Reproductions: Figural Napkin Rings

Napkin rings first appeared in France about 1800 and their use soon spread to other countries. In a proper middle-class family, cloth napkins were used for an entire week between washdays, with each family member keeping their same napkin. Each ring had a different mark or design to identify whose napkin it held.

Soon napkin rings became more ornate and included decorative figures. These figural napkin rings were at the height of popularity from about 1870 to 1900. Hundreds of different designs were made before the custom faded. Most 19th-century examples were silver plate and hundreds of shapes were made. Popular figures included dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits, cupids, children, wild animals, birds and others. Original Victorian-era silver napkin rings are hard to find but bring good prices (hundreds to even thousands of dollars). Rare sterling silver rings are the most expensive.

Experienced collectors can spot the differences between originals and reproductions. Most figural silver plate napkin ring reproductions are not as well made as Victorian originals and are heavier than old rings. But it can be tricky to tell the difference.

Savvy collectors watch for a few other clues:

  • There are almost no sports-related original rings. We have seen fakes with people playing golf, tennis or other sports. A few originals show hoop rolling and fishing.
  • Original ring bases are geometric or feature realistic leaf designs. Fake bases are usually odd shapes and have an allover line pattern.­
  • Original napkin rings that show a child driving a cart or wagon have no base. Some could be pushed across the dining table on their working wheels.
  • Fake rings have solid bases and may have blurred company marks because the marks are die-stamped, not cast. Some fake marks are copies or simply made up. Some reproductions have impressed designs on the bottom of the base.
  • Marks from 19th century manufacturers like Meriden, the Middletown Plate Co. and Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. have been copied on fakes.
  • Reputable reproductions are clearly marked as such and are inexpensive. Extremely accurate reproductions of original Victorian rings have been recently produced by silversmiths like James Mackie and are now affordable collectibles. Enjoy the hunt for figural napkin rings, either for their intended use — holding your eco-friendly cloth napkins! — or as fun tabletop decorations. Just don’t pay more than you have to.

The silver-plated figural napkin rings pictured here are reproductions of Victorian originals.

repro napkin ring, golfer

 

repro napkin ring

 

repro napkin ring

 

 

Fake Fenton Art Glass — Tips on Spotting Reproductions

Reproduction or “Made in China” Fenton art glass has been appearing on online auction sites and even in antique store displays. You can spot the true art glass made by Fenton Glass artisans in America. Collectors should always look for Fenton glass marks, artist signatures and artistic style to determine if the piece is authentic.

Fenton Art Glass, known for its beautiful colors and patterns, was founded in 1905 by brothers Frank L. and John W. Fenton in Martins Ferry, Ohio. They began by painting decorations on glassware made by nearby manufacturers. The brothers opened their own factory, the Fenton Art Glass factory, in Williamstown, West Virginia, in 1907. “Iridescent ware,” now known as “Carnival” glass, was introduced that same year.

Starting in the Depression and during the early years of World War II, Fenton began making practical items like mixing bowls and perfume bottles. By the late 1940s, brothers Frank M. and Wilmer C. (Bill) Fenton took over the factory. In 1986, George W. Fenton, Frank’s son, became president. Production continued with new colors, patterns and hand-painted decorations. Traditional glassmaking stopped in 2011. The Fenton Art Glass Company property was sold in 2017.

Two of the most frequent reproductions seen are a small vase with a light blue crest and painted red roses on milk glass, and a taller vase usually either purple or green. Both have the ruffled rim, a hallmark of Fenton pieces. Neither is marked Fenton, or signed by the artist. Only very early pieces were unmarked.

How to identify authentic Fenton:

Authentic Fenton, except for the very earliest pieces, is marked.

The artist always signed the decoration, except very early pieces.

If the painting style is rough, it is a reproduction. Fenton had talented artists.

Pieces with a Fenton International logo were outsourced by Fenton to be made in China in later years. The Fenton pieces were functional housewares, not art glass collectibles, according to Butterfly Net, published by the Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America.

Fenton designed — but didn’t make — shapes for the florist company Teleflora. The Teleflora vases, while looking like Fenton, were made in China. Teleflora has a thick base.

 

FYI

In addition to Kovels.com, there are several clubs and organizations to help collectors avoid fakes: The Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America, FentonArtGlass.com; The National Fenton Glass Society, P.O. Box 4008, Marietta, OH 45750, NFGS.org; The Pacific Northwest Fenton Association, P.O. Box 3901, Hillsboro, Oregon, 97123, email at pnwfa1@yahoo.com; Fenton Fanatics, FentonFan.com; and Heart of America Carnival Glass Association, HOACGA.com.

Photos are courtesy of the Butterfly Net, a publication of the Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America (FAGCA).

fake fenton vase

 

fake fenton vase

The two forms above were designed by Fenton but were not made or decorated by Fenton. The thick glass in the base is a giveaway that it wasn’t made at Fenton.

 

fake fenton vase

fake fenton vase

Neither of the two vases above is Fenton. The painting style is rough and the vase isn’t signed by the artist. These are found frequently on eBay and in questions on Facebook groups.

