Antiques — August Mailbag The ‘Respectable’ Metalcrafters of Virginia

In our mailbag this month a reader wants to know about a brass inkwell she got at a tag sale. “I got excited when I saw a mark on the bottom,” she writes. “So little metal is marked, and the brass is very heavy. I thought this might be a valuable piece, but nobody can tell me what the mark is.”
The “VM” mark she described is for Virginia Metalcrafters, a firm that just closed down in 2005. The company made respectable, high-quality reproductions, mostly in cast brass.
The phrase “respectable reproductions” might sound odd, but VM products were not created to fool anyone, or simply to cash in on a fad. Instead, they were made in homage to the originals, and with every attention to detail and craftsmanship.
Other respectable repros you might come across include the “English” Ironstone of Chicago’s Red Cliff pottery of the early 1950s, Schaefer & Vawter’s turn-ot-the-century Romantic take on Wedgwood’s jasperware, Clevenger Brother’s 1930s remakes of Colonial South Jersey glass, and Mottaheda china’s versions of just about anything, especially early Chinese export porcelain.
Virginia Metalcrafters started out in 1890 as the W. J. Loth Stove Company of Waynesboro, Virginia on the scenic slopes of the Shenandoah Valley. The company, run by William Loth followed by his son Percy, made cast iron stoves, eventually expanding their product line to include frying pans, waffle irons, tea kettles and other cookware.
William passed away, and Percy was plagued by ill health, so by around 1915, the company fell into the hands of a cousin, Richard (“Captain Dick”) Clemmer, who had joined the firm in 1904.
The story goes that one year Clemmer had an idea to promote the company using a miniature cast iron skillet as a business card. When he presented one to a hotel owner, the owner was so impressed; he asked Clemmer if he could make the same business card for his hotel.
And so, the company whose motto had been “Loth Stoves Make Happy Homes,” once again expanded its product line, this time to include promotional items, gifts and souvenirs. They would produce these items under the Virginia Metalcrafters trade name from 1938 until the company closed in 2005.
In 1951, Virginia Metalcrafters signed a contract with Colonial Williamsburg to produce quality decorative wares, including Colonial fireplace items, lamps and candlesticks, using early American metal craft techniques.
VM’s cast brass items are among the finest handmade decorative items made in 20th Century America. Their brass formula produced a heavy yellow-gold brass more typical of Colonial products. Their wood molds were meticulously hand carved and pressed into fine grain sand to receive the molten metal. Then, each rough molded piece was hand finish.
Now these reproductions are standing tall among the antiques, collectible in their own right, distinctively marked, and right now a real bargain.
Appraisals: Colonial 5-arm candelabrum, 17 inches h., $500; Brass lamp, 25 inches h., $350; Mt. Vernon candlesticks, 10 inches h., $300; Horse doorstop, $150; Brass mirror wall sconce w/two candle holders $125. Inkwell, cast brass w/two crystal wells, $125; Doorstop, fox head and riding crop, $90.
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, or appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.