“Doctor Yourself,” encourages this cabinet, made to hold the Munyon Remedies in a drug store. The cabinet lists the “remedies” it contains according to the ailments they claim to “Relieve Immediately.” You won’t find any ingredients lists, warnings or drug facts here. These are Munyon’s Homeopathic Remedies from the early 20th century.
James M. Munyon was a businessman with a talent for marketing and a staff of chemists and physicians. He started selling homeopathic medicines in the 1890s. After some legal trouble following the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act, he had to sell his products as “remedies” instead of “cures.” This isn’t the only controversy associated with Munyon. Hawley Harvey Crippen, a homeopath at Munyon’s London office, was convicted of murder and hanged in 1910. This history hasn’t made Munyon’s advertising any less appealing to collectors; this cabinet sold for $1,850 at Morford’s Antique Advertising auction.
Antique apothecary and drug store memorabilia are popular collectibles, but be careful! Antique medicine bottles and other packaging may contain harmful substances. Keep them away from children and pets. Handle them carefully; wear rubber gloves and clean the cabinets in a well-ventilated area.
Q: I bought several Ashton Drake bride and fashion dolls. I paid more than $200 for each one. I would like to sell them. Can you tell me what their resale value could be?
A: Ashton Drake began making dolls in 1985. The dolls are carefully detailed and made from quality materials. The company also makes realistic baby dolls for adult collectors and children. Ashton Drake fashion and bride dolls have recently sold for $25 to $100.
Q: I found a large bowl (over 16 inches in diameter) marked “Colonial Pottery Stoke, England” and “Genoa.” The seller wrote on the label “Blue Transfer Ware Bowl.” It’s in good condition with just the normal little stress crack along the bottom. Do you know the approximate year it was made and its value?
A: Colonial Pottery was located in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. F. Winkle, a partner in a pottery in nearby Hanley, moved to Stoke to run the Colonial Pottery in 1899. The name became F. Winkle & Co. in 1890. “Colonial Pottery” was used as a mark from 1890 to 1925. The company made earthenware and opaque porcelain. It was in business until about 1931. “Genoa” is the name of the pattern, not the place it was made. The transfer pattern of flowers and leaves was made in blue and white and also in red and white. Your large bowl is probably part of a washstand set. A five-piece washstand set included a pitcher, large wash basin, small pitcher, mug and bowl with a lid. A pitcher and bowl set sold for $70 a few years ago.
Q: I have a cream-colored vase with a young woman and pink flowers painted on it. It’s about 18-inches tall, has a slender neck with curved handles and gold trim. On the bottom it has “Belleek” printed along with a mark that looks like a painter’s palette. There’s a circle with intersecting letters, but they’re too hard to read. Can you give me any information about this vase?
A: The mark you describe was used by the Ceramic Art Company of Trenton, New Jersey, from 1894 to 1906. The intersecting script letters are “CAC” for Ceramic Art Company. Creamy white pottery has been made in Belleek, Ireland, since 1863. American pottery companies made china like Irish Belleek but warmer in color. After 1929, Belleek Pottery Limited was the only porcelain company that could use Belleek with a capital “B” on its marks. The Ceramic Art Company was founded by Walter Scott Lenox. After 1906, the Lenox name was added to the Ceramic Art Company mark. Vases similar to yours have recently sold for $750.
TIP: Keep your dolls out of sunlight. It will bleach the hair and may damage the “skin.”
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.
Furniture, chair, Thonet, No. 17, bentwood frame, caned seat and back, scrolled arms, refinished, 49 by 19 by 17 inches, $60.
Bottle, scent, green glass, round stopper, globular, silver overlay, leafy scrolls, monogram, Gorham, 20th century, 5¼ inches, pair, $130.
Cloisonne, vase, carp shape, yellow fish scale, crane hunting scallop, two carp fish in waves, footed, Chinese, 9¾ inches, pair, $190.
Map, world, Planisphere Chatelain, telegraph and shipping lines, international flag symbols, chromolithographed, silk backing, blue cloth slipcase, Anatole Chatelain, Marie Davy, A. Vuillemin, Paris, circa 1888, 51 by 69½ inches, $280.
Stoneware, jar, lid, speckled glaze, raised green band around center, light green and tan ground, signed, Karen Karnes, contemporary, 5½ inches, $370.
Toy, bus, double decker, red, open door and windows, London Transport, “Safe and Secure in a Pedigree Pram,” pressed steel, pull string, Tri-Ang Toys, 22½ inches long, $510.
Furniture, desk, Davenport, burl walnut, slant front, inset black leather writing surface, gallery top, small drawer on side, pull out writing surface over four long graduated drawers, bun feet, 19th century, 35 by 17½ by 23½ inches, $675.
Game board, checkers, inlaid wood, yellow and black squares, geometric border, American flags in corners, 18½ inches, $945.
Rug, hooked, hearth, three red flowers, green leaves, dark green ground, light green border, mounted, frame, New England, circa 1860, 33½ by 68 inches, $1,890.
Scientific instrument, orrery, solar system model, sun, Earth, moon, zodiac, round base, William Perkins, London, 10 by 17 inches, $3,750.
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