Antiques Collectibles 2015 Price Guide

802 Pages·2014·64.89 MB·English

by  Eric Bradley

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B -S G Antique Trader
Antique Trader
EST ELLING UIDE ®
America’s A
Filled with more than 4,300 new color images, expert #1 Selling
NTIQUES
insight on everything from cherished classics to the Price Guide
latest trends, and vetted values throughout help to once
again make Antique Trader Antiques & Collectibles the
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premiere reference in the fi eld. A COLLECTIBLES
For three decades, Antique Trader
$180
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has been your trusted guide to the fi nest
collections, the best advice and the most N
reliable resources available in the market. The goal of L 2015
PPRRIICCEE GGUUIIDDEE • EErriicc BBradley
this comprehensive guide has always been to inform and
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educate so you can buy and sell with confi dence. Achieving L
that goal is why Antique Trader Antiques & Collectibles is
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the best-selling annual guide on the market.
$747,000 Q
You will enjoy: C
• Advertising • Firearms • Postcards
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• Art • Furniture • Quilts and
• Ceramics • Glass Hooked Rugs
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• Coca-Cola • Jewelry • Salesman Samples E
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Collectibles • Kitchenware • Silver
• Coin-ops • Lamps & Lighting • Toys LS
• Comic Books • Music • World War II &
• Dolls Memorabilia Collectibles E
About the Editor S
Eric Bradley is one of the young guns of
the antiques and collectibles fi eld. Bradley,
who works for Heritage Auctions, one of 2015
the country’s premiere auction houses, is a
former editor of Antique Trader magazine PRICE GUIDE
and an award-winning investigative journalist
with a degree in economics. Bradley’s work
Over 4,300
has received press from The New York Times
and The Wall Street Journal. He also served Color Photos
as a featured guest speaker on investing with
antiques. He has written several books, including the critically US $22.99
acclaimed Mantiques: A Manly Guide to Cool Stuff. Bradley T1786 (CAN $25.50) Bradley
has a passion for tramp art, ceramics, and art pottery. ISBN-13: 978-1-4402-4091-1
ISBN-10: 1-4402-4091-4
52299
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Antique Trader
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NTIQUES
COLLECTIBLES
2015
PRICE GUIDE • Eric Bradley
001-006_FrontMatter.indd 1 7/30/14 1:18 PM
Copyright ©2014 F+W Media, Inc.
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording,
or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
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television, or the Internet.
Published by
Krause Publications, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
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To order books or other products call toll-free 1-800-258-0929
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ISSN: 1536-2884
ISBN-13: 978-1-4402-4091-1
ISBN-10: 1-4402-4091-4
Cover Design by Sharon Bartsch
Designed by Jana Tappa
Edited by Eric Bradley
Printed in the United States of America
FRONT COVER, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:
Vintage gas/service station island metal Mobiloil display, pre-1938,
$500-$1,200 (Victorian Casino Auctions)
Pennsylvania Star of Bethlehem quilt, 75” x 77”, $152 (Pook & Pook, Inc.)
Late Victorian enamel, ruby, diamond and gold snake bracelet, 6-1/2” x 3/4”,
$7,187 (Heritage Auctions)
Trumpet-shaped Quezal shade with purple hooked feather design, signed,
2-1/4” fi tter x 6-3/4” h., $1,778 (James D. Julia, Inc.)
