Speaking of Antiquing – September 2019

In the blue glass, front-locked cabinet are some very tiny objects. Made of glass, wrought iron, pewter, and clay, these items are for play and show. The glass figurines are handmade, perhaps in Murano, Italy, perhaps not. I see no maker’s marks on them, but they are works of art. Their Vintage is undetermined, but anyone who collects tiny glass figurines will appreciate the quality. They are hand-molded, fashioned into a chicken, duck, penguin, swan, elephant, frog or some other beautiful creature. Some have fingerprints on them. The glass is beautiful, colorfully blended to give authentication to the object depicted. So tiny that if you drop it in a shag rug, you had better not step barefooted until you find it.

Many people ignore these small tchotchkes. Many people find them fascinating. The delicacy and artfulness with which they are made give them “art glass” standing. They are collected for their whimsy and beauty. If one loves a certain animal, these make perfect gifts to add to a collection.

The tiny pewter cookware is thought to be dated in the early to mid- 19th century. This would have been part of a toy kitchen played with by little girls for hours on end, perhaps on a functioning toy cast iron kitchen wood stove. The clay cups and saucers are very tiny and are smaller than the average toy tea set. Doll house miniatures are typically scaled per the house and doll. The farm animals are fun and painted in bright colors. The wrought iron chickens and rooster guard the barnyard.

We also have some lead farm animals that are quite rare. Lead has been used to make toys for hundreds of years. Soldiers are the most sought-after lead toy and could run anywhere in price from $10 to multi hundreds, depending on age and condition.

Cast iron doll furniture is quite collectible and fun to furnish a dollhouse with. Ranging from baby room cribs, highchair, rocking chair, to carpet sweeper, these colorful toys from Kilgore stand the test of time.

Next time you are in Pickety Place, be sure to check out the blue, locked case. You never know what you will find in there. Recently sold, was a very tiny iron figure of a man reaching for a tractor steering wheel. The gentleman who found it said he had an old toy tractor from his youth that was missing his driver. He was very pleased to have found it.