February Mailbag — Old Columns and New Appraisal Questions

Old columns never die, they just hang out there in cyberspace, snaring googlers, and eliciting letters to me like: “I was researching my Ginori porcelain online, when I found your column. What do you think my Ginori is worth?”
I seem to get so much mail about that Ginori column, because there is not that much online help about the company, even though it’s been in business for nearly 300 years. It’s Italian porcelain, more popular in Europe than here. It has been called the “Ferrari of Porcelains” because of the stylishness of the decoration.
Old decorative wares are the most valuable. The very chic dinnerware can be researched at www.replacementslimited.com. If your piece is marked “Richard Ginori,” it was made after 1896. There is no Richard Ginori, but in that year the company merged with Richard Porcelain of Milan.
I still get letters about naughty, nudie and bathing beauty figures. Folks just can’t believe how valuable these little things are. The German figures from the Cabaret days of the 1920s are at least $200-250. The Japanese copies from the 1930s run about $100-200 on average.
I received a letter from a reader who has a collection of about 40 German beer steins from the 1960s that she needs to sell. These are fairly common; often have aluminum rather than pewter top, and a mass-produced look. Most will be valued at $25-50. Those with company marks and better quality decoration can run from $75-150 from this period, depending on the size.
A scroll weight is the Japanese equivalent of a paperweight, both once useful items that have become collectible. A scroll needs to be weighed down on top so the rest of it can be unrolled. Once people began collecting them, in bronze, pottery and porcelain, the accommodating Japanese began producing them just to be collected. They did the same with netsukes, those little toggles in ivory, wood and silver.
The older pieces signed by certain artists can be very valuable. The rest will have value based on age and artistry.
Silver plate has folks in a quandary. It has little value, but should it just be tossed? I should do a column on this soon. For now, definitely hold on to special serving pieces, any item that involves a figure (humans, animals or plants), and silver plate over copper.
Enjoy the photos, and keep those emails coming. Please include a photo and description.
If you have things you would like to have appraised in person, come to Convention Hall in Cape May on March 16 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., I will be doing public appraisals there on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May. The limit is two items per person, and there’s a voluntary donation of $5 for the both. This will be part of a larger expo, so it sounds like fun. Call Doreen Talley at the Chamber at 609-884-5508 for more info.
If you can’t make that event, on March 22, I will be at the Cape May Lutheran Church on Pittsburgh Avenue in Cape May city doing appraisals for the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts. These are free and there’s a two- item limit. Call Barbara Oberholtzer at MAC at 609-884-5404 for more info.
As usual, I will be taking photos at each of these events, and reporting the appraisals back in a future column. The more we see, the more we learn.
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.