George III terrestrial globe, J & W Cary, London, circa 1815, 46” h. x 29” dia.,
$21,250 (Heritage Auctions)
“Moon Over Miami” (20th Century Fox, 1941), one sheet, Style B poster,
27” x 41”, $15,535 (Heritage Auctions)
BACK COVER:
1930s Coca-Cola cardboard sign, 12” x 15”, $180 (Morphy Auctions)
Cigar store Indian princess, circa 1880, attributed to New York workshop of
Samual Robb or Thomas Brooks, 83” h., $747,000 (Guyette, Schmidt and
Deeter)
001-006_FrontMatter.indd 2 7/24/14 2:14 PM
Contents
Introduction ..........................................................................................................................4
List of Contributors ............................................................................................................787
Index ................................................................................................................................795
LISTINGS
Advertising Items .......................................7 Glass ....................................................467
Asian ......................................................19 Hooked Rugs .........................................575
Autographs .............................................31 Illustration Art ......................................580
Banks .....................................................41 Jewelry .................................................590
Barbie ...................................................46 Kitchenwares .......................................609
Baskets .................................................56 Lighting Devices ....................................620
Bookends ................................................61 Magic Collectibles ................................633
Books ....................................................68 Maps & Globes .....................................642
Bottles ...................................................79 Music Memorabilia................................644
Boxes .....................................................87 Native American Art & Artifacts .............654
Ceramics ................................................95 Oddities ...............................................666
Chalkware .............................................279 Paperweights ........................................672
Circus Collectibles ................................283 Perfume Bottles ....................................674
Civil War Collectibles.............................288 Petroliana .............................................679
Clocks ..................................................301 Postcards .............................................682
Coca-Cola & Other Soda .........................312 Posters .................................................687
Coin-Ops ..............................................320 Quilts ...................................................699
Coins & Currency ...................................327 Records ................................................704
Comics ................................................334 Salesman Samples ................................711
Cookie Jars ..........................................346 Science & Technology ............................715
Country Store & Drugstore .....................350 Silver ....................................................723
Decoys .................................................355 Sports ..................................................732
Disney Collectibles ................................366 Stamps .................................................741
Dolls ....................................................373 Tools ....................................................744
Figurines .............................................384 Toys .....................................................749
Fine Art ...............................................408 Transistor Radios ...................................759
Firearms ...............................................423 Vintage Fashion .....................................765
Folk Art ................................................428 Watches................................................769
Furniture ..............................................438 World War II Collectibles ........................777
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4 INTRODUCTION
Introduction
Antique Trader Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide is a book entirely
devoted to making you a better collector. As the No. 1 selling reference
N book of its kind, this big volume is overfl owing with a broad range of items
O collected today – and each entry is illustrated with a full-color photograph
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T to help you know what you’re looking at. If you’re new to collectibles, your
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U curiosity piqued after catching the latest episode of “Antiques Roadshow,”
D “American Pickers” or “Pawn Stars,” then you’ve come to the right place.
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R As you’ll see in the following pages, there’s no telling what precious
NT objects might appeal to collectors. From carnival glass to fi rearms,
I kitchenware to quilts, every year we scan the spectrum of the hobby for
examples of the most popular collectibles trading hands. This year’s book Eric Bradley
is overfl owing with color photographs to help you focus your collecting
interests or teach you something new about the things you already own. The art and objects
collectors are interested in changes over time, and these trends are infl uenced by several factors.
Condition aside, the more unusual something is, it seems there is no end to the prices some
collectors are willing to pay for it. A few trends surfaced during the last year, and we were
surprised to see the number of categories on the move. From our vantage point, the collectibles
hobby is certainly seeing an exciting resurgence of new buyers and those curious about what
they already own or have inherited.
Here are our annual picks of some of the hottest areas in the hobby:
Regional U.S. paintings Sports memorabilia Pre-1970 comics in
excellent condition
Advertising signs in all Jewelry (especially large
condition colored diamonds and Abraham Lincoln
gemstones) memorabilia
Vintage Colt pistols
First edition children’s books U.S. coins
Americana
(signed fi rst editions even
Curiosities or vintage
Fine and contemporary art more so)
objects that defy
by well-known artists
Scientifi c models and classifi cation
Celebrity memorabilia instruments
These picks are infl uenced by a number of conditions, but last year three important factors
rose to the surface as the chief infl uence behind auction prices:
Fresh to Market Makes a Difference
Collectors love a chance to be the fi rst to tap into a collection, even if the collection has
been fabled in story and song for many decades. Privately held, single-owner collections are
commanding strong prices. When these collections come to market, collectors acutely feel
the double-edge sword. Although it’s troubling to realize these massive, carefully curated
collections may likely never be assembled again, it’s gratifying to see other collectors enjoy rare
objects for the fi rst time in decades. Perhaps that’s why prices realized for these collections are
on the climb.
