Cute little figural Candles

Question: These cute little figural candles have been in my family for years. I don’t want to burn them because they are so adorable. One still has a label on the bottom that says “Gurley.” Can you tell me anything about them? Thank you.

Answer: You are right. These Gurley candles are precious and becoming very hard to find in good, unused condition.

The Gurley Novelty Co. began life in 1939 as the W&F Mfg. Co. owned by candlemaker Franklin Gurley. Mr. Gurley worked with The Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. to reuse the paraffin byproduct from oil production to create a number of wax products, including candle figures. The first candles were marketed under the name “Tavern.” In 1949 Mr. Gurley purchased the rights to the Tavern name and changed the company name to the Gurley Novelty Co., where production focused on candle figurines for just about every holiday. Sales were excellent until the 1970s and the company eventually closed.

Turkey Platter

Question: My mom had this platter for years and only used it on Thanksgiving, we had ham for Christmas. I think it is about the ugliest platter I have ever seen, but if it is worth anything I might just keep it. Can you tell me how much it is worth?

Answer: Turkey platters abound and as a matter of fact it is a collecting genre all of its own.

With the British economy struggling after the Revolutionary War, British potteries began targeting the American market by crafting dinnerware that would sell well in the USA. Transferware and flow blue items soon flooded the market depicting patriotic scenes, historical landmarks, and the Westward expansion. Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday of November to be the nation’s official Thanksgiving Day in 1863. Around 1870, English potters began producing turkey-themed wares for the American market in honor of the newly declared day of Thanksgiving. Even companies such as Wedgwood jumped on the turkey-themed wagon with stunning pieces.

Q: I purchased this pair of heavy metal male and female heads at a local thrift store and would like to know about them and how much they might sell for. They are each about 6 inches tall and are extremely detailed. Thank you so much.

A: These are amazing! They are referred to as Benin Bronzes. The Benin Bronzes come from Benin City, the historic capital of the Kingdom of Benin, a major city state in West Africa. Benin City became part of the British Empire from 1897 to 1960 and is now located within the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The modern city of Benin (in the Edo State) is the home of the current ruler of the Kingdom of Benin, Ewuare II, was crowned the Oba (king), of Benin in 2016. The role of the Oba is more ceremonial than political. The Edo State is one of the 36 states in Nigeria.
The Benin Kingdom was active between the 11th century AD and 1897. The Benin bronze casters started crafting bronze figures and plaques before the 13th century. The bronze works are known collectively as Benin art and are an extraordinary example of African art. The busts were made to honor kings and queens both past and present, dignitaries, and other people of importance. They traded with the Portuguese for copper and bronze and in return crafted bronze works that represented Portuguese life and lifestyle.

The Kingdom of Benin was doing quite well toward the end of the 19th century. They had managed to remain an independent kingdom while other areas were taken over by Britain. Britain was in a constant battle to control this area of Africa. Benin and surrounding areas also had a wealth of natural resources that appealed not only to Africa but also Britain. In February 1897 the Kingdom of Benin was invaded by British forces, warships from several areas and Britain, forces came at the Kingdom of Benin from every direction. This aggressive action is called the “Benin Punitive Expedition,” but it was a massacre with an unknown death toll.
The chaotic theft of royal and sacred artworks and other items by perhaps up to two hundred soldiers, sailors and administrators during the sacking of Benin City in the British naval expedition of 1897 is one of the most well-known examples of the widespread practice of military looting by European troops in the later 19th and early 20th centuries.

Through the Benin punitive expedition of 1897, the first bronze works from Africa were recorded. High-ranking British military also looted religious and important works obtained through this takeover. A British Museum is the current custodian of most of the looted art and bronzes. In the 1960s quite a few pieces that had been in private collections were auctioned off. Some of the pieces were sold to private collectors and others to museums around the world. Slowly the British Museum is collecting these looted items and has plans to return most to Nigeria.

Currently there are 160 different museums and institutions in possession of looted Benin Bronzes and to date only a few have plans on returning them. Germany is not only going to return everything that they have but are going to build a museum in which to house them. Most U.S. museums are returning looted items, including the Smithsonian.

Male Benin bronze bust.

