Category: Item highlight

Madrid Depression Glass and its counterpart

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Glassware, Item highlight, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

The Madrid pattern has been around since 1932, and it is still being produced today.  The name of the pattern has been changed to the Recollection Pattern, and it is made by the Indiana Glass Company.  There are quite a few ways to tell if the piece you are looking at is a piece from the Madrid pattern or is part of the Recollection pattern.

In 1976, the Federal glass company released Madrid as part of their Bicentennial line.  To help discern this from the original, there is a “76” that has been stamped into the mold.  It is easy to spot due to the size of the numbers and that it is often located near the top edge.

The Indiana Glass company released the Recollection pattern starting in the 1980’s.  Some of the pieces that Indiana Glass has released were never produced by the Federal glass Company.  Some of the molds were even put together.  One example is the mold for the candlestick and fruit bowl were put together to produce a kind of pedestal bowl.  If you happen to run across one of these pieces, look at where the bowl joins with the “base”.  If you see some ribbing inside what looks like a hollow area, then this is a modern piece.

The grill plate is different as well.  The original has been divided into three compartments and the newer one only has two.It is amazing how much of both patterns are here in the Ozarks.  Keep an eye peeled when it come to this pattern—you just might be paying good money for a newer piece.

ITEM SPOTLIGHT:  Fenton Grape Leaf pattern pink milk glass from the 1950’s

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fenton, Glassware, History, Item highlight, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

During the 1950’s, the Fenton Glassware company produced many patterns and pieces.  One of the patterns that was produced is called the GRAPE LEAF pattern.  It comes in many colors like white and pink milk glass to name just a few.

The pattern was made for a couple of years, and one of the pieces that was made in this pattern was this footed decorative plate.  You can tell that it was made by Fenton is the fact that some of the pieces were marked on the bottom of the plate.  If it is not marked on the bottom, one of the giveaways that it’s a Fenton piece outside the pattern itself is by the styling of the handle and the edge that is on the plate.

Even though desert, salad or even Buffalo wings are only a small portion of what you can serve on this plate; it was described by Fenton as a decorative plate (so most likely you will see this item displayed on the top of a piano with either candy or potpourri).

What kind of interesting pieces of Fenton Art Glass have you seen?

A little history for the 1925 Broadmoor Polo Association Foxhall Keene Trophy Pitcher

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Functional items, Item highlight, Silverplate items, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Several years ago, I happened across this wonderful trophy that is in the shape of a pitcher at a local flea market.  When I first saw it on the shelf, I didn’t see the engraving on the side of it.  When I read what it said, I got to wondering about who Foxhall Keene was and what exactly what the Broadmoor was as well.

The first thing to do is to look at the pitcher itself.  It was made by the Wilcox Silverplate Company, and it dates to somewhere between the 1910’s and the 1920’s.  This helps solidify the date that’s on the pitcher, so the next thing to do is to figure out what the Broadmoor was.

Just what was or is the Broadmoor?  The Broadmoor is a hotel and resort that’s located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The original hotel is Broadmoor Main, and it was built in 1918.  The resort has had hockey and golf championships, and there’s even polo that is played there.

There’s only one question left for this trophy—who in the world is Foxhall Keene?

Foxhall Keene was quite the competitor.  He was a golfer who competed in the U.S. Open, an amateur tennis player, and he was also a pioneer race car driver who vied for the Gordon Bennett Cup (this was a racing cup that ran from 1900 to 1905 with several clubs racing for it).

Not only did he do all of this, he was also an American thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder.  To top it off, he was a world and Olympic gold medalist in polo.  Not only that, but he was also rated the best all-around polo player in the United States for eight consecutive years.

And that’s where the trophy comes into play.  When the Broadmoor started to play polo at the resort, they named this trophy after Foxhall Keene because he was so accomplished in polo.

It’s always fun for me to find out what the history of a piece is, just like this trophy.  What kinds of finds have you run across that you have found out the history of?

It happened in 1947

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Item highlight, Tips for the beginnerLeave a comment

It happened on April 15th, 1947, and it happened to be a Tuesday.  The first day of Major League Baseball is a day that people always look forward to, but this year was special.  Spring was in the air, the smell of hot dogs was wafting around, and Jackie Robinson was making his Major League debut.

When Jackie Robinson took the field on this day, he became the first African American to play baseball in the majors.  He succeeded in every way possible, and he eventually found his way to Cooperstown (this is the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame).

When it comes to the collectibles area that features either Jackie’s name or likeness, it is very wide-ranging.  It includes everything from hats to jerseys, ads or even bats and gloves (this doesn’t even begin to cover how much is out there).

One of the areas that is very sought-after are baseball cards.  Not only are they easy to store, but they can also command a very pretty penny.

The downside of the collectibles that feature Jackie Robinson is that there are plenty of reproductions or fantasy pieces on the market that you will run across.  You need to do your homework to see what an authentic piece looks like so that you don’t get taken for a ride.

One of the best ways to tell if the card pictured above is authentic is to look for the TOPPS copyright information on the card.  One of the best areas to find it is on the back of the card where the players stats are.  Another way is to look at the paper stock that the card was made of.  For 1956, TOPPS used paper stock that had no sheen to it, and the card itself is a little bigger than modern cards.  If you have a question about a certain card, lay a modern card over it to compare the sizes.

