‘Visiting cards’ left their calling

  • By Terry Kovel
  • Wednesday, December 5, 2012 2:30pm
  • Life

High-society Victorians had a formal way to meet new friends. No playground visits, no social media. The only proper method was an exchange of calling cards, often called “visiting cards.”

The system gave the elite a chance to screen newcomers and reject the “unwanted.” The man’s card was small enough to fit in his breast pocket. The woman’s card was a little larger.

Both were engraved with the person’s name and a title, such as Mr. or Mrs., or rank, like governor, in a simple typestyle. By the end of the century, an address was included, and the typescript was more elaborate.

To meet a neighbor, you went in a carriage to deliver a calling card. Your driver gave it to a maid, who took it to the lady of the house. She decided if she was “not at home” or “at home.” The “at home” meant you could meet right away. “Not at home” meant she didn’t want to meet you then and may never want to meet you.

A card was left on the pile in a silver dish in the hall. The card with the most impressive name was kept on the top. Calling cards for those of lower social standing were decorated by the end of the 19th century, and these are the ones most collected today.

Colorful flowers, birds, hands, faces or designs surround the simple name. Most sell today for $1 to $10. The special silver-plated card trays are another collectible. They often are designed to look like a ceramic dish on a pedestal with a cloth draped on the side or with birds perched in a corner.

The imaginative decorations made it clear that the dishes were not meant to serve food. A silver-plated calling-card dish sells for about $150 to $300.

Q: Years ago, I purchased a Shaker-style rocker at a tag sale. There’s a metal plate on it that reads “American Chair Mfg. Co., Hallstead, Pa.” and “Made for G.E. Finkel Furn. Co., Sussex, N.J.” The seat appears to have the original metal coils, with burlap wrapped around horsehair. Can you give me any information about the maker of this rocking chair?

A: The American Chair Manufacturing Co. was in business from 1892 to 1930. The company was listed in directories in Brandt and Hallstead, Pa. It was known for its Arts and Crafts furniture, which it first made in 1904.

Q: I have a figurine that’s marked “Pasadena, California, Patent Pending” in a circle and “Florence Ceramic” inside the circle. I bought it at a garage sale a long time ago for less than $5. Did I get a bargain?

A: Florence Ceramics was in business in Pasadena, Calif., from 1942 to 1977. Florence Ward (1894-1977) began making ceramics in her garage in about 1940. She established Florence Ceramics Co. in 1942.

The company made figurines, boxes, candleholders and other items. Many of the figurines were designed by Ward. The company was sold to Scripto Corp. in 1964. Scripto made cups, mugs, trays, banks and advertising items under the Florence Ceramics name, but it did not make the figurines and other items produced by the original company.

Scripto closed in 1977. Reproductions of Florence Ceramics figurines made in Asia have been imported into the United States since the 1960s. The more common Florence Ceramic figurines sell for $30 to $50.

Q: I bought an old trunk 40 years ago and would like to know something about it. The emblem on the trunk says “Wheary Cushioned Top Wardrobe Mfg. by Wheary-Burge Trunk Co., Racine, Wisconsin.” Can you tell me the vintage and value of it?

A: Wardrobe trunks were first made in the late 1800s and were especially popular in the 1920s and ’30s. When stood on end, they served as a temporary “closet” for the traveler, with space for hanging clothing on one side of the open trunk and drawers for smaller items on the other side.

George H. Wheary was a designer for the Hartmann Trunk Co. and was granted several patents for improvements to trunks from about 1907 to at least 1947. Wheary and fellow employee Harry Burge opened the Wheary-Burge Trunk Co. in 1922. The Wheary-Burge Cushioned Top Wardrobe came with a removable shoebox, hat carrier and laundry bag, along with 10 hangers.

The cushioned top held the hangers in place. The trunk was advertised in a 1923 newspaper for $49.50. Later, the company’s name became Wheary Luggage Co. It was sold to Hartmann Luggage in 1954.

Collectors today use old trunks as coffee tables or for extra storage space. The value of your trunk is $25 to $50.

Q: I have two 9-inch plates marked “Delfts Blauw Chemkefa.” One plate pictures a small church and is titled “Hasselt Kapel.” The other pictures a man and is titled “Petrus Donders.” I’d like to know something about them. Are they of any importance?

A: Your plates were made by Chemisch Keramisch Fabriek (Chemfeka Earthenware Factory), a company in the Netherlands. The trade name “Chemkefa” is an acronym of the factory name. The company started operating in 1969 and was in business for several years, but it seems to be out of business now.

Chemfeka made collector plates with blue Delft (Delft Blauw) Dutch scenes. Hasselt Kapel (Hasselt Chapel), the church shown on your plate, was built before 1536 near Tilburg in the Netherlands.

Peter Donders (1807-1887) was born in Tilburg and became a Roman Catholic missionary and later a priest in Surinam. Value of your 20th-century plates is about $75 each.

Write to Terry Kovel, (The Herald), King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

&Copy; 2012, 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.

Redware food mold, heart-shape depressions, manganese, pie-crust rim, Foltz, 1985, 2 x 6 3/4 inches, $12.

American Indian bolo tie, Zuni, cast silver, coral, turquoise, snakes, braided leather, Effie Calavaza, 2 1/4 x 3 inches, $153.

Mickey Mouse roller skates, metal, yellow, leather straps, box, c. 1950, 3 x 9 x 4 1/2 inches, $180.

Mining compass, mounted, wood tripod, John Cail, marked, 1800s, 40 x 7 inches, $180.

Occupational shaving mug, girl in dress blowing trumpet, name “W.J. Dorlac” on front, $248.

Butter paddle, horse-head handle, carved maple, Brothertown Indians, Clinton, N.Y., 1800s, 9 1/2 inches, $415.

Fireplace surround, double panels at top, fluted side columns, center column, 1800s, 75 x 92 inches, $443.

Mail Pouch thermometer, porcelain, blue ground, yellow and white lettering, “Treat yourself to the best,” 74 x 20 inches, $748.

Solar lamp, Gothic Revival, faceted glass, bronze crocket feet, c. 1845, 9 3/4 inches, $1,912.

Polar bear rug, Alaska, 1959, 95 x101 inches, $7,475.

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.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

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?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

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.