Roseville or a comparable manufacturer. The glaze is soft, smooth and lovely. It measures 6 inches across the widest at the top, and is 4 ½ inches high and 4 1/8 inches deep. The subtle patter reaches inside to the bottom, but it is lighter and more diffused. The pattern is raised very slightly.

Appraisal:

Your vase does appear to have some age but without any marks it would be difficult to determine exactly how old it is.  Due to the fact that it isn't marked I would believe this to be a production piece which would have been turned out in greater numbers at a lower cost to the consumer.  Based on the photos and information provided, at auction I would expect this vase to be worth about $100.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Porcelain Figurines

Description:

This pair of white porcelain bisque figures were purchased in Baton Rouge, La in 1995 at an estate sale. The markings on the underside of the female are an incised 670, a small triangle, a small zigzag, and the letter T, along with a very faint smudges line of blue. She is perfect, but has one foot glued on...no chips missing. The male figure is perfect.  Nothing is glued. He has the mark of D incised on his underside, but no triangle or zigzag, or number and the blue line mark is clearer, but not very defined. They are both 5 1/2 inches high.

Appraisal:

These appear to be German KPM figurines.  Judging by the marks I would think they were late 19th or early 20th century.  At auction I would expect them to sell for about $800. This is based on the photos and information provided.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Colored Charger

Description:

This is a charger with a polychrome picture of man on a horse. It was purchased in Geneva, NY in 1970 at an antique shop. It measures 16 1/2 inches in diameter and is 2 inches deep. The only marking on the back is the stylized “VB.”  There are no chips or cracks.  It is in perfect condition.

Appraisal:

Your charger appears to be a faience tin glaze example.  I could not find another example of the mark and from the images it is hard to determine the precise age.  As these sort of wares have been made for the last 500 years the values vary widely.  Based on the photos and information provided and assuming it to at least be 19th century I would estimate it at $800/1200.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Books for the Country

Description
This four Volume Set of "Books for the Country" was published by George Routledge & Sons, London and belonged to my grandmother.  The copyright year is 1865.  The books are in excellent condition.

Appraisal
George Routledge & Sons produced a wide range of books in their 'Books for the Country' series during the second half of the 19th century. Most are fairly common and retail between 10 and 50 dollars. This is a presentable set, nicely bound in 3/4 leather. Based on the photographs, the auction estimate is $80/120.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Ziggy and Bugs Bunny Framed Cartoons

Description
I received this framed Bugs Bunny Certified Cartoon Cell, ID#20149 11 years ago as a gift. It came, with certification documentation signed by Steve Felton, Director, Warner Brothers Animation Art. Attached are photos of the front and the back with the sealed certification.

I acquired this framed, autographed, Ziggy cartoon character print, #622 out of 1500, between 1981 and 1985. The autograph includes (on the left side) the hand written print number, the words "For Jo-Ann" and Tom Wilson's signature to the right. The print itself also has Tom Wilson's signature.

Appraisal
Thank you for your inquiry regarding your Ziggy cartoon print and Bugs Bunny cel. Unfortunately, based on the photograph, we are unable to read the documentation listed on the back of the cel and are unsure of what type this is and how much it is worth at auction. There are three main types of cels, original production cels, hand painted limited edition cels, and limited edition serigraph cels. Original production cels are the actual cels used in a cartoon. The character is transferred from a drawing onto the cel and hand painted, and then the cel is placed on top of a separate background and photographed. Original cels from the early days of animation can sell for thousands of dollars, while pieces from the 1980s and 1990s typically sell between $300 and $600. Hand painted limited edition cels use the same technique to transfer the drawing onto the cell and are also hand painted by the studio; sometimes these cels are signed by the animator. These cels are produced in editions of up to 750 and typically sell between $100 and $200 at auction. Limited edition serigraph cels are silk screened after the original cel and are produced in editions of up to 7500, these sell between $50 and $100 at auction.
 
