Antiques – July Mailbag… What to Do With Your Limoges

I have heard so many complaints in the last few months from folks who can’t believe that their grown-up children don’t want their Limoges china. These are special dishes, often handed down over a couple of generations. Set a table with them; then step back to realize that each piece in front of you was hand-painted by an artist.
Limoges is the capital city of the Limousin district of France. The American, David Haviland opened up the U.S. market for Limoges porcelains in the 1840s. His nephew, Charles Field Haviland and his grandson Theodore Haviland followed suit, making Limoges the good china closet china in American homes for nearly a century.
There are other fine Limoges companies besides Haviland, including T&V, Guerin, Ahrenfeldt, Pouyat, G. D. A., and many others. It’s all hand-painted and it’s all gorgeous.
If your children don’t want your family’s Limoges china, make them take it anyway. You’ve taken care of it all these years, now it’s their turn. Tell them to put it in their attic, because taste tends to skip a generation, and their kids will probably want it.
Still doing well, however, are Limoges decorative pieces, and pieces that can be used decoratively, like planters, vases, candlesticks, fish sets, tureens, teapots, and vanity items.
You will notice there is a new “Whatzit?” puzzler this week. It’s a heavy piece of metal that looks like a kazoo, but probably isn’t. I have no idea what it is. The first person to come up with a plausible explanation will get a copy of “The Antique Story Book.” Good luck.
Baseball card collectors just caught a bit of good luck. The field has suffered through a hard time over the last few years. Cards were over-produced, reproduced, and hawked at such ridiculous prices that many collectors became discouraged. Now collectors can take heart. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is currently featuring a baseball card exhibit called, “Legends of the Dead Ball Era (1900-1909). There are 600 baseball cards on display from a collection of 37,000.
Baseball cards as art. Whodda thunk it. The show runs through Dec. 1. Try to get up there.
Speaking of December: The idea of Christmas in July is more than just a marketing ploy by resort business owners. The idea actually makes good sense. Shopping at your leisure now can result in more interesting, thoughtful gifts than those grabbed up in the last, harried days of Christmas shopping. And the more you get finished now, the more you can enjoy season.
And remember: If it has to be unique, it ought to be antique.
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.