I love doing this type of appraisal. I have to dig into the history of a location and sleuth about to find the truth. Please keep in mind that I don’t often publish a paid appraisal, but this is just too special to not share.

Question:

I have a houseful of items inherited all the way back to my great-grandparents. This particular glass vase came with a note from my mom which has piqued my curiosity about the provenance and value. The vase stands over 14” tall and the note states:

“This vase is over 450 years old. It came from the second church in America, the Church of St. Thomas in Puerto Rico, which was built on land donated by Ponce de Leon, in 1512. The church is now known as San Jose Church.”

“Venetian glass was made on the island of Murano, near Venice, from the middle of the 13th century until around 1900. This piece was an altar vase”

Any insight that you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Answer:

First, I want to touch on Venetian/Murano glass. In 1291, the Glassmaker’s Guild forced all glassmakers in Vienna to move their ovens to the Island of Murano. A few popped back up in Vienna in the following years, but Murano has remained the innovative center for glass- makers Murano glass really hit its peak popularity in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the 1960s archaeologists located shards of Venetian glass dating back to the 8th century. Murano glass makers are still going strong today.

In 2013, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the San José Church in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, to its 2013 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. This annual list spotlights important examples of the nation’s architectural, cultural and natural heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage. More than 240 sites have been on the list over its 26-year history, and in that time, only a handful of listed sites have been lost. I am happy to report that in 2021, restoration was completed on the church.

Old San Juan’s San José Church was built in 1532, the second oldest church in the Americas. The church was constructed from 1532 to 1735 by the Dominican Order as part of their Saint Aquinas monastery. It was renamed by the Jesuits, who took over the monastery in 1865. One of the few surviving examples of 16th-century Spanish Gothic architecture in the Western Hemisphere, the building displays four centuries of architectural design and masonry traditions, including the extraordinary Isabelline Gothic vaults, a rare Catalan architectural design. The land upon which the church was built was donated by Governor Don Juan Ponce de León, who was also first buried there.* Based on the architectural style, we can see the Spanish influence, which more than likely was due to Ponce de León.

Ponce de León was buried in the crypt of the church from 1559 to 1836, when his remains were exhumed and later transferred to the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista. However, his coat of arms is still located near the main altar. His grandson, Juan Ponce de Leon II, is buried in the crypt beneath the Sanctuary’s floor.

As many of you may remember, Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish conquistador. He was born in 1460 to a poor yet noble family. While still a young man, he served as a page at the court of Aragon, where he learned social skills, religion and military tactics. He joined the military and this would go on to serve him well later in life as he began his explorations.

In 1493, Ponce de León allegedly sailed to America with Columbus on his second voyage, thus beginning his career as a conquistador. In the early 1500s he set sail again with his own crew and discovered what is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He established farms, towns and built defenses, also sold cattle and produces to ships returning to Spain. He declared these colonies in the name of Spain and his wealth grew. In 1504 he was declared Provincial Governor of the area and returned to Spain, where he married and had three children.

Hearing persistent rumors of gold in Puerto Rico, in 1508 the Spanish crown officially sent Ponce de León to Puerto Rico. He took 50 sailors and his family. It is speculated that Ponce de León had already discovered the gold on his previous trip. A year later, he was named governor of Puerto Rico and soon rose to become one of the most powerful Europeans in the Americas. From most accounts, Ponce de León was a good governor before his political rivals forced him from office in 1512. That political rival was Christopher Columbus’ son, Diego Colon. The third governor of Puerto Rico was Ponce de Leon’s grandson.

Question:

These serving bowls and platters have been in my family for many years. One pair is marked J&G Meakin and the other is Limoges C. Ahrenfeldt. I want to sell them but have no idea as to what price I should put on them. Thank you for your knowledge and assistance.

Answer:

Limoges is a region in France that has excellent clay for making fine and bone china. This is one reason that we see Limoges noted on the back of china both old and new.

