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by Rosemary Lee Potter
Just when you thought there was a breather
between looking at newfound collectibles and antiques stories,
forget it. From a friend who tossed a small greened, copper
mini-washtub to me and said "check it out," to the fellow on the
plane asking what his great-grandmother's "for sure" quill pen is
worth, there is always something to talk about or investigate in
the wonderful world of collecting!
All it takes is a little palaver, a little
talk with friends, newcomers, even perfect strangers, for the
conversation to quickly turn to mysterious items "over or up at my
house," and the expression of great hope that the antique items and
the unique details surrounding them will mean great value for the
current owners/speakers.
Such it was that the following items and
collections were brought to my attention recently and became the
subject of excited discussions of perhaps and perhaps not. So many
items are out there now to examine that one just never knows what
will turn up. During a chat with a local realtor, he asked me about
his "Musterschlitz!"
"What is a Musterschlitz, please sir?" I
asked.
He said the item had belonged to his
great-grandmother and he did not know where she had obtained it. He
sent me a photo of it online. I thought it looked like a pretty
three-tiered plant stand. My husband, who is German, told us the
first part of the word, "Muster..." means something like "a
sample." Using a German-English dictionary I saw that Schlitz means
"slot," or a place to put something like coins, keys... maybe
plants? Maybe a suggestion or example of where to put things? Maybe
a sample of the item for sale or part of a product line to
order.
I went "antiquing" online, but could not
find anything either about the word or its origins, except that the
pretty porcelain rests were surrounded by ironwork on which that
word is cast. I examined several three-tiered stands, but only one
made of cast iron and that one with five plant rests -- none with
porcelain, although the circular china rests could be missing. I
can picture a fern on this stand. Results were the same for
eBay.
If anyone knows more about this
Musterschlitz item, please contact me.
Another friend asked if I'd like to see
her Chokin collection. Chokin is a very old Japanese art form in
which copper is gilded with silver and gold designs. It is thought
that the first use of the form was to decorate the armament of
Saumari warriors or as embellishments on temples and shrines.
There's a lot of Chokin on the Internet
and for sale in this line of pretty, golden, shiny decorated china
-- even items such as a variety of small dishes with palm trees and
flamingos sold as Florida souvenirs. One of the small Florida
dishes, much like my friend's, was for sale on eBay at a $6 bid on
the day and time I looked into the matter. There were hundreds of
other Chokin items on eBay for sale that day -- vases, plates and
other specialty items.
Here's still one more example of a
collecting adventure heard along the everyday road. Rick Hooper, a
Tennessee newspaper editor, sent me a photo of a small, decorated
metal bed -- both head and footboard in the photo. It had belonged
to his great aunt who passed away in the 1960s. My first reaction
is that the bed is a child's single bedstead and that the
decorations are typical of country stenciled designs from the late
1800s. Whether this is true or his kin used the bed as a child
we/he may never know.
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After some time was spent online looking
for comparable antique beds, the closest I came to a similar
example as to style was not decorated as is Hooper's. The best
guess I have for Hooper is as stated, but I did warn him not to
clean up the bed, as it might damage it or the underlying painted
floral or other design. However, the one lower corner with the
heavy rust needs some work right away as the corrosion may eat
through the metal completely. There are professionals who can help
Hooper with this level of restoration -- maybe even safely reveal
more of the once attractive stenciled decorations.
Such a bedstead then might become a wall
feature -- much like the famous country antique wall arrangements
at Cracker Barrel Restaurants nationwide.
As we continue to note, collecting
adventures may appear at any place along a day's travels or
conversations. Whether suddenly or slowly, it is always fun to hear
the details emerge and then get to investigate an intriguing,
unfolding mystery. It's part of the fun of being a collector of
certain special items and especially for a collector of unexpected
collecting adventures!
© 2008 Rosemary Lee Potter. All
Rights Reserved.
Rosemary Lee Potter is a confirmed victim
of the collecting bug and can be reached by e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or write to her in care of Tropical Breeze,
P.O. Box 585, Safety Harbor, FL 34695.
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