SO, WHAT'S IT WORTH?
'Puffy' lamp glows in value
March 6, 2010
John D. Sewell
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Q: This Pairpoint lamp came from my grandmother, who once lived in a grand old homestead just south of Norfolk, Va. The house was so big, it was later converted into 10 apartments. The lamp base is silver and stands 52 centimetres tall (20.5 inches). The glass shade has a diameter of 39 centimetres (15.5 inches). On the bottom of the base is the Pairpoint "P" inside a diamond shape. I'd love to know more about this piece.
Wayne, Holmen, Wis., USA
A: This is a dynamite lamp and no doubt worthy of your grandparents' grand homestead. It was made between 1900 and 1920 by the Pairpoint Corp., of New Bedford, Mass., which sold its lamps through some of the country's top retailers, including its competition, Tiffany & Co., in New York. Pairpoint started out exclusively making silver-plated items but after buying the Mount Washington Glass Company of New Bedford, they started to produce these lamps, known as electroliers.
There were three categories of these electroliers: the cut glass versions, the reverse-painted lamps, and the puffies, like this one, called that because of the way the glass shade is puffed out in places. The shades are moulded then hand-painted and the shape of yours is known as a Marlborough. The floral design pattern, which includes those beautiful pansies, is called garland bouquet.
These lamps were very expensive, originally costing as much as $125 each. To put that in perspective, in 1913 a Ford touring car with electric lights could be had for $350. According to Sarnia-based Paul Braybrook, owner of Vermillion Antiques, who handles a lot of these types of lamps, your grandmother's puffy is worth about $10,000 these days.
Q: I bought this large drawer cabinet seven years ago at an
auction for $800. It's 142 centimetres tall (56 inches) and 153
centimetres wide (60 inches). I believe the wood is ash and the drawers
are dovetailed and have nice cast-iron pulls.
Both front
corners of the cabinet have a long narrow board that runs vertically
and hinges over the edge of the drawers so they can be locked. When I
bought this, there were paper and plastic labels on the drawer fronts
indicating it had been used to store fossils.
Mark, Norwood
A: This
cabinet was part of the first wave of commercial and industrial
furniture production, which began about 1880 in North America. Most
pieces were made of oak or ash and this one was likely made in Ontario.
It could have had a variety of uses but I think they were likely paper
related. I suspect your cabinet was used to hold blueprints, insurance
plans, maps, letters or documents.
The market for commercial furniture is very limited, since its appeal is primarily functional rather than decorative.
I think you'd be doing well to get $1,200 for it should you be tempted to sell someday.
Q: This Chinese vase has been in our family since the late
1800s. My grandparents brought it from England. It has Chinese markings
underneath, is in very good condition, stands 30 centimetres tall (12
inches) and is 25 centimetres wide (10 inches.) It's beautifully
coloured and has a removable lid.
Mike, Blackstock
A: This
is an interesting piece, but it's Japanese, not Chinese. And I think
it's more of a jar than a vase. One thing for certain, it was meant to
store something valuable. That's why the handles and finial are foo
dogs, which are strong and courageous protectors according to Japanese
legend. What you've got here is a Satsuma jar. Satsuma is generally
defined as pottery with a finely crazed background, which is most
obvious on the cream-coloured background on your jar. Most of it was
made in Japan between 1870 and 1920. I think your piece, which is a
mid-grade quality, dates to roughly 1890. It's quite possible this is a
funerary jar, used to hold a loved one's ashes. Regardless of what
valuable contents the foos are guarding, or once guarded, the jar
itself is worth about $350.
John Sewell is an antique and fine art appraiser. To submit an item to his column, go to the Contact John page at www.johnsewellantiques.ca.
Please measure your piece, say when and how you got it, what you paid
and list any identifying marks. A high-resolution jpeg photo must also
be included and only email submissions accepted. Appraisal values are
estimates only.
Toronto Star