The Ziggy cartoon print is a limited edition original art piece by Tom Wilson. Many artists produce original drawings that they have run as a set of prints depicting their popular cartoon characters. These prints are works that have not necessarily appeared in print as a part of a comic strip, but are rather a decorative print for fans. Based on the photograph, this print of Ziggy would probably sell for around $75 to $100 at auction.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Monk Bookends

Description
Pair of heavy metal book ends showing monks reading. Monks are old-looking and bearded. [See photo #1.] One has felt on bottom, the other does not. They appear to be molded. [See photo #2.] Each shows mark, capital letters on rear bottom right: MB.[ See photo #3.] Great detail of robe folds and crucifix. [See photo #4.] I bought the bookends at a tag sale about 10 years ago for about $50. Submitted by Jim Barnes.

Appraisal
Your bookends are lovely! I agree that they have a high degree of detail in their robes and faces, which seem to be the result of a very well crafted mold. The bookends appear to be 20th century and made of a patinated white metal, a combination of various metals finished to look like bronze. Based on the photographs, an auction estimate for these bookends, if they are made of white metal, would be $100-150. If these bookends are made of bronze, the estimate for auction would be $300-500 for the pair.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Chocolate Pot

Description:

This is an old chocolate pot with Cranes flying over a field of flowers. The lid has two places that are small chips that someone has repaired. The pot is in very good condition other than the lid repair.  A very unusual pot whose markings indicate it was made between 1890 and perhaps 1910.

Appraisal:

This is a Japanese Chocolate pot from the late 19th/early 20th century.  These actually seem rather common. Given the information and photos provided, I would estimate $100-150 at auction. It could possibly be transfer decorated (but I can’t really tell from photos) and seems to be a Kutani piece.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Baseball Team Photograph

Description:

This is a black and white photo of an early 1920's minor league baseball team: The Danville Veterans from Danville, IL.  The photo is 3 3/8" tall x 11 1/2" wide.  "Hall of Famers" Red Ruffing or Joe McGinity is believed to be in the photo.  There are no rips, tears or creases.

Appraisal:

Baseball memorabilia has always been a fairly active collecting field.  Signed items from big name players often bring large prices at auction.  Team photos have been taken for the last century, being popular souvenirs at ballparks.  They have a wide variety of auction records with signed, big league teams bringing the most.  Based on the information provided and the presented photo, which is of a minor league team, without the players identified, is worth about $50 retail.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Lamp with Slag Shade

Description:

This arts and crafts lamp has a shade of seven slag panels with one of the panels missing. The shade measures 17 1/2 inches wide. The height of the lamp is 24 inches. The base is a leaf pattern in bronze and measures 6 1/2 inches.  There are no signatures or markings on the shade or the base. I'm trying to get the missing panel replaced.

Appraisal:

There were many companies producing lamps during the first part of the 20th century.  Most of the important makers did mark their lamps but not all.  Based on the photographs, information provided, and the current condition (missing the panel), I would think it would bring between $400/600 at auction.  In complete condition it would bring around $1000.  I would only recommend that you replace the missing glass if you plan to keep and enjoy the lamp as it will most likely be a costly repair.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

Schumann Porcelain Dessert Set

Description:

There are a total of six, 7-inch round, reticulated Schumann dessert plates [blue mark] with the fruit motif. They are in excellent condition with no crazing, chips. There are three plates with the peach center, two plates with the pear center, and one with the strawberry center.

There is also an oval bowl, 12 1/2 inch wide x 7 in. deep x 2 inches tall, that is also reticulated with the same Schumann mark, with an additional raised 'cross' on the bottom next to the Schumann mark. Flower motif, offset from center.

Appraisal:

Schumann porcelain has been produced in German since the middle of the 19th century.  While of a good quality, it was produced in fairly large quantities. Based on the information and photos provided, at auction I would estimate your seven pieces in the $100/200 range.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers