Antiques – It’s All About Beauty and Brains

Our column on bathing beauty figures from the 1920s and ‘30s created a bit of a stir. I had mentioned that the better ones were the German porcelains from the ‘20, and that the Japanese copied them in the ‘30s. But one reader found a beauty marked “Made in Czecho-Slovakia,” and wanted to know where it fit in.
Unfortunately, the reader didn’t send a picture, but describes the figure of a lady “sitting right hand on her hip, knees up and she is holding an umbrella behind her.” Other marks include the number 1886 and “R. Phila.”
The country of Czechosloakia was formed in 1918 at the end of World War I. It included the old Kingdom of Bohemia, home of some of Europe’s finest glass and ceramic artists. They were so prominently in the forefront of the modern Bauhaus/Art Deco Movement of their day, that today some collectors refer to “Czech-Deco” as a style of it’s own.
The 1886 number can’t be a date, and is probably a factory style number. The “R. Phila” is an American importer’s mark. Since it’s Czech, I have to assume that it’s a decent quality piece, and worth at least about $100. But it could be worth considerably more. A Royal Dux, for instance would be three times that estimate.
Please send photos and sizes, as well as a good description of all marks.
I also mentioned in that column that there were Victorian naughties, nudes and bathing beauties, so one reader wanted to know why I didn’t include a photo of one of them. Since these were not so available to the general public, they were often too naughty to include in a family newspaper, even these days. But I did find a couple of fairing figures (remember: they could be won or purchased at fairs). I include a picture of them with this column.
I received so many responses to the column on old books that I would be doing nothing but researching old books for the next few weeks. You can do a lot for yourself to find out the value of your books. The process can be time-consuming, and sometimes confusing, but it will be rewarding in the end.
First, try these two web sites: www.alibris. com and www.abebooks .com. If your book is listed there, read very carefully the descriptions of all the editions listed. Note the year, the publisher, the make-up of the cover.
You can also try Amazon and eBay, or just google your title. But in all cases you must pay attention to how the book is described. The difference in value could be enormous. It also helps to know something about a book, like when it’s first edition was published, before you start your research.
Don’t be too disappointed if your edition is only worth a dollar or two. Crack it open and browse a bit. You’ll find the real value of books is what’s inside them.
For instance, I was disappointed recently to find that a lovely edition I found of the works of William Dean Howells was not worth as much as I thought. I hadn’t read him since college, so I opened to a random page, and found this: “What is to say, as I understand, that moods and tastes change; people fancy now this and now that; but what is unpretentious and what is true is always beautiful and good, and nothing else is so.”
Please keep the mail coming, even if you leave us at the end of the season. We’re just a few clicks away.
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.