Antiques – May Mailbag

Before we dip into this months mailbag for appraisals, I should let you know how you can get your items appraised for free this weekend (May 7, 8) courtesy of the Stone Harbor Chamber of Commerce. They set me up at a table on 96th Street between 12 noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday, and between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday. Hope to see you there.
Recently, a family in the Court House discovered an old toy among a relative’s belongings. I knew as soon as I saw the company that made it that it would be a prized collectible. The toy was the battery operated “Official Mr. Magoo Car,” and the manufacturer was Hubley.
John Hubley started his business in Lancaster, Pa. in 1894 making cast iron items, especially doorstops and bookends. In 1909 the company began making cast iron toys and banks. After World War II, Hubley produced toys in tin and plastic. All Hubley items are of such high quality and expert design that they have become highly prized among collectors. Because this toy had it’s original box, and it worked, I appraised it at about $400. Someone has one on eBay now for $600. We’ll see how well he does.
Modern design is very in right now, and few things say “Modern” like Lucite, the crystal clear polyacrylic plastic developed by Dupont in 1931. So I was very happy to see a Lucite ice chest brought in for appraisal at the Wetlands Institute.
Lucite was made into Art Deco jewelry in the 1940s and ‘50s, and fashionable handbags in the 1960s, but it really took off in the late 1960s and 1970s, when it was made into high-end furniture and decorative accessories. The ‘70s was about minimalism, and having Lucite was like having things suspended in air.
The Ice box, with its playful handle of scattered Lucite ice cubes, was right out of this period. I thought it could fetch about $50 in a shop today, but I predicted a brighter future for it in the years to come.
Apparently, the article I did some time ago on Dirilyte flatware has found a long life on the Internet. I have received several inquiries in the past few months (one of them from Israel) about this gold-tone tableware made in Kokomo, Indiana between 1936 and 1986.
Folks discovered that Dirilyte tarnishes, and wanted to know how to clean it. I directed them to www.dirilyte.com, where they sell a special cleaner. I also discovered that Sinichrome works very well, and that it also helps to clean Dirilyte in a dishwasher with Cascade detergent.
As for value: Dirilye was expensive back in the day, but today an 18-piece starter set is selling for about $75-100, and the buyer pool for any kind of dinner ware has shrunk a bit lately.
Arthur Schwerdt, certified appraiser, is author of “The Antique Story Book,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send comments, questions and appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.