Identify the designer of an antique and it will usually sell for more. Sometimes an attribution is enough. This Aesthetic Movement table with ebonized finish, incised gilt decoration and flower panels sold for an impressive $6,144 at Neal Auction. While you can’t dismiss its visual appeal — after all, it was made during the Aesthetic Movement of the late 19th century, the time of “art for art’s sake” — its attribution to New York firm Kimbel & Cabus was probably a factor in its selling.
The Kimbel & Cabus firm was active from 1862 to 1882 and famous for exhibiting their furniture at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. The ebonized table is typical of their designs, with its dark finish, elaborate gilt and incising, sturdy square shape and nature-inspired decoration. Very little information about the firm survives. They marked their furniture with paper labels that have worn away over time, so the only way to identify their furniture is to match it to the pictures in their one surviving trade catalog. That is why this table is attributed to them, not confirmed. Because they are so difficult to identify, Kimbel & Cabus furniture pieces are extremely rare, and therefore valuable.
Q: I have quite a large collection of Roseville pottery. Do you know where I can find current prices?
A: For current prices, we recommend checking local stores or looking online. There are several books on Roseville Pottery that are helpful for identification, like “Warman’s Roseville Pottery” (second edition, Denise Rago, 2007) or “The Collectors Encyclopedia of Roseville Pottery” (Volume 2, Revised Edition, Sharon & Bob Huxford and Mike Nickel, 2001), but they are old enough that prices are outdated. The website Just Art Pottery (justartpottery.com) is a good source for information and prices. It has a section for Roseville. Another way to find current prices is to check recent auction results. Look online for auction houses that specialize in art pottery and search their archives of past auctions. Rago Auction (ragoarts.com) has a strong reputation in the art pottery world. Remember, with pottery, condition is an important factor in price.
Q: I need help identifying an antique witch ball passed through generations of my family. I don’t know anything about it.
A: Witch balls are hollow balls of blown glass that are suspended in the air or placed on a pedestal, usually as garden decorations. They became popular decorations in the mid-1800s. There is plenty of folklore surrounding the name “witch ball.” Some say it is because witches can use them as divination tools; others say they offer protection from witches’ spells and evil spirits, either by reflecting them away or trapping them inside the ball. Yet another story claims that they were originally called “watch balls” because you could see their surroundings reflected in the glass, making them useful for monitoring a room, if kept indoors, or seeing who is approaching the house, if kept outside. They are also called gazing balls. They are made in many different colors and patterns; glassblowers may have made them as whimsies, which were pieces made in their spare time to practice techniques, use up glass remnants or give as gifts. Like many 19th-century glass forms, they experienced a revival in the 1920s and ’30s. Antique witch balls sell for about $100 to $350. The value is higher if you can identify a maker and narrow down the year it was made.
Q: I have a necklace that’s a long string of red faceted beads. Can you tell me what it might be worth?
A: Your necklace sounds like the art deco style that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Its value will depend on what the beads are made of. We have seen similar necklaces with plastic beads sell for $30-$75; glass, about $50; gemstones, $100-$300. Check any metal parts, like the clasp and any chain links or bead separators, for a maker’s mark or any information about the type of metal. Costume jewelry by a famous maker can be worth more than some pieces with precious stones. Costume Jewelry Collectors Int’l (costumejewelrycollectors.com) is an organization dedicated to providing educational resources for collectors and can be extremely helpful.
TIP: Watch out for fake Bakelite jewelry being made in Taiwan and other Asian areas. The new plastic is heavier than old Bakelite, and if held under water, it smells very different from old Bakelite. Metal pins or decorations are riveted to old Bakelite but glued to new fakes.
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.
Porcelain, Asian, plate, two quail on ground in center, leafy and blossoming branches around rim, blue and red geometric bands on exterior, Nabeshima, Japan, 8 inches, $30.
Quilt, applique, Sunbonnet Sue, multicolor figures, embroidered animals, hand stitched, crib, 47 by 57 inches, $50.
Toy, radio, station, Remco, sends and receives messages, telegraph, two-way phone, signal detector, flashlight, box, 1950s, $110.
Steuben, candleholder, satin glass globe, free blown, cut to clear, round base, marked, 4 by 4¾ inches, $185.
Furniture, mirror, Adam style, giltwood frame, reverse painted frieze, nautical scene, gilt swan’s neck pediment, flower vase finial, trailing bellflowers along sides, scrolled pendant base, 54 by 22 inches, $210.
Lighter, figural, oil lamp shape, scrolled handle, gold tone cap, silver, marked, Roberts & Belk, Sheffield, 1901, 3¾ by 5¼ by 3 inches, $270.
Porcelain, Chinese, vase, globular, blue and white, dragons, allover scrolling vine, wave border around rim, short foot, pierced side handles, blue seal mark, 15 inches, $290.
Furniture, dry sink, grain painted, two upper cabinet doors, zinc lining, three drawers next to two doors on base, internal shelves, bracket feet, two parts, 74 by 49 inches, $630.
Auto, gas pump globe, Texaco, flat top, eight-sided, alternating flat and ridged faces, green stars on flat faces, milk glass, 9½ by 8 inches, $660.
Toy, tug of war, two platforms on wheels, each with three children, bobs back and forth, windup, Einfalt, Germany, 9 inches, $1,920.
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