Before we start answering reader mail, here’s a way you can have an item of yours appraised this week: Come to the Teaberry Marketplace on Route 9 in Clermont on Sat., Feb, 18 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. They are having an “Ask the Experts” Day. Call them at 609-624-1700 for more information. Hope to see you there.
Our first question is about ceramic tiles marked “Batchelder Los Angeles.”
An icon of the American Dream – from rock bands to computer companies – is the great success story that started in a garage. So it was with Ernest Batchelder (1875-1957), who so believed in his talent that in 1909 turned his garage in Pasadena, Calif. into a ceramic studio.
He became so successful that in 1916 he moved into a much larger space in Los Angeles. He was getting orders for tile work in private homes, businesses and office buildings. He had trouble finding enough workers to fill the orders, so he started a school.
The company closed in 1932, but their products are very collectible today as handcrafted examples of the Arts and Crafts Movement, California pottery, and, of course, artful tiles, which are always collectible. Prices for one Batchelder tile can range from $50 to $250; most are about $100.
Our next question comes all the way from Portsmouth, Va., where a reader wants to know about her Underwood and Underwood stereoscope viewer, but didn’t send any pictures.
That’s too bad, because these viewers, in every home in the late 19th C., came in a variety of styles, and those styles will affect the value today. Prices range from $50 to $200. Please send a picture with you appraisal request.
Our next two questions involve dolls. The first is a classic Kestner doll, from Johann Daniel Kestner, called the “King of Doll Makers.” He started making wood and composition dolls in Waltershausen, Thuringia in 1820. The company became so successful that it would eventually employ 75 percent of the town.
This reader’s doll has a composition body, but a bisque porcelain head. That’s because J. D.’s grandson, Adolf, took over the company in 1858 and bought a porcelain company. Today many Kestner dolls are valued in the $400-$600 range. The Kestner company made dolls up until 1938.
The next is a set of Beatles dolls. Many of the most eager early Beatles fans were young girls, so plenty of Beatles dolls were made over the years. This reader’s set is the 1989 commemorative of the Beatles 1965 Shea stadium concert. The plush dolls, made in China for Applause, are in mint condition in the original box.
Research reveals very few examples of these dolls for sale right now. Of the two sets that are for sale, one is $750 and another for 850 British pounds. Then, yet another set sold on eBay for $86.75.
I think the winning bid on eBay just got lucky. In my opinion, a good retail price in the U.S. today would be about $600, but my advice is to hold on to it until we see more auction action. If anyone has any more knowledge about this set, please email me.
If you can’t make the appraisals at Teaberry this Saturday, plan to attend Appraisal Night at the Wetlands Institute on Stone Harbor Blvd. on Tues. evening March 13. Call 609-368-1211 for more information. I’ll remind you in my next column which will appear here on March 7.
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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