“Gemel” is the name for a special type of bottle. Two bottles with curved necks are heated and joined together to form one unit for two liquids, such as oil and vinegar.
The term gemel is derived from Gemini, the constellation with two stars that represent Castor and Pollux, twins in Greek and Roman mythology.
A rare 6 1/4-inch-high gemel stoneware flask was recently found. It is two jugs joined together with one handle and decorated with one large blue incised bird decoration.
Gemel jugs were made by potters in Connecticut and New York in the 18th and 19th centuries.
It is suggested that because of its small size and because one jug is marked M and the other B, it held Madeira and brandy for sauces. Crocker Farm, Inc., of Maryland auctioned this unusual piece for $24,725.
Q: I would like some information on the North Staffordshire Pottery Co. (Cobridge). I have a “Windsor Castle” plate made there.
A: North Staffordshire Pottery Co. Ltd. was established at the Globe Pottery in Cobridge, Staffordshire, England, in 1940. The company made earthenware. The pottery was taken over by Ridgways (later Ridgway Potteries) in 1952. North Staffordshire Pottery Co. was one of eight potteries that became part of Ridgway Potteries in the 1950s.
Q: I have an old, clear, half-pint canning jar that’s about 8 inches tall. Its flat glass lid is marked “Whitall, Tatum &Co., Philadelphia, New York, Pat. June 11, 1895.” The closure is a heavy metal yoke-shaped clamp with a horizontal wheel for tightening. Does it have any value?
A: There is an avid group of collectors who hunt for antique fruit jars, also called canning jars. Yours obviously was first made in 1895 or later. Whitall, Tatum &Co. was the first glass factory founded in the United States.
It operated in Millville, N.J., from the early 1800s until 1938, manufacturing bottles and jars of all types. Your jar, one of five types Whitall made, sells for $50 to $75 today.
Q: I bought a hutch at an estate sale 20 years ago. It appears to be old and its painted surface is original. “Jasper Cabinet Co.” is stamped in one of the drawers. When was that company in business?
A: Jasper Cabinet Co. is still in business in Jasper, Ind. It can trace its history to 1904, but was formally incorporated under its current name in 1928. The company changed ownership a few times before temporarily closing in 2002.
An Indiana investment group, including some former employees, then acquired the company and reopened it in 2005.
Jasper Cabinet Co. is best-known for its desks, chests, breakfronts, secretaries, curio cabinets, entertainment units and gun cabinets. It’s likely your hutch dates from either before or soon after World War II.
Q: A friend gave me an old cast-iron skull-shaped bottle opener. It’s 4 inches high by 3 1/4 inches wide. The mouth is the opener — you put the top of a bottle in the mouth and pull the bottle down to remove the cap. Have you ever seen anything like it?
A: Old skull-shaped bottle openers come up for auction every once in a while. The last two we have seen auctioned for $300 each, but condition affects price. If yours is in good shape, without chipped paint or rust, you could expect it to be worth about the same.
Most funny cast-iron bottle openers were made in the 1940s and ’50s by either John Wright Co. or Wilton Products Co., both located in Wrightstown, Pa.
Write to Terry Kovel, (The Herald), King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
&Copy; 2010, Cowles Syndicate Inc.
On the block
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.
Tiddlywinks game, four felt squares, five large discs, six small red, blue, yellow-and-white discs, original glass cup, Parker Bros., box, 1897, $32.
Norah Wellings TSS Tuscania Sailor doll, hand-painted felt face, barefoot, 10 fingers and toes, England, 1920s, 12 inches, $65.
Coverlet, wool, hand-woven, twill weave, green, red and navy, fringe, Pennsylvania, mid 1800s, 82 x 76 inches, $440.
Mount Washington salt and pepper shakers, fig shape, Royal Flemish cranberry glass, bark texture, tiny enameled flowers, 2 1/2 inches, pair, $475.
California Perfume Co. calendar, red-headed woman wearing green hat with yellow bow and tie, 1910, 12 x 9 inches, $635.
Tabletop globe, “The New Twelve Inch British Terrestrial Globe,” turned-leg tripod stand, England, 1802, 18 inches, $825.
Gustav Stickley sideboard, No. 816, hammered copper hardware, branded signature, 45 x 18 1/4 inches, $3,480.
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