Published: Thursday, December 23, 2010
Santa has put on weight over the years
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Cowles Syndicate Inc.
This 10-inch-tall Santa Claus wears a blue cloth coat and carries the traditional fir tree and a basket of goodies. The blue coat suggests he dates from before 1915. The figure was made in Germany, probably to be used as a candy container. Morphy Auctions sold Santa for $4,025 in 2010.
Santa Claus hasn't always been a fat, jolly man with a beard and a red suit. He hasn't even always lived at the North Pole.
The Santa of today often is called the “Coca-Cola Santa” because he was first drawn in the 1930s for a series of Coke ads. Before that, a similar Santa had been drawn for magazine covers by N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell.
Even the name “Santa” isn't very old. The child of the 19th century called the famous Christmas figure “Santa Claus” only after 1863, when Thomas Nast's illustrations included the name and pictured him at the North Pole.
Santa's early suits were shown in many different colors, including blue. Earlier 19th-century Christmas figures were named “St. Nick” or “St. Nicholas” because of the poem “The Night Before Christmas.” He was then a plump elf, small enough to fit down a chimney. Why he had become so small is a mystery, because in the 18th century he was a tall saint dressed in a bishop's coat. He had a long white beard and a staff.
Early Dutch settlers in America added a round belly and a clay pipe. And all of these versions of Santa go back to the original saintly Bishop Nicholas of Myra, who lived in Greece in the 3rd century. He was known for good deeds and for secretly putting coins into shoes left outside.
Q: My mother left me a china plate that's marked “Xmas 1916 with compliments from James Norris Ltd. Wine and spirit merchants, Burslem.” Can you tell me something about it?
A: James Norris Ltd. was the name of a bottling plant and brewery in Burslem, England, from at least the late 1800s into the 1930s. Its buildings were demolished in the 1950s.
James Norris apparently contracted with local potteries to make Christmas gifts for his customers. Unless you can find a manufacturer's mark on the plate, it's impossible to tell which pottery made your plate.
Q: I collect Christmas dishes and glassware to use during the holidays. I have a Holly Amber cream pitcher and a Star Holly goblet on a stem. Who made them?
A: Holly Amber, also known as Golden Agate, was made for just six months by the Indiana Tumbler and Goblet Co. of Greentown, Ind. It is a shaded amber-colored pressed glass. It was reheated to create shading from amber to cream. The most popular of the patterns used on this secret recipe of amber glass was Holly Amber.
It has a band of holly leaves as the decoration. The glassware was introduced in January 1903, but was discontinued when the factory burned down six months later. Star Holly is a glassware that looks like Wedgwood's jasperware pottery.
Pieces have a raised border of holly leaves, and plates also have a center medallion that looks like a star made of seven holly leaves. It was made in blue, green or rust with white leaves. The factory mark of the intertwined and raised letters “IG” is on the bottom.
Star Holly was made for a short time in about 1951 by the Imperial Glass Co. of Bellaire, Ohio. A large collection of the glass was found in the 1950s by a new dealer who was told it was very old.
Q: I have an old Christmas ornament that has been in the family for a long time. It is a glass clown with the number 500,000 printed on his chest. What does that mean?
A: You have an ornament from the days of German inflation after World War I; 500,000 was the number of marks it cost to buy a loaf of bread. There was actually a 500,000-mark bill. Why that was a Christmas message, we can't imagine. It is a rare ornament, but be warned that reproductions have been made since 2000.
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 conditions.
Canada Dry store display, die-cut, kids in pajamas holding Christmas gifts, boy holding bottle of Canada Dry and girl holding glass, 1950s, 20 x 34 inches, $85.
Disney's Donald and Mickey Merry Christmas comic book, Firestone promotion, story titled, “Three Good Little Ducks,” 8 pages, 1943-49, 7 x 10 inches, $125.
F.A.O. Schwarz 1936 Christmas catalog, Santa in sleigh behind Christmas tree, featuring Shirley Temple & Dionne Quintuplet dolls, Gilbert erector set, 64 pages, 9 x 12 inches, $170.
Mares Laig “Western Rapid Fire” toy “rifle pistol” cap gun, on card, picture of Steve McQueen as Josh Randall in “Wanted Dead or Alive” TV show, with roll of caps, 13 1/2 inches, $400.