The picture above shows what to look for about the size differences on the cards.

What kind of Jackie Robinson collectibles have you run across?

ITEM HIGHLIGHT: 1920’s Trident Water Meter by the Neptune Water Meter Company

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Advertising, Item highlight, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

While I was shopping one day, I happened to see this item.  At first, I didn’t even know what it was—it was so cool that I had to check it out. 

I started looking at it and my mind was blown—and then I saw what the lid had to say.  I saw that the lid states it is the Trident Water Meter by the Neptune Meter Company!

The meter has the original folding cover or lid that covers a white gauge with black lettering, and the gauge reads 10 GALLONS at the bottom.

 The meter is made of either cast iron or brass (the meter has been painted a light blue at some point).  It dates to about the 1920’s and it has very little wear.  An interesting point about this is that the meter is pretty tall at 6 ½ inches—I think that it was being used somewhere like a basement of a house at some point.

Not only is it an interesting conversation piece, but it would also be a fun addition to any mancave or desk.

You can see this terrific item in my Etsy shop here, head on over and check it out!

Item Highlight: multi color slag glass gear shifter knob from the 1920’s to 1930’s

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Glassware, Item highlight, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Ever since cars have been made, people have been adding their own personal touches to them somehow some way.  It has been known to be a wide variety of items from a fancy hood ornament or even a different radio.

One of the items that people have changed over the years is the gear shifter knob.  This has also been found on the cars from the 1920’s to the 1930’s, and one of the knobs that has been used is this really cool glass gear shifter knob.

As you can see, it was made out of slag glass that has a swirl pattern to it, and it has multiple colors to it.  With cream, tan, yellow, brown and even white colors, it also has a flat top and tapered sides to it.

You know what is great about it?  All you need to do is to unscrew the old gear shifter knob and screw this one on (you may need to rethread the threads on this example—they don’t look very straight to me).

This great Art Deco knob would look terrific in someone’s rat rod or Ford Model A Roadster, and it would be a fun paperweight either in a garage or on a desk.

You will be able to see the slag glass gear shifter knob in my shop on Etsy here.  Head on over and check it out!

Wow, what an interesting beer can!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Advertising, Beginning to collect, Item highlightLeave a comment

The aluminum beer can made it’s debut in the late 1950’s and was introduced by the Hawaii Brewing Company.  Since then, pretty much every brewing company has caught on and started to use them.  Coors, Pabst Blue Ribbon and even Budweiser are some of the products that have been packed into this type of can.

Did you know that there have been errors along the way?  Upside down labels and the lid missing the pop top are common errors, and I bet that I can produce an error that you have never seen—the label on the inside of the can!

As you can kind of see in the picture is that this is a Pabst Blue Ribbon can.  When this can was made, there was a production error that caused the label to be on the inside of the can.

You can also see that there is no damage anywhere to the can, and it can still hold liquid.  The crazy thing about this can is that it is the same size and holds the normal 12 ounces.

You can see this can in my Etsy shop here, head on over and check it out.

I have personally never seen an error like this.  Have you ever run across one similar?

Does that dresser box look like a . . . duck?!?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Item highlight, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Occasionally, you will run across an item that will make you do a double take.  That is what I did when I ran across this dresser box.

When I first saw this dresser box, I didn’t think it was in fact a dresser box.  Being in the shape of a duck, I thought that it was just a sculpture for someone to put on a bookshelf or even their desk.

I quickly realized that it was a dresser box when I picked it up.  When I did, the duck also surprised me that it was made of pewter—I thought that it was pottery with a silver glaze.

The duck was made in about the 1950’s in Hong Kong and has a really cool stamped motif on the body of it.  Not only that, but the eyes of the duck are also made of brass.

You can see this cool duck in my shop on Etsy here.  Head on over and check it out!

Wow, this bowl really helps keep food warm?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Item highlightLeave a comment

Over Time, there have been plenty of items that have fallen out of favor for one reason or another.  It could be a different type of record player, radio or even a Television.

Take this child’s bowl that has been designed with a built-in container to hold hot water to keep the food stored in it warm.

It is still very functional, but with the advancements of electricity and the invention of hot plates or warmers (or even microwave ovens, for that matter) it has become easier to keep your kids food warm for them.

The bowl has a built-in spout with a removable lid so you can get the water in and out without having a problem.

All that you have to do is to pour some water into the spout and seal it up.  After that, you are good to go.  The bowl is kind of like the travel mugs that we have around today.

What kinds of items like this that have fallen out of favor have you run into?

Wisdom Lane Antiques Item Highlight: Scenes Of Washington DC Souvenir Tumbler

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Item highlightLeave a comment

The latest item highlight from Wisdom Lane Antiques is this terrific silverplate souvenir tumbler.

The tumbler features several terrific scenes of Washington DC, and two of the scenes on it are The White House and Mount Vernon.

It is also dated May 7, 1901 on the bottom of the tumbler.  Not only that, the tumbler is also marked GERMANY.

This terrific souvenir tumbler can be seen in my shop on Etsy here.  Head on over and check it out!