Extension tables have solved space problems for 200 years

There always seems to be a need for more usable space in a house, such as room for a large dining table. More than 200 years ago, furniture designers solved the problem of too little space by creating a table that could be made larger if needed.

Some designers made a “butterfly” or “drop-leaf” extension at the end of the table. It’s an extra leaf that’s held up by a leg that swings out underneath it. Sometimes two small tables with drop leaves were moved together to make a large table.

By the 19th century, many tables could be pulled apart so that loose leaves could be inserted on a track under the tabletop.

About 1930, tables were made that could be pulled apart so a leaf stored below would pop into place.

I have a 6-inch-high “Vapo-Cresolene” lamp passed down from my in-laws. I have the original box, too. Printed on the front of the box are patent dates going from 1885 to 1901, and inside the top cover there are detailed directions for using the lamp. The original price for the lamp was $1.50. What is my lamp and box worth?

Your lamp is a medical antique. It was originally sold by the Vapo-Cresolene Co. of New York City from the 1880s through the early 1900s. A fluid marketed as Cresolene (an acid made from petroleum and coal tar) was poured into the upper dish. When the lamp was lit, a vapor was released that supposedly killed germs causing whooping cough, croup and diphtheria. These lamps are not rare. They sell for prices ranging from $10 to $200, depending on condition. An original box, in excellent condition, increases the lamp’s value, but by only a small amount.

My grandmother gave me two 5-inch bisque dolls more than 60 years ago. I can’t find any marks on them. Each one has molded hair with a molded ribbon headband and came with a small stand. My grandmother dressed the dolls in outfits she made from 3-inch-wide ribbon. The dolls are dirty, but I’m afraid to wash them. Can I?

You can safely wash your dolls. Remove their dresses first. Use a mild liquid soap and water. Clean the crevices with a soft toothbrush.

I found an old 1950s Adlai Stevenson political button. When you move it, the image changes from a photo of Stevenson’s face to the phrase “All the Way With Adlai.” The button is black and white and 21/2 inches in diameter. Could you tell me something about it? A friend has offered to buy it.

Your Stevenson button is known as a “flicker.” Look on the back of the button for the word “Vari-Vue.” Following World War II, a company by that name used a new technology called “lenticular imaging” to create what appear to be animated images for greeting cards, postcards, record album covers, Cracker Jack toys, political buttons and more. The surface of your button is made of dozens of cylindrical plastic lenses in parallel lines. The images you see on the bottom are below the layer of plastic lenses, so if you move the button the image changes as you view it from different angles. We have seen your flicker button for sale at prices ranging from $10 to $25.

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

2006 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.

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