Antiques column
Q. Can you list prices on cartoon character pocket watches? – Lee, Steamboat Springs. Colo.
A.
A. If only we had hung onto those children’s pocket watches from the 1930s. How many were stuffed into Christmas stockings at that time much to the delight of the children. Recent copies have flooded the market over the past years, but these are easily spotted with their quartz movements. Ingersoll featured a Popeye the Sailor pocket watch in 1935. This watch measuring only two inches in diameter can sell now for $850. Costing under $5 dollars in the 30s, this was a really fine investment. Mickey Mouse on a pocket watch by Ingersoll from 1934 showing Mickey in yellow shorts is considered rare and thus sells for $2,000. Donald Duck issued in 1939 by Ingersoll can quack you into adding him to your collection for $400.
Q.
Q. Can you discuss dessert molds? – Page, Walnut Creek, Calif.
A.
A. Check the pantry area of the next estate sale and you may find a copper. brass, pewter or tin dessert mold. The sumptuous contents were easily removed since dessert molds opened on hinges in the center. The pewter mold was favored whenever freezing was necessary. The m olds were factory produced in simple and startling motifs. A festive occasion merited the unexpected, and edible tabletop delicacies in helmet, horn of plenty and basket shapes were all possible with these elaborate molds. An ice cream mold showing George Washington on a shield can cost $200 today. Red Riding Hood can be had in a mold for a frozen concoction for the same price. A simple pewter pumpkin measuring three inches is priced at $50.
Q.
Q. Do collectors really seek glass-fishing floats? – Jerry, Lake Placid, N.Y.
A.
A. Many a beachcomber keeps an eye out for a fishing float to add to his or her collection. They can date back to the mid- 1800s and were first used by the Norwegians in particular. The early floats were not attached to nets but to fishing lines. Glass was used to make the floats, as it was inexpensive. By the 1940s many countries, including the United States, were producing them. Hand-blown glass floats were produced in Japan in unusual shapes and a variety of colors and these are sought. Rumor has it that the Japanese craftsmen used Sake bottles recycled. They can be found in sizes ranging from two to 20 inches. Look for the pontil mark on handblown examples. Many floats that are almost 100 years old can still be had for $10.Current Prices
– Gum Wrapper, Better Bubble Gum, showing Edgar Bergen, 1940s, $30.
– Mickey Mouse, doll, Steiff, original tags, 11 inches, $3,000.
– Television Set, Epson Elf, microscreen, 1984, $125.
– Magazine. TV Guide, Ed Sullivan cover, $55.
– Copper, box, Arts and Crafts, hinged lid, peacock color insets, 8 inches. $550.
Write to Charles Mather in care of the Herald-Standard at Crown Syndicate Inc., P.O. Box 99126, Seattle, Wash. 98199 or call 206-285-1888.