Charles Ahrenfeldt Sr. (1807-94) was born in Germany. Upon his immigration to America, he began importing porcelain into New York City in the 1830s. During the 1840s, he moved to Paris and had a decorating studio. Sometime between 1859 and the late 1860s, he established an export firm in Limoges and developed a wide export market, especially to North America.
Some sources indicate that while young and still in Germany, he learned the art of porcelain decorating as well as the workings of the import export business.

Around 1884, Ahrenfeldt began decorating porcelain in Limoges. Around this same time, he established his porcelain factory. His son, Charles J. Ahrenfeldt Jr. (1856-1934), took over the porcelain factory upon his father’s death in 1894. Charles Ahrenfeldt Jr. also expanded the exporting of whiteware as the craft of porcelain painting among housewives was at its peak.

M. Grob took over the factory in 1917. Grob was mentioned as manager of the new factory from 1896, and he is also mentioned as the company’s Zurich agent, possibly before 1896 The company made high-quality porcelain and won the Grand Prix at the Art Deco Exposition in 1925. The factory was enlarged in 1926.

Grob died in 1934 and was succeeded by his widow. A finance group bought the factory in 1958, production diminished, and the factory closed in 1969. **

The backstamp or mark, C. Ahrenfeldt Limoges France C.A. Depose, on the back of your lidded serving bowl and platter, date the pieces to 1886-1930. From what I was able to find, they appear to be pattern 4275 or one of the multi-floral AHR patterns. I put a resale value of $110-$125 on the lidded serving dish and $100-$115 on the platter.

** Mary Frank Gaston’s “The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Limoges Porcelain, Second Edition” (Collector Books, 1992; 223 pp.)

Well, folks, it has happened again. Someone purchased an item at a sale for very little money and later found that they owned a treasure.

In 2016 a gentleman stopped by an estate sale and was attracted to a sweet drawing on yellowed linen of what looked like a woman holding her child. He paid the $30 asking price and went on his way. The drawing was put away in a closet. At the time of purchase, neither the seller nor buyer gave heed to the distinct mark of the well-known German Renaissance artist, Albrecht Dürer. Maybe they thought it was a fake of the original.

At some point, the buyer presented the drawing to an art expert and after careful study and consideration, it was determined that the drawing is the real deal. If that doesn’t knock your socks off it is considered a “historic rarity” and is likely a preparatory work for a circa 1506 painting AND is the first “totally unknown” drawing by the artist to resurface since the 1970s.

The drawing is titled “The Virgin and Child With a Flower on a Grassy Bench.” We aren’t just talking about any woman and child.

Treasure

The drawing is on display at a noted art gallery in the UK but will be put up for auction and has an estimated auction value of, sit down for this, $50M. WHAT!?

I, on the other hand, purchased a painting on canvas titled “The Prodigal Son Comes Home” by Rembrandt. There was not a doubt in my mind that it was anything other than an original. I made the score of the century at a thrift shop for $10. As soon as I got home I sent pictures to an art expert friend who works at a major auction house. I was ready to put my Rembrandt up for auction and make millions.

or Not

Well, it turns out that I have an older, well-crafted knock-off that would sell for $300. It is hanging in my bedroom and I am on the hunt for the rest of the Prodigal Son paintings, knock-offs that are.

Question:

The sofa belongs to my brother and sister-in-law (Joy) but has been housed in our lower level for more than 12 years. Since neither of their children are interested in it, they are considering selling.
Dimensions: 77” L x 33” H x 32” D.

The sofa is from Joy’s family. Her aunt and uncle apparently purchased it when they were first married about 100 years ago. It was re-upholstered 30+ years ago, and the fabric is still in very good condition, though some of the trim needs re-tacking. There are a few wood blemishes, but overall the sofa is in good/very good condition.

** All prices given are for sale in a private sale, antique shop, or other resale outlets. Price is also dependent upon the geographic area in which you are selling. Auction value, selling to a dealer or pawnshop prices are about ½ or less of resale value.

