Many of us have a bread box in the kitchen. It’s usually a simple, purely utilitarian affair made of metal or plastic; nothing as fancy as a carved panetiere like this one that sold for $1,408 at Neal Auction.
Panetieres were made and used in the Provencal region of France by the 1600s. Like the bread boxes of today, they kept loaves of bread safe from pests while allowing air to circulate to prevent mold. Unlike the humble bread box, they were made from wood with decorative carvings. This one features a carved and painted lyre door, turned posts, scrolling supports and a carved crest and apron.
Recall the cultural significance of bread in France, and the fancy panetiere is perfectly fitting. After widespread hunger and extreme inequality fueled the Revolution, a law made in 1793 required bakers, under the penalty of imprisonment, to make the same type of bread for the rich and poor alike. In 1993, a decree declared that only four ingredients could be used for traditional French bread: water, salt, wheat flour and yeast or starter. UNESCO granted the most famous type of French bread, the baguette, world heritage status in 2022. An antique panetiere is certainly fit for a cultural treasure.
Q: I have a can of a Woolite competitor. The product is Sweater Fluff, made by the Petrochemical Co. of Minneapolis. It opens like a paint can and is about ¼ full of product. I would like to know when the company folded in the 1940s-50s or when the item was discontinued. Value, too, if any.
A: Woolite was introduced in 1951 as the first laundry detergent designed for delicate materials like wool, silk and the new synthetic fabrics. The only references to Sweater Fluff that we have been able to find are print advertisements from Minnesota newspapers in 1957. They call it a new product. It may have been a local brand that was not distributed nationally. The Minnesota Historical Society or a Minneapolis library or archives may have more information about the company and its products. Antique soap or laundry detergent containers can sell for about $50 to $150, depending on age and condition. Authenticity and an intact label with clear, colorful graphics are usually the most important factors. Antique advertising is a very popular area of collecting, and there are collectors who specialize in a certain brand or type of product. Check the Antique Advertising Association of America (www.pastimes.org) for more information about collecting, identifying and evaluating antique and vintage product packaging.
Q: My brother has an old Lone Ranger lamp from when he was little. Can you tell us the value of it?
A: “The Lone Ranger” radio show made its debut in 1932. The first movie was made in 1938, and the television show ran from 1949 to 1957. Toys and memorabilia remained popular after the show ended and are collectible today. We have seen multiple styles of Lone Ranger lamps. There is one with a figure on horseback on the base and one shaped like a covered wagon. There is also a Lone Ranger “Chuck Wagon” lantern that was made as a toy but could work as a real lantern if fuel was added. (The packaging for the lantern warned kids to leave that part to the grown-ups!) Early Lone Ranger toys often sell for over $100. The exact value of your lamp will depend on which one it is and its condition.
TIP: A brisk rubbing with olive oil will remove most alcohol stains from wood.
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.
Kitchen, spoon, wood, chip carved bowl, carved handle, rooster, man playing saxophone, hand at base, loop handle, circa 1900, 14½ inches, $50.
Glass-Venetian, figurine, man and woman, standing, 18th century costume, multicolor latticino, gold leaf inclusions, Murano, 11 inches, pair, $310.
Silver-English, wax jack, spring-tension holder, hexagonal base, feathered rim, pierced center, flying scroll handle, three claw feet, marked, Atkin Brothers, late 1800s, 5½ inches, $345.
Advertising, cooler, Boynton’s Soda, Fifty Years A Favorite, two top lids, painted red, caster feet, 32 by 21½ inches, $375.
Textile, weaving, Navajo, Yei, three figures alternating with two cornstalks, rainbow guardian, 20th century, 26½ by 50 in. $430
Game, Four & Twenty Blackbirds, board, blackbird pieces, instructions, box, McLoughlin Bros., box 20½ inches, $450.
Weathervane, fish, cod, painted, orange, yellow, molded scales, applied fins, 14 by 33 inches, $600.
Furniture, chest, Classical, tiger maple, poplar, walnut, bonnet drawer over three long drawers, turned pilasters, ball feet, Pennsylvania, circa 1930, 47 by 45½ inches, $615.
Jewelry, set, pin, earrings, round, scenic, woman golfing, enamel ground, green, red, white, 14K gold, clip earrings, pin 1⅜ inches, earrings ¾ inches, $1,070.
Chinese Export, vase, Famille Verte, rouleau, yellow ground, bird in flowering branches, four auspicious symbols around shoulder, label, circa 1900, 18½ inches, $1,090.
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