Here we are, inching toward the end of another summer. There are several items that are iconic Americana, such as apple pie, hot dogs, baseball, and beer. I have written about many topics over the years but have never touched on beer cans. They have an interesting history and some can be quite valuable, so let’s talk beer cans.

The “official” birthday of the beer can is Jan. 24, 1935. The first beer can style was the flat top. It looked like the beer cans on the market today with one exception — they were made of steel and weighed in at 4 ounces. The flat top beer can also brought about the creation of a hefty “church-key” to punch through the steel. The church-key, a collectible market in its own right, was 1/8” thick. Church keys were already being used, but they were not strong enough to get through the thick steel beer can tops.

Cone-top cans

Next up is the cone-top can. These came about in September 1935, with Schlitz being the first to use them. This type of can appealed to smaller breweries that didn’t have the money to revamp their bottle lines. The cone-top could be filled on the same machinery that was used to fill bottles and capped with bottle caps. The cone-top met its demise by 1960 as the big companies had already driven the smaller brewers out of business. There are four different styles of this particular beer can. You don’t see many cone-tops in shops or shows because they were used primarily by small breweries, so production was limited, Keep in mind, once the can was empty it usually went into the trash. Schlitz is the only big company known to have used the cone-top can.

Pull-top cans

In 1963, the beer can industry was forever changed when the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. introduced Iron City beer in “self-opening” cans. Schlitz placed the moniker “Pop Top” on the pull tab cans and by 1965, around 75% of all cans had pull tab tops. I remember that when I was about 11 almost everyone I knew had a pull top chain of varying lengths hanging in their bedroom.

Pull tabs turned out to be an environmental disaster. Animals ingested them, people were in the habit of popping the top and dropping it in their beer and then swallowed or choked on them, people would step on them and get a nasty cut, and as an amateur metal detector/treasure hunter, I still dig up those pull tops.

July at last! It is truly my favorite month of the year. Granted, the weather here in Kansas has been a bit wet and wacky, including a series of small tornadoes that hopped down an arterial street during the night of June 8th. Thank goodness the only fatalities were power poles and big old trees.

Fourth of July

What makes July so special? First and foremost is the Fourth of July, and when you live on the parade route for a sizable parade, it is a great way to begin a day of family, friends, BBQ, and pool party. When my girls were young we would pack a picnic basket and head out to find the perfect place to sit, eat supper and watch the fireworks.

Picnics played a major role when I was young, even if it was nothing more than my Granny packing a couple of sandwiches and a thermos of iced tea into her wonderful picnic basket, spreading a blanket under the mimosa tree in the backyard, and the two of us sitting down to eat lunch.

Granny’s picnic basket was purchased with Green Stamps. It was an oval wicker basket, and inside it held lavender-colored Melmac plates, cups, Bakelite handled cutlery, and there was still plenty of room to pack some food. That picnic basket saw many years of use.

Melamine or Melmac was perfect for picnic baskets such as the one my Granny had and you can still find vintage picnic baskets filled with the miracle plastic dinnerware at a reasonable price. There is also the opposite end of the picnic basket spectrum, the deluxe package with crystal glassware, silver cutlery, and china dishes. Some can even be found with a small stove and coffee or tea pots. The fancy picnic basket setups were more than likely not available at the Green Stamp store and while you do see some that were made in the USA most come from the UK or other areas of Europe.

I hope that this article inspires you to get a picnic basket, a blanket, and go somewhere peaceful with someone you love and dine in the great outdoors with minimal fuss. If you have little people in your life, now is a good time to start a new tradition. My memories of my Granny and me are just as vivid fifty plus years after the fact as they were when I was young. Come to think of it, that picnic basket went with us everytime we traveled out of town to visit family.

Prices for a picnic basket with Melmac dinnerware can be found online for $50 or less. Prices for the deluxe picnic “boxes” sell for several hundred dollars up to $6,000 depending upon the contents.

Melmac, even the new pieces, cannot be put in the microwave, and if you are going to put it in the dishwasher, use a detergent that does not contain bleach as it will fade the color over time.

Please let me know if there is a topic that you would like to learn more about. I aim to please.

Happy picnicking!