Antique & Collecting News

Q: I have an original Pepsi-Cola calendar from 1920. The picture is signed Rolf Armstrong. It is 22 1/2 inches high by 14 inches wide and is framed under glass. Any information?A: Rolf Armstrong is considered the best American "pin-up" artist of his era. The New York Times has called him the "Father of the Calendar Girl." He was born in Michigan in 1889 and grew up in Seattle. He became the best-selling calendar artist at Brown & Bigelow, one of the largest calendar printers in the world. From the 1920s through the 1950s his art appeared in advertisements, song sheets and magazines. Armstrong retired to Hawaii in 1959 and died in 1960.A 1921 Pepsi calendar with an image by Rolf Armstrong sold recently for $1,500, less than an earlier price book estimate of $2,500.

Q: I have a coffee or chocolate set that has a mark I have been unable to identify. I would love to know who, where and when.A: Your set is a chocolate set. The mark is from Greiner & Herda, a porcelain manufacturer in Oberkotzau in the Bavarian region of Germany. The business was started in 1886 by ___ Greiner and Karl Herda as a studio which decorated fine porcelain made by different manufacturers. They were very successful and became interested in making their own porcelain items, which they began to do in 1907. Greiner & Herda offered a wide range of decorated household items, with a special focus on coffee and tea sets.The company was purchased in 1943 by Hans Neuerer and named Porzellanfabrik Neuerer. Over the years the business was renamed many times to reflect its changing products, such as electric percolators and porcelain insulators.This mark was used from 1907 until 1943.

Make sure your antiques are comfortable—especially this week, when it's too hot and humid for both collectibles and humans in most of the country. The attic is too hot for storage. High temperatures dry out wood, paper, and fabrics and cause even worse damage to photographs, composition doll heads, and plastic purses. They can crack, fade, and even melt. The basement must be dry to be a storage or display area. Black mold that thrives in warm, wet places is toxic to things and people. Damp areas may lead to mold in paper or fabrics. The main floors of your house have hazards, too. The sun should not shine though a window on an item. Printed or painted objects will fade. Glass objects like paperweights could reflect the light and start a fire. Extreme heat may even crack glass items. Do not leave antiques or collectibles or even just "stuff" in a closed car or car trunk. The temperature can go over 100 degrees and cause damage.There is not much you can do if you do not have air conditioning. Be sure to keep planters or vases filled with water in a very hot room to keep the humidity level normal. Draw the shades or blinds to keep the sun out. That will help keep the room cooler, too. But when you open the windows on a hot day, watch out for blowing curtains that may hit china or glass displayed nearby.If you plan to go to a flea market, use sunscreen to protect your face, arms, ears, and even a bald spot. If you are wearing Crocs, put sunscreen on your feet, too, or they will burn. Remember: dealers leave metal pieces like jewelry out in the sun and they get very, very hot. Also watch out for paper left exposed to sun for the day; fading will accelerate in hot sunlight. We walked a long show this week in 90-degree sunny weather, but as any collector would understand, the fun we had made it seem cooler—and the ice cream cones helped a lot, too.

You can often take a painting, print or photograph home from a shop or show to see how it will look on your wall. Sometimes pictures or furniture can be too big for your house, too large for the space, too high to get in the room, or just plain wrong to your eyes. Talk to the dealer and see if it is OK to give the picture a “trial.” Pay for the piece and get a signed paid bill that says you can return it. If you love a heavy collectible and can't lift it, you might even make a deal to have it delivered to your nearby home.

Prices compiled monthly from sales and advertisements.

Q: I bought this original metal Dutch cleanser sign for $150 from an antique dealer in 1980. It measures 20 by 14 inches and is in mint condition. Apparently it was never hung up by the store owner. When was this sign made and how much is it worth?

Q: I found this necklace in a box of costume jewelry. It’s marked “Coro” in script on the clasp. It’s heavy and measures about 16 inches long. The red and green beads appear to be glass. The others look like pearls. Can you tell me more?

Q: I own this unusual glass teapot and can’t find anything about it on the Internet. It has raised a few eyebrows and my friends and I are curious about it. It’s 5 inches high and 6 3/4 inches in diameter. I was told it was very old and from Czechoslovakia. I don’t know if it’s functional or strictly ornamental. The design on it appears to be etched or engraved. I would appreciate learning more.

Q: What do you think of our old toy store? The only mark on it, “Germany,” is on the bottom. The whole thing is well made and it’s all wood and metal. It stands 8 inches high and 12 inches across, and everything in it works, even the scale and the coffee grinder.

Examples of marks used by companies featured in our article on American Art tiles.

Skittles ... Monopoly Set ... Roycroft Furniture ... Rockingham Pottery ... American Art Tiles ... movie Posters ... Cast-Iron Paperweights ... American Art Tile Marks ... Collectors Gallery ... Prices

Monopoly ... Pop-Up Boats ... Andy Warhol Artwork

Dear Lee, Ever wonder where we get the inspiration for this column? From the news.

Bottles ... Lamp Shades ... Van Briggle Vase ... Coca-Cola Bottle Carrier ... Dog-Related Antiques

Our April Collector’s Gallery pictured a silver-plated item we asked our readers to help us identify. Here are some of your suggestions.

by Angelo Van Bogart

Cookie Jars ... Eisenberg Jewelry ... Siphon Bottles

At the same time German toymakers were creating the papier-mâché candy containers and holiday decorations collectors know so well, they were also making papier-mâché toy skittles sets.

This early pre-Parker Brothers version of Monopoly sold for $47,600 at Noel Barrett’s spring auction.

A collector on a mission to collect Roycroft furniture paid $13,200 for this sideboard at a New Jersey auction. Want to know more about Roycroft? Just read our article.