 

Fenton stretch glass fan vase

Fenton Tangerine stretch glass fan vase, No. 847 from the 1920s, will be listed in Fenton books that cover that period.

 

Fenton custard glass temple jar

During the 2017 collector’s convention, the Fenton Gift Shop had several old Log Cabin on custard glass items (made 1976 to 1983) for sale that must have been found in some forgotten corner of the factory. They were priced high, and the rest of the found pieces went quickly.

 

Wave Crest candy jar made for Fenton

Roses on Paisley covered candy box made by Wave Crest for Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America in 2005. Here, the paisley relief extends up onto the cover’s finial.

 

Fenton art glass vase, dave fetty

A Dave Fetty/Kelsey Murphy/Robert Bomkamp carved mosaic “Maiden Fern” vase was made by making the entire vase the overlaid mosaic color and then carving away the mosaic to make the design against the underlying ebony satin. This produced a thin-walled vase which often broke during carving, leaving a finished example with an expensive retail price of $695. This one was No. 74 of a limited edition of 350.

 

Fake Fenton Art Glass — Tips on Spotting Reproductions

Reproduction or “Made in China” Fenton art glass has been appearing on online auction sites and even in antique store displays. You can spot the true art glass made by Fenton Glass artisans in America. Collectors should always look for Fenton glass marks, artist signatures and artistic style to determine if the piece is authentic.

Fenton Art Glass, known for its beautiful colors and patterns, was founded in 1905 by brothers Frank L. and John W. Fenton in Martins Ferry, Ohio. They began by painting decorations on glassware made by nearby manufacturers. The brothers opened their own factory, the Fenton Art Glass factory, in Williamstown, West Virginia, in 1907. “Iridescent ware,” now known as “Carnival” glass, was introduced that same year.

Starting in the Depression and during the early years of World War II, Fenton began making practical items like mixing bowls and perfume bottles. By the late 1940s, brothers Frank M. and Wilmer C. (Bill) Fenton took over the factory. In 1986, George W. Fenton, Frank’s son, became president. Production continued with new colors, patterns and hand-painted decorations. Traditional glassmaking stopped in 2011. The Fenton Art Glass Company property was sold in 2017.

Two of the most frequent reproductions seen are a small vase with a light blue crest and painted red roses on milk glass, and a taller vase usually either purple or green. Both have the ruffled rim, a hallmark of Fenton pieces. Neither is marked Fenton, or signed by the artist. Only very early pieces were unmarked.

1. How to identify authentic Fenton:
2. Authentic Fenton, except for the very earliest pieces, is marked.
3. The artist always signed the decoration, except very early pieces.
4. If the painting style is rough, it is a reproduction. Fenton had talented artists.
5. Pieces with a Fenton International logo were outsourced by Fenton to be made in China in later years. The Fenton pieces were functional housewares, not art glass collectibles, according to Butterfly Net, published by the Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America.
6. Fenton designed — but didn’t make — shapes for the florist company Teleflora. The Teleflora vases, while looking like Fenton, were made in China. Teleflora has a thick base.

FYI 
In addition to Kovels.com, there are several clubs and organizations to help collectors avoid fakes: The Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America, FentonArtGlass.com; The National Fenton Glass Society, P.O. Box 4008, Marietta, OH 45750, NFGS.org; The Pacific Northwest Fenton Association, P.O. Box 3901, Hillsboro, Oregon, 97123, email at pnwfa1@yahoo.com; Fenton Fanatics, FentonFan.com; and Heart of America Carnival Glass Association, HOACGA.com.

Photos are courtesy of the Butterfly Net, a publication of the Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America (FAGCA).

Neither of these is Fenton. The painting style is rough and the vase isn’t signed by the artist. These are found frequently on eBay and in questions on Facebook groups.

These forms were designed by Fenton but were not made or decorated by Fenton. The thick glass in the base is a giveaway that it wasn’t made at Fenton.

Fenton Tangerine stretch glass fan vase, No. 847 from the 1920s, will be listed in Fenton books that cover that period.

Roses on Paisley covered candy box made by Wave Crest for Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America in 2005. Here, the paisley relief extends up onto the cover’s finial.

During the 2017 collector’s convention, the Fenton Gift Shop had several old Log Cabin on custard items (made 1976 to 1983) for sale that must have been found in some forgotten corner of the factory. They were priced high, and the rest of the found pieces went quickly.

A Dave Fetty/Kelsey Murphy/Robert Bomkamp carved mosaic “Maiden Fern” vase was made by making the entire vase the overlaid mosaic color and then carving away the mosaic to make the design against the underlying ebony satin. This produced a thin-walled vase which often broke during carving, leaving a finished example with an expensive retail price of $695. This one was No. 74 of a limited edition of 350.