Eric Bradley is a public relations associate at Heritage Auctions, ha.com, the world’s third largest auction house and the world’s
largest collectibles auctioneer; editor of Antique Trader Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, America’s No. 1 selling reference
book on collectibles; and author of Mantiques: A Manly Guide to Cool Stuff. He is the former editor of Antique Trader magazine
and an award-winning investigative journalist with a degree in economics. Bradley’s work has received press from The New York
Times and The Wall Street Journal. He served as a featured guest speaker on investing with antiques. He lives in Dallas with
his wife, Kelly, and their three children, Patrick, Olivia, and Megan.
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INTRODUCTION 5
“One-of-a-Kind” Means More Now Than Ever Before
Unique items are more highly sought after than ever. The term “rare” is bandied about these
days with little care to its accuracy. Most of the time, the term “rare” is used to describe an item
of which no more than 10 examples are known to exist. Dedicated collectors know rare when
they see it, and they show plenty of enthusiasm when such an object is discovered at a show,
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shop, fl ea market, or auction. Several indicators show this trend has no intention of slowing. N
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This “best or nothing” mentality at the top of the market has introduced new pressure on buyers, R
but sellers must tread carefully as well. Collectors who are ready to sell should thoughtfully O
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study prices realized across a variety of platforms to best decide where and how to dispose of U
a collection. C
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Condition is Still King O
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With the exception of advertising signs, it seems condition is the No. 1 arbiter of value. Even
a common collectible in near-mint to mint condition demands a higher price on the market these
days. Serious collectors have picked a side in the “quantity vs. quality” debate, and quality won
out. This doesn’t mean you should never consider purchasing an item in excellent to very good
condition. Just know that your resale price may be closer to what you paid the fi rst time around,
rather than the windfalls you see on reality TV shows. Top-shelf collectors are willing to pay
what it takes to own the prime examples and this is something to keep in mind when you’re
ready to make big purchases: Buy the best you can afford.
While all these factors affect what people sell, dealers,
auctioneers, and shop owners are changing how people collect.
It’s easier than ever to start a collection or sell what you’ve got,
and this means a host of new services to help. Here are three major
developments from the past year:
1. eBay’s new mobile app has revolutionized the auction service
provider, making it easier than ever to snap a photo, type a
description and post an item for sale from anywhere in the world.
This in turn has encouraged auctioneers and other auction service
providers to embrace mobile computing as the new frontier in
collecting. Americana is hot. Stoneware
2. Dealers faced with increased competition have turned their jar, circa 1825, salt-glazed,
Facebook, email and Instagram accounts into storefronts. An James Miller (active 1797-
1827), Alexandria, Virginia,
innovative picker I know sends an email fi lled with photos
or Georgetown, D.C.,
and brief descriptions of his wares to his customer list every reversed “3” gallon capacity
Tuesday at 7 p.m. Few items are priced more than $200 and mark, ovid form with single
incised ring below fl anged
few items ever appear twice. Adapting emerging technology is
fl at-top rim, slightly arched
a great way dealers are reaching new collectors. Several new tab-like handles, crudely
services now hold “fl ash sales” on Facebook pages, in which beaded foot, brushed and
slip-trailed cobalt spread-
customers compete in real time to lay claim to an antique posted
wing shield-breast Federal
on the business’ page. Some dealer consortiums are now holding eagle decoration on one side,
“virtual shows” on their websites to introduce collectors to new additional cobalt across top
of handles, 12-1/4” h. x
and interesting things.
7-1/4” dia. rim. .......$75,750
3. Shop owners are re-imagining “quitting time.” The standard
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
Monday-Friday, 9:00 to 5:00 open hours for traditional shops no
longer serve working couples juggling demanding careers. Shops are increasingly extending
their hours to as late as 9:00 p.m. some evenings. Some offer wine pairings or craft beer
samplings to attract customers. A shop owner in Wisconsin reached out to his local library
system to host special talks on pop culture collectibles. He also hosts movie screenings at
his store or lets shoppers’ children play video games on vintage consoles while parents shop.
Researching before you start collecting and selling is one of the smartest moves you can make
001-006_FrontMatter.indd 5 7/24/14 2:14 PM
6 INTRODUCTION
for the long-term health of your collection and your pocketbook. Here are a few other tips to
consider to start you on your way:
HEAD OUT – Visit shops, shows, auctions, and fl ea markets. Take the time to chat with the
clerk behind the counter or the auctioneer behind the podium. Most everyone collects something
and you might be surprised at how gratifying it can be to learn something new about your
N interests.
