If you never lived in Ohio, you’ve probably never heard of Mitchell & Rammelsberg furniture.
It was the largest furniture manufacturers of its time located in the Midwest, but not in Grand Rapids, where most of the furniture was made. (Lots of lumber and goods are transported from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and then to the ocean and overseas.)
The company started in either 1836 or 1847 in Cincinnati. It made top-quality Victorian furniture with hand carving and steam-driven woodworking machines making the parts. It became Robert Mitchell Furniture Co. in 1881 and didn’t close until 1940.
Pieces often were marked “M & R,” or the inside of a drawer might be stamped “Mitchell & Rammelsberg.” Only a few pieces of a bedroom set were marked, so many pieces today are identified by the design and quality of the work.
The company worked in many styles, from Classical to Egyptian Revival. It also made dining sets, desks, sofas, hall trees, occasional tables and other pieces.
Buyers pay the most for mahogany and the least for walnut, but the design, carvings and trim also influence the price. A mahogany bedroom suite with bed, table, chairs and dressers sells for thousands of dollars today, but they are scarce.
Q: My mother worked at Vernon Kilns in the early 1950s. My sister and I have inherited the Vernon 1860 dishes, including several serving platters, covered and uncovered bowls, a soup tureen, coffeepot, creamer, sugar bowl, and salt and pepper shakers. Does anyone collect this? How can we contact an interested party?
A: Vernon Kilns made dinnerware in Vernon, California, from 1931 to 1953. When the company closed, Metlox bought the molds and continued to make some patterns. Vernon 1860 dinnerware was made from 1944 to 1954. It’s usually listed online as part of Metlox Pottery’s Poppytrail line. Plates sell online for under $20, depending on size. Serving pieces sell for higher prices. A Vernon 1860 serving platter was listed at $85 and a tureen at $240. If you want to sell the dishes, contact a site that offers Vernon 1860 for sale. They will buy it, but at about 30 percent of the retail price.
Q: Our family inherited a book of prints from my grandparents, “Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji — Hiroshige.” I contacted a local museum and, while they won’t give an appraisal, they said the prints look authentic. I thought about breaking up the book and framing several of the prints, but I have been advised to keep it intact. I’m looking for some more information about getting an appraisal.
A: Traditional Japanese woodblock prints are called “ukiyo-e,” which means “pictures of the floating world.” Early artists focused on geisha, courtesans, beautiful women and Kabuki actors; later prints feature historical subjects, warrior portraits, landscapes and everyday activities. Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858) was a master famous for his landscape prints. He produced his “Thirty-Six Views of Fuji” in an unexpected vertical format in 1858, the year he died. The series was published in 1859 by Koyeido. You should contact a rare book dealer or an auction that has sold expensive prints and ask for an estimated price if they were to sell it. Prices of identical prints can vary widely; quality of color and condition influence price. Remember, you will pay about 25 percent commission, and perhaps other charges, to the auction house if you list it.
Q: Since Franciscan China began in California, why do my Simplicity pattern dishes say “Japan” on the back? These were from my grandmother in the 1950s or ’60s.
A: Franciscan dinnerware was introduced in 1940 by Gladding, McBean and Co., a California company that made sewer pipes, floor tiles and other architectural products. Competition from dinnerware made by foreign manufacturers in the late 1950s caused the company to shift some production to Japan in 1959. Simplicity is one of five patterns in the Porcelain line introduced in 1961 and made in Japan. Later, after changes in ownership, Franciscan dinnerware was made in England, China and Thailand. Production stopped in 2015. Gladding, McBean is now a division of Pacific Coast Building Products and continues to make sewer tile and other architectural products.
Q: I just bought a solid wood gun display case with working locks and skeleton key. Inside the bottom drawer is a metal tag that says “JB Van Sciver Co.” The craftmanship is beautiful. What is the value of this piece?
A: Joseph Bishop Van Sciver founded J.B. Van Sciver Furniture Co. in Camden, New Jersey, in 1881. The company made furniture, clocks, lamps, rugs and draperies. At its peak, it had stores in several cities. The company went bankrupt in 1983, and production stopped. The remaining stock was sold at a warehouse outlet in 1984. If you just bought your display case, it’s worth what you paid for it.
Tip: Put a piece of plastic jewelry under hot water and, when warm, smell it. Bakelite smells like formaldehyde; celluloid smells like camphor (mothballs); and Galalith, a 1920s plastic, smells like burnt milk. Lucite does not smell.
Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer questions sent to the column. By sending a letter with a question and a picture, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The amount of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, The Daily Herald, King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.
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.
Occupied Japan toy, dancing couple, windup, celluloid, pink, blue, original box, 5 inches, $50.
Basalt bust, Shakespeare, collar, buttons, convex base, impressed Shakespeare, marked, 12 by 8 inches, $150.
Verlys vase, Thistle, opalescent glass, flared archways, three-piece mold, signed, 10 by 7¼ inches, $240.
Amberina castor jar, coin spot, enamel bird, flowers, branches, dog finial, Webster silver-plated frame, 9¼ inches, $370.
Rockingham figurine, sheep, recumbent, base, circa 1825, 4 by 5¼ inches, $405.
Capo-Di-Monte ewer, Neptune, mermaids, tropical fish, schooling fish, seaweed, dolphin, 16½ inches, $510.
Letter opener, dragon, belt hook, jade, engraved silver blade, 8¼ inches, $1,000.
Webb peachblow vase, flowers, dragonfly, white, cameo, 1875, 5 inches, $1,370.
Ruskin vase, purple, white, green, 6½ by 4½ inches, $1,690.
Tub chair, mahogany, carved, rounded back, scrolled arms, leafy uprights, flared legs, brass cuffs, casters, 36 by 24 inches, $7,040.
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