August Mailbag… With Antiques, the Mail is Always Interesting

Some time ago I wrote a column on Dirilyte, the gold-tone flatware developed in Sweden in 1900, and sold popularly in the USA between 1936 and 1986. Apparently, that column pops up now whenever anyone searches Google for information on Dirilyte. Here’s the latest query, all the way from Indiana:
“I have a brass or bronze (not sure which) trivet with a bust of George Washington on it — although it actually looks a little more like Wm. Shakespeare than Washington. On the back, it has ‘G-19’ ‘Dirilyte,’ and ‘Geo. Washington’.”
First of all Dirilyte isn’t bronze, even though some people are selling it as bronze on eBay. Dirilyte is an alloy containing some bronze. As far as I can tell, Dirilyte did not sell trivets directly to the public, but to companies that would give them as premiums or sell them as souvenirs. This George Washington trivet was probably a 1976 Bicentennial commemorative. George is very popular these days, so a fair price for the trivet is probably about $30-35.
From another reader comes a photo of an unusual piece of furniture that he’d like to know more about. On first look, it seems to be a record player, but the top opens to a flat service. Inside however, the mystery is solved; this is a bar. A rotating piece with round holes at the base was obviously for liquor bottles. The zinc-lined box in the center was a mini icebox. The flat surface on top was once inset with a pane of glass or mirror. It’s probably from the 1930s, and you won’t find one like it made new today. One very much like this one went for $345 at a recent auction.
The next mystery concerns tiny pink pigs – very tiny and very, very pink. What are they, someone wants to know, and why do they cost as much as they do?
These are the German porcelain pink pigs made between 1890 and 1920. Sometimes called “pink pig fairings,” they could be purchased as souvenirs at town and county fairs. They are often dresser boxes or jars for jewelry or loose change. Pink pigs are collected worldwide with prices ranging from $25 to $200.
Finally, a while ago I asked for your ideas about re-purposing old things for new uses. Bob Anderson of Cape May had a few, like using an old baby scale to hold magazines. But the winner had to be the toilet paper holder out of an old oil lamp wall bracket. For that he wins a signed copy of my book.
Please keep the letters and emails coming; they’re always interesting. And don’t forget the photos.
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 or Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions and appraisal requests to: aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.
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