ANTIQUES – November Mailbag

Old Columns Never Die
Once again, as we go through the emails, old columns are coming back to haunt me. A while ago I wrote a column featuring Dirilyte, the gold tone flatware that was invented in 1936. Now I get a letter from a lady in Winchester Massachusetts who found that column when she googled “Dirilyte.” to look up a set she inherited.
She was upset because all she was offered by a dealer for her service for eight was $25. She probably should have taken the money. Dirilyte was a neat idea – gold knives and fork to go with gold-rimmed dishes. And it made a neat gift for a 50th Anniversary.
The problem was that over time it discolored, and you had to buy a special polish to clean it. That polish is still available on www. dirilyte.com, but recently, some folks have discovered that Dirilyte will clean up in a dishwasher if you use either Cascade, Dawn dishwasher detergent or Dishwasher Magic. So Dirilyte might have a comeback.
I don’t think I received more responses for a column than the one on bathing beauty figurines. One reader sent a picture of two beauties, stamped Germany. These were probably not Shafer and Vater, which most likely would have impressed number, nor were they Heubach Brothers which would be bisque. So their value was in the $100 range.
The same reader sent in a figure of what she said was a porcelain bellhop that might be a candlestick. It was unmarked, but I could tell that it was German and not a bellhop or a candlestick. It was a young man shyly holding flowers, and he had a mate. The two of them were toothpick holders worth about $50-60 a pair. All alone, he’s about $25.
Finally, a local reader discovered a set of English children’s books from about 1850. They are soft-covers called chapbooks, and were made to entertain and educate. The 16-volume set is complete, and in great condition. The reader looked them up and found that they are worth a few thousand dollars, which I can confirm.
So, what’s the problem? Well, how do you sell such a treasure? You can try selling them on the Internet at sites like www.abebooks.com or www.alibris.com. Or, now that you know the approximate value, you can try eBay, and price them a bit below retail.
If you go to sell to a dealer, you may be offered in the neighborhood of one-third to 40 percent, if they want to invest in that kind of item at all. You also could choose to consign them to a shop, in which case you can negotiate the amount you want to get for them.
You can usually turn things into cash easily. But if you want to maximize your returns, you’re going to have to be patient and do a bit of work, especially in this economy.
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.
It’s easy to see why one reader thought this little guy was a bellhop. Notice his eyes, however, and the bouquet of flowers in his hands. He was probably one of a pair of toothpick holders.
4. (BEAUTIES): Our column of bathing beauties really struck a core. These little ladies are stamped Germany and are valued at about $75 to $100 each