Appraising is ‘Greate’ in Historic Greenwich

If you have antiques that you would like to know the value of, I will be doing appraisals at the Teaberry Marketplace on Route 9 in Clermont, Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Make a day of it. Bring some friends, have some lunch there, and hang around to watch the other items being appraised. The more we see, the more we learn. For more information, call them at 609-624-1700.
I recently conducted one such program in historic Greenwich, NJ. At that event, there was a steady stream of people for over four hours. Each person brought in multiple items, and most folks stayed long after their items were appraised to watch the other appraisals.
I am ashamed to say that I had never been to Greenwich before, and it’s only about an hour away. I knew very little about the town other than that it was one of the oldest in the state. How old? Well, what more can you say about a place whose main street in named, “Ye Greate Street”?
So, of course, I expected some items of historic interest, and I wasn’t disappointed. Particularly interesting were two items: a farrier’s tool invented in Greenwich, and a scrimshaw powder horn which may date back to the Revolutionary War period. I’ve included photos of these with this column.
As usual, however, most of the items brought in were from people’s personal or family history. These included carnival glass and opalescent glass, both favorites from around 1900. Carnival glass is iridized glass sometimes called “the poor man’s Tiffany glass.” It didn’t fare too well when it first came out, and eventually, it was given out at carnivals. Now, some patterns can be quite valuable in certain shapes.
Opalescent glass pieces are trimmed or decorated with milk glass. Although they don’t climb as high in price as carnival glass, opalescent pieces still command good prices, especially in blue, cranberry and the harder to find yellow-green “Vaseline” colors.
Also from that era, a number of Nippon porcelains (1891-1921) showed up at this appraisal program. Beautifully hand-painted pieces, trimmed with heavy gold decoration, can be valued from $150-300.
Even though most items brought in at Greenwich were about 100-years-old, every other house on Ye Greate Street dates back over 200-years-old to the 18th Century. To learn more about this charming and historic town, check out the website of the Cumberland County Historical Society at www.cchistsoc.org.
In the meantime, I hope I see you, and your own historic items, at Teaberry Marketplace this Saturday. I promise we’ll have a greate time there, too.
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.