Welcome to 2022!

Welcome to 2022! I hope that the new year finds you well and thriving.

Recently a friend and I were talking about all of the items that were in boxes of oatmeal, washing machine detergent, green stamps and other similar freebies. This conversation set me up for this month’s column: The history of product giveaways and promotional products.

S&H green stamps

My earliest memory is of S&H green stamps. My 4-year-old brain thought that they were the best thing in the universe. My much older brain feels the same way and wishes that they were still around. There were competitors, but I was a green stamp gal. My Granny was my enabler. She lived in a small East Texas town and her friends who did not use green stamps would collect them and give them to her for me to redeem. Granny would put them in a shoebox and I recall my absolute delight if there was two or more shoeboxes full. Not every grocery store or gas station gave out green stamps, so this was a good way for a business to build a loyal clientele. The Sperry and Hutchinson Co. started operations in 1896, producing my beloved S&H green stamps. They opened their first redemption center a year later. Green stamps were given away in grocery stores, dry goods stores and gas stations. The number of stamps one received was based on the dollar amount purchased.

The premium or giveaway dates back to 1793. A merchant in New Hampshire would give customers a copper token with their purchase. They could then redeem the tokens to “purchase” merchandise in his store. The practice quickly caught on with merchants and was used extensively through the 19th and 20th centuries. Benjamin Babbitt, a traveling salesman, would pull into a town with his wagon and offered certificates for a free lithograph with the purchase of a can of baking soda. He did very well with his gift with purchase idea.

Kellogg was the first cereal company to get on the premium bandwagon. With the purchase of two boxes of corn flakes you would be given a book titled “The Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures Book.” The free book lasted a couple of years and then Kellogg required that one had to mail in proof of purchase and a dime to get the book.

This story would not be complete without the mention of Cracker Jacks. In 1871, Frederick Rueckheim, a German immigrant, began selling his molasses-covered popcorn from a cart on the streets of Chicago. Many of his customers were those working to rebuild the area after the great Chicago fire.

​Question:

I inherited this cabinet with three canisters and three plates that are 9 inches in diameter. I don’t know anything about it other than it belonged to my grandparents, who were native to Oklahoma. The cabinet is wood and measures 61 inches tall, 33 1/2 inches wide and 18 inches deep. Looking at the back, you can see that it is two pieces, the top and bottom. I want to sell it but don’t know where to start.

Answer:

When I first looked at your items, I was convinced that they were painted by a homecrafter, but upon further research I honed in on who did the artistic work, and I love his story.

Artist Peter Hunt

Your stepback cupboard was painted by Peter Hunt. Hunt was born in New Jersey, served in World War I and in the 1920s he moved to the Cape Cod area. His father was an artist, a naive artist or one with no formal training. One of “Pa” Hunt’s paintings, “Peter Hunt’s Antique Shop,” from the early 1930s, was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art.
Peter Hunt would buy secondhand pieces of furniture and paint them with his whimsical style which depicted colorful peasant designs, hearts, flowers, fruits, birds, angels, pretty maidens and their suitors all reminiscent of Pennsylvania German and French Provincial folk art. Hunt painted furniture always, has “anno Domini” and the year the item was painted or his signature hidden in the pseudo French text.

His career took off after he painted a chest for a friend’s daughter depicting scenes from her life. The rich and famous who spent time in Cape Cod fell in love with his unusual, cheerful, painted furniture. Hunt was a charmer and wooed the influencers, which sold more furniture that was perfect for their Cape Cod vacation homes. Helena Rubinstein was a regular customer. DuPont learned of Hunt and provided him with paint to use on his fantastical creations.

** All prices given are for sale in a private sale, antique shop or other resale outlet. Price is also dependent upon the geographic area in which you are selling. Auction value, selling to a dealer or pawn shop prices are about ½ or less of resale value.