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JOIN A COLLECTING CLUB – Active clubs issue newsletters fi lled with practical information
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T on fakes and reproductions as well as offer an instant marketplace for hard-to-fi nd items.
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U READ, READ, READ – From pottery and porcelain to Star Wars fi gures, reference books are
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available on thousands of topics. Take the time to build a strong reference library and you’ll
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R avoid costly missteps, scams, and dishonest sellers.
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N And that’s where this reference guide comes in. In this year’s edition we’ve expanded and
I updated the most popular sections and added new ones, too. You’ll notice special attention is
drawn to the very best items pursued by collectors as Top Lots! Special features show why
some categories are irresistible to collectors. We’ve also been on the road – like many of you –
meeting dealers, auctioneers, collectors, and show managers who gave us the scoop on what’s
really happening in the hobby. You’ll see their smiling faces along with their top tips, opinions,
and observations under the header “Inside Intel” located in various chapters across this new
edition. We hope this helps you get to know the people behind the prices as well as teach you
something new about the precious objects you collect.
A book of this magnitude is a team project and many thanks is owed to editor Mary Sieber;
Antoinette Rahn, editor, online editor, and content manager of Antique Trader magazine; Karen
Knapstein, print editor of Antique Trader magazine; designer Jana Tappa; Editorial Director
Paul Kennedy; and several specialists and contributors. Ever the professionals, they work year
round to make this book the best it can be. Their patience, hard work, and great ideas are always
focused on one goal: selecting the topics, images and features our readers will fi nd the most
fascinating. We hope you enjoy the results. As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments
on this and future editions. Feel free to reach out at [email protected].
— Eric Bradley
ABOUT ANTIQUETRADER.COM
We think you’ll be impressed with the layout, sections, and information in this year’s annual.
Because the antiques world (like everything else) is constantly changing, I invite you to visit
AntiqueTrader.com and make it your main portal into the world of antiques.
Like our magazine, AntiqueTrader.com’s team of collectors, dealers and bloggers share
information daily on events, auctions, new discoveries, and tips on how to buy more for less. Here’s
what you’ll fi nd at AntiqueTrader.com:
Free eNewsletters: Get a recap of the world of antiques sent to your inbox every week.
Free classifi ed ads: Discover inventory (great and small) from around the world offered to buy,
sell or trade.
Expert Q&A columns: Learn how to value and sell your collections online and for the best prices.
The Internet’s largest free antiques library: Dig into thousands of articles on research, prices,
show reports, auction results, and more.
Blogs: Get vital how-to information about topics that include selling online, buying more for
less, restoring pieces, spotting fakes and reproductions, displaying your collections, and fi nding
hidden gems in your town!
Show guides: Check out the Internet’s most visited antiques events calendar for links to more
than 1,000 auctions, fl ea markets, conventions, and antiques shows worldwide.
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ADVERTISING 7
Advertising
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ADVERTISING ITEMS, with the exception of glass and ceramics, is the most diverse T
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category in all of collectibles. Before the days of mass media, advertisers relied on S
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colorful product labels, containers, store displays, signs, posters, and novelty items to N
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help set their product or service apart from competitors.
In the United States, advertising became an art form during the boom years after
World War II until well into the mid-1970s. Th e rise of the middle class and freely
fl owing dollars left us with a plethora of items to collect. Th ese items represent the work
of America’s skilled and talented writers and commercial illustrators and give us an
entertaining look into everyday life of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Interestingly, this demand is rippling through other categories, and a good example
is toys. Vintage toys featuring company logos, slogans, ad characters and the like seem
to be fetching higher prices compared to their non-branded counterparts. Marx toy gas
pumps, tin toys, and even pull toys are enjoying more crossover appeal than ever before.
Th e arrival of large, carefully curated collections at auctions and at specialty shows is
also renewing interest in advertising items. During the last two years alone, we’ve seen
massive collections of tobacco tins, coff ee tins, talcum powder containers, rarely seen
syrup dispensers, and Coca-Cola memorabilia off ered at auction. Th ese large sales are
increasingly off ering grouped lots of up to 20 items, off ering collectors the opportunity
to purchase an interesting assortment of advertising items at one time.
