Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.life From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Necessity created fine furnishings Date: Sat, 14 Nov 92 16:22:11 EST Message-ID: \SE B;LIFE;TIME OUT;ANTIQUES AND COLLECTING \SS (WS) \HD Necessity created fine furnishings \BY Ralph and Terry Kovel \CR COWLES SYNDICATE INC. In the days before indoor plumbing, paraphernalia for the family's hygienic needs were kept in the bedroom or outside the house. The well-to-do with staffs of servants often had ingenious bedroom units that held the covered slop bowl. Large upholstered chairs often were made with removable seats that had a chamber pot underneath. An example of this type of chair can be seen at Mount Vernon. Another popular piece looked like a chest of drawers. The lid opened, showing the pitcher and basin that were used for washing the hands and face. The bottom section held the chamber pot, or slop bowl. It was carried into a room, used, then stored in the cabinet, to be emptied by the servants. A center section of the chest held towels and other supplies. A period chest is worth about three times as much as a commode that looks like a chair. * * * Q. My son wants to collect old baseball gloves, but he doesn't know what determines the value. Can you help? A. Baseball memorabilia and baseball gloves have become increasingly collectible and expensive, but bargains can still be found at garage and rummage sales. It is said that the first glove was used in 1869 by a Cincinnati Red Stockings player who used buckskin mittens. The earliest gloves were varied, with three, four or five fingers. One oddity had four fingers and two thumbs so it could be used on either hand. The web between the thumb and mitt evolved in the early 1900s, and the pre-formed pocket started in 1919. Gloves were marked with the company label, but there also were special labels for stores. Players' signature endorsements started in the 1920s. Almost all gloves were made in the United States before 1957, but by 1970 most of them were made in the Orient. Collectors prefer the American-made gloves. The highest prices are paid for gloves in excellent condition, and an original box will add to the value. Pre-World War II gloves with an endorsement signature are popular; gloves endorsed by a Hall of Fame player or a New York Yankee are the best. Extra money is paid, especially at auctions, for game-worn gloves accompanied by written documentation. Top gloves sell for $750 to $4,000; many lesser gloves sell for $30 and up at shows. This is a new area of collecting, and there is still much to be learned about rarity. There is no doubt that the values will change in the years to come. Q. My set of white-and-pink dishes is marked "Monticello trademark, made by Steubenville Design patent 131023 for Herman C. Kupper, New York." How old is the set? A. Herman C. Kupper was a New York City distributor who sold imported and domestic china. He had the exclusive distributorship for Monticello dishes made by the Steubenville Pottery in the 1940s and 1950s. The Steubenville Pottery Co. worked in Steubenville, Ohio, from 1879 to 1959. Q. What is the meaning of the term "Sandwich glass"? Years ago, I bought a set of dishes with an overall pattern. The top of each plate is smooth, the bottom rough. A. A beginner might guess that Sandwich glass is made with layers of glass on the outside and a different type in the middle, similar to a real sandwich of bread and filling. Sandwich glass is actually any of the many types of glassware made at the Boston and Sandwich Glass Works in Sandwich, Mass., between 1825 and 1888. You have some pressed glass. Today, pressed-glass plates would have a smooth bottom, but earlier pieces often were pressed so that raised parts on the top were indentations on the bottom. The Kovels welcome letters from readers and answer as many as possible through the column, but unfortunately, the volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. If you send an unsolicited photograph, include a stamped (52 cents), self-addressed envelope for its return. Write to the Kovels, c/o The Washington Times, King Features Syndicate, 235 East 45th St., New York, N.Y. 10017. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM