Antiques – On the Road Again

It was time to take this show on the road again, and this time I got the call from some good people, the very good people at a local church meeting campground.
Every year folks of faith from far and wide come to vacation together at various sites nearby the shore. This is the way many of our shore towns were started, like Ocean Grove and Ocean City, for instance. Now these camps are back in the heavy woods, with small cabins and bungalows along very narrow dirt roads. It’s like a step into a time back when, a perfect place to talk about antiques.
We met in a meeting room a little more than an hour before lunch. After a few words about what an appraisal means, and a little joke about the 10th Commandment and coveting thy neighbor’s goods, we got right down to business. Those who have come to any of my sessions know how I do go on, and I didn’t want to keep the faithful from their lunch.
There were a couple of dolls, including an Armand Marseilles (about $350); a Geisha-ware berry set with a cobalt and gold border (about $75); a mirror with advertising art, including a cowgirl and a horse in great condition (about $200); three amazing partial ship builder scale models (ranging from $150-$700).
There was much more, so I took some pictures to share with you here. There were two figurines that looked like Hummels, but only one was real. The other had printed numbers stamped on the back, a sure sign of a Japanese repro. The other had the small bee in a “V,” one of the Hummel trademarks.
Hummels are not as in demand as they were when they first came out. They were quite the rage after the Second World War. They still have their fans, however, and the trademarks on the figures will affect value. Learn more about your Hummels at www.ask.com. Just type “Vintage Hummels” in the search bar, and you’ll get access to everything you need to know.
I also saw an album of postcards, most of which were greetings for birthdays and holidays. In the center of the album, however, there were about a couple of dozen “naughty” postcards, some cartoon prints, and other posed photographs, and all from the early 20th Century. That’s when a “glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking,” so they were hardly naughty by today’s standards.
I love old holiday postcards, there great to decorate with and include with gifts, and they’re only about $3-$10. The printed naughty cards are in the same range. But the photos are usually more – I have seen some at $35-50, but they are usually $10-20 each.
Enjoy the other photos, and look for articles on cast iron, carnival glass and Old Paris porcelain sometime in the future. Unless, of course, the open road calls again, and we find what we shall find.
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.