Birds flock to all types of houses, fancy or plain

Having a birdhouse in the backyard is not a new idea. In the 19th century, there were many attempts to lure birds into a yard. Settlers often ate birds such as wild ducks, geese or turkeys, but small songbirds were welcomed to eat bugs, caterpillars and other pests.

A Victorian house might have had a birdhouse that was a small copy of a Victorian-style house, with “rooms” for many birds. Colonial houses often had openings near the top of the roof that were made to help birds build safe, dry nests under the overhang.

But birdhouses did not always resemble real houses. Sometimes a stoneware jug birdhouse or a sewer pipe “fantasy” birdhouse was created by a talented folk artist. And since birds will nest in any space that has a small opening, most amateur birdhouses were soon occupied.

A very rare stoneware birdhouse from the 1870s sold recently for $71,500. It looked a little like a jug with a hole in the side. The maker signed it “M + T Miller, Newport, Perry Co., Penn.” A blue incised design of a man’s bust in a wreath and birds perched on branches made it clear this was meant for a bird. The birdhouse was auctioned with the nest from its last resident still inside.

Any birdhouse that’s old and has a folk-art look is popular with gardeners and collectors. Price is determined by age, the skill of maker and the “cuteness” factor.

My antique game table is in great shape. The inscription on the bottom reads, “Hunzinger, Pat. June 26, 94.” The round tabletop can be completely reversed on pivots in two of the four table legs. The top is wood on one side and felt with bins for poker chips or game counters on the other. There’s a platform near the bottom mounted on the legs, which curve inward. I can’t find any information about this sort of table.

George Jakob Hunzinger (1835-1898) was an important New York furniture maker and designer. He was a cabinetmaker in Germany before he moved to the United States in 1855 and opened a furniture-manufacturing shop in New York City. The business thrived, and Hunzinger became best known for his innovative chairs, including platform rockers, lounge chairs and folding chairs. Some of his chairs look as though they were made from plumbing parts. Your game table is a well-known Hunzinger patented design. It was made in different sizes and with different kinds of wood, and some tables have inset checkerboard tops. The tables were manufactured until at least 1920. Prices range from $600 to close to $2,000.

My sister died and left me a creamer I always loved. The creamer is a brown-and-white-china cow’s head. The markings are “Royal Bayreuth” and a shield with the letter “T” held by an animal, maybe a rooster. Under the shield is the number “1794” with the country “Bavaria.” I know it is old because I am 85 years old, and it was something my mother had. What can you tell me about this creamer and its value?

The mark on your cow creamer indicates it might be an early figural piece made at the Royal Bayreuth factory in Tettau, Germany. Figurals were first made around 1885 and were sold as inexpensive souvenirs. If the mark is blue, it was made about 1900. If it is green or black, it was produced after 1900. A similar mark in gold was also used after 1957. The animal in the mark is a lion, a symbol identified with Royal Bayreuth porcelain. In good condition, your creamer could sell for $100 to $185.

I have an old wooden baby stroller that can be folded up into a small carrying case. The label on it reads “Kari Kart, U.S. Hame Co., Buffalo, N.Y.” Any idea when it was made?

U.S. Hame Co. was in business from 1902 to 1917, so your stroller dates from those years. A hame is one of two curved pieces of a draft animal’s harness. U.S. Hame Co. made horse collars, saddles, hames and other carriage hardware. Someone must have decided U.S. Hame should diversify – and invented your stroller. But the company went in another direction. It changed its name to USHCO Mfg. Co. in 1917 and started making chassis for Ford and Chevrolet trucks.

My father-in-law gave us five vases, all marked “Gouda.” The other words on the bases are “Barbara,” “Ivora,” “Silvia,” “Lutea” and “Amphora Chrisant.” What do those names mean?

Gouda, Holland, has been a pottery center since the 18th century. Important factories include Ivora (pre-1880 to 1965), Zenith (pre-1880 to 1982) and Zuid-Hollandsche (1898 to 1964). Your vase marked Ivora was made at the Ivora factory. Gouda factories made many patterns and marked the piece with the name of the design. Sometimes there also was an artist’s signature. So there are hundreds of different marks on Gouda vases, and each of the marks on yours might refer to the factory, a pattern or an artist.

Write to Kovels, The Herald, King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.

2007 by 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.

Sioux Indian beaded moccasins, white beads with stripes, green and brown design, c. 1880, size 10, $90.

1910 Spaulding Fall and Winter Sports Equipment catalog, 89 pages, 81/2×11 inches, $115.

Casper the Friendly Ghost lunchbox, navy-blue vinyl, haunted house, Casper and Wendy, 1966, King Seeley, $290.

Coca-Cola toy truck, battery-operated, white, yellow and red, 1960s, tin lithograph, Allen Haddock Co., box, 121/2 inches, $525.

Mount Washington vase, pink thistle and spiky leaf pattern on spider-web background, ruffled top, slender neck, 14 inches, $575.

The Beatles sneakers by Wing Dings, lace-up, faces and facsimile autographs in repeating pattern, never worn, 1964, size 10, $615.

English Reform carved-oak hall chairs, sunflower roundels, c. 1880, 351/2 inches, pair, $1,175.

Jim Dandies Salted Peanuts can, image of kids, c. 1920, 10 lb., 11 inches, $1,610.

Roseville water set, Pine-cone pattern, golden amber with pine cone on green needles, marked, c. 1930, seven pieces, $2,595.

English silver nutmeg grater, teardrop shape, hinged cover and base, English Provincial, c. 1700, marked with crown, 1 1/2×11/4 inches, $5,060.