Madame Alexander Polly Pigtails doll, hard plastic, blue sleep eyes, red knit sweater, red felt hat, skates, 1949, 17 inches, $860.
Write to Terry Kovel, (The Herald), King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
© 2010, Cowles Syndicate Inc.
The Santa of today often is called the “Coca-Cola Santa” because he was first drawn in the 1930s for a series of Coke ads. Before that, a similar Santa had been drawn for magazine covers by N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell.
Even the name “Santa” isn't very old. The child of the 19th century called the famous Christmas figure “Santa Claus” only after 1863, when Thomas Nast's illustrations included the name and pictured him at the North Pole.
Santa's early suits were shown in many different colors, including blue. Earlier 19th-century Christmas figures were named “St. Nick” or “St. Nicholas” because of the poem “The Night Before Christmas.” He was then a plump elf, small enough to fit down a chimney. Why he had become so small is a mystery, because in the 18th century he was a tall saint dressed in a bishop's coat. He had a long white beard and a staff.
Early Dutch settlers in America added a round belly and a clay pipe. And all of these versions of Santa go back to the original saintly Bishop Nicholas of Myra, who lived in Greece in the 3rd century. He was known for good deeds and for secretly putting coins into shoes left outside.
Q: My mother left me a china plate that's marked “Xmas 1916 with compliments from James Norris Ltd. Wine and spirit merchants, Burslem.” Can you tell me something about it?
A: James Norris Ltd. was the name of a bottling plant and brewery in Burslem, England, from at least the late 1800s into the 1930s. Its buildings were demolished in the 1950s.
James Norris apparently contracted with local potteries to make Christmas gifts for his customers. Unless you can find a manufacturer's mark on the plate, it's impossible to tell which pottery made your plate.
Q: I collect Christmas dishes and glassware to use during the holidays. I have a Holly Amber cream pitcher and a Star Holly goblet on a stem. Who made them?
A: Holly Amber, also known as Golden Agate, was made for just six months by the Indiana Tumbler and Goblet Co. of Greentown, Ind. It is a shaded amber-colored pressed glass. It was reheated to create shading from amber to cream. The most popular of the patterns used on this secret recipe of amber glass was Holly Amber.
It has a band of holly leaves as the decoration. The glassware was introduced in January 1903, but was discontinued when the factory burned down six months later. Star Holly is a glassware that looks like Wedgwood's jasperware pottery.
Pieces have a raised border of holly leaves, and plates also have a center medallion that looks like a star made of seven holly leaves. It was made in blue, green or rust with white leaves. The factory mark of the intertwined and raised letters “IG” is on the bottom.
Star Holly was made for a short time in about 1951 by the Imperial Glass Co. of Bellaire, Ohio. A large collection of the glass was found in the 1950s by a new dealer who was told it was very old.
Q: I have an old Christmas ornament that has been in the family for a long time. It is a glass clown with the number 500,000 printed on his chest. What does that mean?
A: You have an ornament from the days of German inflation after World War I; 500,000 was the number of marks it cost to buy a loaf of bread. There was actually a 500,000-mark bill. Why that was a Christmas message, we can't imagine. It is a rare ornament, but be warned that reproductions have been made since 2000.
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 conditions.
Canada Dry store display, die-cut, kids in pajamas holding Christmas gifts, boy holding bottle of Canada Dry and girl holding glass, 1950s, 20 x 34 inches, $85.
Disney's Donald and Mickey Merry Christmas comic book, Firestone promotion, story titled, “Three Good Little Ducks,” 8 pages, 1943-49, 7 x 10 inches, $125.
F.A.O. Schwarz 1936 Christmas catalog, Santa in sleigh behind Christmas tree, featuring Shirley Temple & Dionne Quintuplet dolls, Gilbert erector set, 64 pages, 9 x 12 inches, $170.
Mares Laig “Western Rapid Fire” toy “rifle pistol” cap gun, on card, picture of Steve McQueen as Josh Randall in “Wanted Dead or Alive” TV show, with roll of caps, 13 1/2 inches, $400.
Madame Alexander Polly Pigtails doll, hard plastic, blue sleep eyes, red knit sweater, red felt hat, skates, 1949, 17 inches, $860.
Write to Terry Kovel, (The Herald), King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
© 2010, Cowles Syndicate Inc.
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