Finding treasure where you least expect it

  • By Tim and Terry Kovel
  • Tuesday, May 19, 2015 3:05pm
  • Life

Geography, knowledge and luck are a big part of finding a treasure in an unexpected place, and at a low price. It happens.

A number of years ago, a collector found a stack of five enameled ashtrays at an estate sale. The trays were artwork made by a friend, but they were out of style and of no interest to the heirs. The collector asked the price and willingly paid the $5 for all of them.

It was a number of years later that the name of the artist, Mildred Watkins (1883-1968), became nationally known. A small round silver box with an enamel picturing a ship in the center sold at a January 2015 Skinner auction in Boston. It brought $15,990, about three times the high estimate.

Watkins’ name was well-known in Cleveland where she worked as a silversmith, jeweler and enamelist. She studied at the Cleveland School of Art from 1897 to 1901. She moved to Boston to study enameling, then returned to Cleveland and taught at the Cleveland School of Art from 1919 to 1953. She made enameled jewelry, boxes and ashtrays for local shops and shows.

Today, the best of the five estate sale ashtrays is worth about $2,000 or more. The others should sell for $250 to $500. The collector found a bargain because she was informed. But living in the same city as the artist and being lucky enough to get to the sale early led to finding a treasure.

Q: I have quite an extensive collection of American Brilliant Period cut glass that I started collecting when I was about 16 years old. I’m now 74. I know it has lost a considerable sum since the beginning of this century. Do you think the value of my collection will ever return?

A: The American “Brilliant Period” of cut glass was from 1876 until about 1910. The glass was “brilliant” because it was deeply cut and highly polished. Colored cut glass was made from the early 1880s until about 1900. The most popular type was “colored cut to clear” glass. American Brilliant cut glass has gone down in value partly because copies now can be made today in Europe for much less money. The older, heavy-cut glass is out of style, perhaps because it requires hand washing. I wish I could see into the future, but so many uncontrollable factors influence price. An article showing a collection that belonged to a movie star or a sudden interest in elaborately decorated clear glass can raise prices. Like any antique, the prices may go up or down and it usually takes about 25 years for the price of a collection to recover from a loss.

Q: I have a small burl walnut cabinet with two doors. It has an inside drawer that is branded “Hekman.” The cabinet has metal loop door pulls. It’s 28 inches high and the top is 38 wide by 18 inches deep. What can you tell me about it?

A: Edsko Hekman was a baker who emigrated from the Netherlands to Grand Rapids, Michigan, hoping to fulfill his dream of becoming a furniture maker. Towards the end of the 19th century, Grand Rapids companies had become leading producers of machine-made furniture and the city became known as “The Furniture City.” Hekman started out as a baker in Grand Rapids, selling cookies door to door, and started the Hekman Biscuit Co., which later became the Keebler Co. It was Hekman’s three sons who inherited his love of furniture craftsmanship and started the Hekman Furniture Co. in 1922. The company made affordable desks, cabinets, consoles, and all sorts of occasional tables and stands. In 1983, Hekman was bought by the Howard Miller Clock Co. of Zeeland, Michigan, and in 1993, Hekman bought a company noted for its upholstered furniture. The company is still in business. Your cabinet was made by Hekman about 1950 and is worth $200 to $300.

Q: I have a glass bank that is 4 3/4 inches high by 4 1/2 inches wide. It has raised letters that read “Watch your savings grow with Esso” and an oval with the Esso logo. Is it worth anything?

A: Clear glass block banks were popular advertising or promotional giveaways and souvenirs. They were printed, etched or embossed with all kinds of designs or company logos. Your glass block bank was available at service stations that sold Esso gasoline. The embossed logo and slogan on your bank was used by Esso starting in 1934. The bank probably had a paper label band around it when it was new. Some of the labels encouraged saving to buy U.S. Defense Bonds; later labels encouraged saving for Christmas, vacation, new car, and clothing. Your bank is from the early 1940s and is worth $40 to $75, depending on condition and clarity of the glass (some have yellowed). A bank with its label will bring a higher price. A glass block bank was also a popular souvenir at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. It has the same Esso logo on one side and the Trylon and Perisphere and “New York World’s Fair 1939” on the other. It can sell for up to $100.

Note: A Reader wrote us with added information about old mahjong sets that we mentioned in this column a while ago. We explained that new sets have more tiles so old ones are not often used by those who play mahjong. Our reader said there are old tiles for sale at the National Mah Jongg League, 212-246-3052, or www.nationalmahjonggleague.org or 250 West 57th Street, NY, NY 10107. If you send a joker, flower or symbol tile they will try to get a match to your set. They also have decals that can be used on your tiles.

Tip: It is best to hand wash silverware and not put it in a dishwasher. The force of the water may make the silver bump, the detergent may have some harmful ingredients, and the handles on vintage knives may come unglued.

Write to Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel at Kovels, The Herald, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

Current prices

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Blenko glass pitcher, yellow, flared top, 14 3/4 inches, $25.

Wood carving figure, gnome miner, on rock, Black Forest, Switzerland, c. 1900, 6 inches, $215.

Sterling-silver bowl, scalloped, flower border, Gorham, 1898, 11 x 3 inches, $360.

Chest, marquetry inlay, fitted interior, bombe, lid handle, Dutch, c. 1750, 17 x 22 inches, $565.

Marble Carving, bust, woman, upswept hair, white, gray dress, socle base, 24 x 17 inches, $635.

Creamware mug, brown, orange, blue slip twigs, green, black bands, Mocha, England, c. 1820, 3 1/2 inches, $660.

Movie poster, Two-Faced Woman, Greta Garbo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1941, 27 x 40 inches, $750.

Toy fire wagon, hose reel, driver, horse drawn, red, black, white paint, cast iron, Carpenter, 14 inches, $770.

Pier mirror, giltwood, eagle attacking serpent panel, twist carved columns, c. 1890, 108 x 32 inches, $1,250.

Sampler, pictorial, verse, Biblical, Fraternal symbols, floral border, Mary Scott, Lurenckirk, silk on linen, frame, 1835, 19 x 20 inches, $2,400.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.