The cornucopia, or horn-of-plenty, spilling over with a colorful harvest of fruits and vegetables, is the traditional symbol for this time of year. It could also have been the symbol for our two-days of appraisal a couple of weeks ago at The Marketplace @ Teaberry on Route 9 in Clermont. There certainly was an abundance of people, and an abundance of antiques. There was even a horn or two.
There has been intense interest in the market for vintage musical instruments, so I was happy when the first thing in the door was an unusual looking double horn, an engraved brass euphonium by York. My guess as to value was about $1,000, and subsequent research bore me out. One went off on eBay at $1,100, plus shipping. The one that was brought in, which had its carriing case, was missing its mouthpiece (no big deal).
Another important item brought in was a cast iron mechanical bank. It was a William Tell bank, where a penny is mounted on Tel’s crossbow and shot into a castle wall. Unfortunately I lost the picture I too due to my cyber-idiocy. The bank was patented in 1896 and works perfectly. I estimated at $750-800. Researched showed that $1,000 to $1,200 is more like it.
I saw well over 100 items in those two days. More impressive was the number of people out and about doing their early Christmas shopping in the local antique, thrift, and specialty shops. We are lucky to have such so many of these resources around here. That’s something we can toot our own horn about.
Enjoy the photos and captions.
Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions and appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.
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