Th e most popular pieces are sought after for one chief reason: eye appeal, according to
William Morford, owner of William Morford Investment Grade Collectibles at Auction.
Modern values “depend on the subject matter and the graphics – how powerful it is,” he
says. One of Morford’s top lots during a spring 2014 auction was an unusual Marathon
Motor Oil fi gural gallon can in the form of an early oil well from the Transcontinental
Oil Co. of Pittsburgh. It had everything going for it: It is scarce, has good form, bright
graphics, and – at 15-1/4” tall – it displays very nicely. Th e oil can hammered for an
impressive $4,200 against a $100 opening bid.
“Th e advanced collector who has the resources knows it’s a smarter move to buy the
best … and it’s leaving all the lower end stuff behind. It’s like the larger economy: Walmart
and Target aren’t doing so well, but Cartier and Tiff any are doing just fi ne,” he says.
Wright & McGill Co.’s Eagle brand fi shing tackle sign, paper lithography, excellent condition, 16”
x 57” (13-1/8” x 54-1/4” visible). ...........................................................................................$600
William Morford Investment Grade Collectibles
VISIT WWW.ANTIQUETRADER.COM
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8 ADVERTISING
Morford said another emerging trend is the popularity of male-centric items bringing
higher than expected prices at auction. “Hunting, fi shing, oil, gas, and cars, gambling
– pretty much all of them are popular now,” he adds. “Th e cutesy stuff , the fl owery stuff
doesn’t seem to have the same audience right now.”
Th e most heavily collected advertising pieces remain signs, especially those with
G porcelain graphics. Lately this segment also has become dominated by items in
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I exceptional condition and by obscure examples. However, unlike other segments, some
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I auctioneers are reporting interest in signs in poor condition, even if sale prices are low.
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R It seems new collectors entering the hobby are seeking rusty, chipped examples made
E popular on television programs such as “American Pickers.”
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D To learn more detailed information on advertising signs, see Picker’s Pocket Guide to
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Signs (Krause Publications, 2014).
Durham-Duplex Safe Razor early tin litho sign by American Art Works for Durham Duplex razors and
sharpening strops, multicolor lithography, excellent condition, 6-1/8” x 27-1/4”........................$1,700
William Morford Investment Grade Collectibles
Poster, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., circa 1905,
Poster, Winchester Repeating Arms Co. featuring captioned “The Cock of the Woods,” very good
Chesapeake retriever, circa 1906-1907, condition, 14-1/2” w. x 24-1/2” h. ..............$4,740
captioned “Self-Loading Shotguns For Fowl,
Bird or Trap Shooting,” very good to excellent James D. Julia Auctioneers
condition, 15” w. x 25-7/8” h ................$3,851
James D. Julia Auctioneers
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ADVERTISING 9
L ADVERTISING ITEMS
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N BEST ADVICE: The best of everything is going for ridiculous
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amounts of money. Finding those things at a price you can
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D afford to resell is the real challenge for dealers right now.
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N HOT OR NOT: The hottest thing going is the porcelain D
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I sign. Coke, Dr. Pepper, it doesn’t matter. If it’s E
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porcelain, it’s bringing a premium.
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— Kent Whitley IS
HOT Dealer, old advertising and toys; collector IN
of Borden Dairy and Milk memorabilia G
North Dallas Antique Mall
Early heavy porcelain sign for Selz brand shoes
with image of company’s feet characters, original
Ingram-Richardson label on backside, excellent
condition, 24” h. x 36” w. ..............................$950
William Morford Investment Grade Collectibles
Sign, Wincarnis Tonic and Nerve Restorative, circa
1904, porcelain enamel, 69” x 37”. Wincarnis
was a popular British drink that was founded
in 1888. A smaller version of this sign was
reproduced in the late 1980s. .....................$5,000 Large early, heavy enameled porcelain sign for Texaco
Heritage Auctions Golden motor oil promoting company’s crankcase service,
excellent condition, 30” x 30” .....................$1,300
William Morford Investment Grade Collectibles
007-018_Advertising.indd 9 7/19/14 2:43 PM