 

 

fake fenton vase

Photo: The Butterfly Net (FAGCA)

Mechanical Bank Reproductions

Most famous mechanical bank reproductions were made by the Book of Knowledge between 1957 and 1986. They were clearly labeled and never intended to fool collectors. Like the reproductions from the 1930s, they are now collectible. To identify banks made after the 1930s, appraisers look at the finish. Pre-1930s cast-iron banks have smoother surfaces, and the painting on earlier banks tends to be more detailed. Rust on reproduction banks is reddish and will flake off. Repro mechanical banks were made using an original bank as a pattern, and were therefore usually smaller than the originals. But some of the wooden patterns are still available, and banks made from them will be the same size as the original. Original cast iron banks were also painted in muted colors. Bright colors were not used.

Artillery mechanical bank, cast iron, reproduction, Book of Knowledge

Artillery mechanical bank, cast iron, reproduction, Book of Knowledge, 7 1/2 by 6 by 3 3/4 in., $59. Photo: Copake Auction Inc.

 

Union Pacific Belt Buckle

Q: I think this brass belt buckle came from my children’s great-grandfather. There are two clasped hands on the front and the words “Union Pacific, Railroad Company, Links East to West, 1866” on the front and “Made in USA” on the back. I’d like to know if it’s the real thing. What is it worth?

A: This belt buckle isn’t old. Reproduction (fake) belt buckles with vintage designs and the names of old companies were made in the late 1960s and ’70s. Although the design on the buckle seems to commemorate the linking of eastern and western United States by the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, that wasn’t accomplished until 1869. Union Pacific laid the tracks going from east to west, while Central Pacific Railroad laid tracks going from west to east. Union Pacific reached the 100th meridian, considered the dividing line between eastern and western U.S., in 1866. This was cause for great celebrations because the company had to cross the 100th meridian by 1867 in order to continue to receive government funding. The Golden Spike (the last spike) was driven in at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory on May 10, 1869. “Reproduction” belt buckles sell for $10 to $20. When first made and thought to be old, some sold for hundreds of dollars.

union pacific railroad belt buckle

Folk Art Mask

Among the millions of items that can be found at an antiques show or a flea market, you wouldn’t expect to see duplicates, but some items are either unforgettable or plentiful. When covering a show, we still try to photograph any possible repro, like the tin Grape Nuts sign with the girl and dog or the many Diamond Dye cabinets with lithographed tin fronts. These are easy; the more recent copies are smaller than the originals, and the pictures are made of little dots indicating a photograph was used. If the price is high, we tell the dealer it is a repro and we almost always get a thank-you and the piece is removed or repriced.  
 
But the “folk art” carved wooden mask of a man with curly hair and puffy cheeks trying to blow out a candle is appealing. Since 2000 when we first saw hundreds of them on a truck at a flea market while we were taping our TV shows, we have seen at least 17, all being sold as antiques. We tried to get a new one at the show for our garden but the dealer’s truck left before we were finished filming. They had sold out. The next month at another major flea market, there was the truck and hundreds more of the masks. We bought one at lunch time for about $25, and it is now hanging on a fence in our garden, looking very old. The green marble eyes have fallen out and we only found one to glue back in place. The wood, a very soft wood from the Philippines where the masks were made, has slowly decayed and we sprayed it with white paint that has also worn off. He is now joined on the fence by a car grill, the back of a metal chair that had fallen off, a street sign that fell down in an accident at our corner, a flat metal rooster from an old weathervane and several rectangular pieces of ironwork, probably parts of a gate or a radiator cover. The folk art mask is the least expensive decoration and the one that gets the most comments. But I must warn you that the last time I saw another one, it was sold in an auction for $400 and described as an “early sculpture made of a wood-like material with realistic glass eyes.” My favorite fake has charmed and fooled another collector. You might find one since thousands were made. But if you do, see if you can convince the seller that it is really only 20 years old.

wooden folk art mask

Reproduction wooden folk art mask in Terry Kovel’s garden

 

Date Your Mickey Mouse Watch

The first Mickey Mouse watch was made in 1933. It cost $2.69. The record price for a real 1933 Mickey Mouse watch (with the original box) in good condition is $6,100, set at a 2014 auction. The watch’s image, copied from Mickey Mouse cartoons, shows a side view of Mickey’s body with moving hands and a three tiny Mickey Mouse figures chasing in the circle. We couldn’t find a positive date for the first reproduction of either the 1933 or 1934 watch. We do know many copies have been made, one as recently as 2019. Our research indicates the 1933 Mickey Mouse watch was not copied. The first copy was of the 1934 Mickey Mouse watch. Later copies also were not the 1933 watch. No one could tell us why.

We have put together a list to help you identify your watch. Age is an important factor in determining value. When buying a vintage Mickey Mouse watch, look for the following identifying features. If the watch you are looking at is different, it is probably a reproduction or mislabeled year.

1933 — The first Mickey Mouse watch was made by Ingersoll-Waterbury and sold at the Chicago, Century of Progress Exposition. It was round with a bezel decoration. The 7 and 5 numerals on the dial were outside Mickey’s feet. There were cut-outs of Mickey (charms) on the band. It ran on a WWI surplus pin lever movement. Mickey is wearing yellow gloves to point to the time, although the cartoon Mickey changed his white gloves (1929) to yellow in 1936.

1934 — The watch and all those made until 1937 were in round cases. Mickey’s feet were on or outside the 7 and 5 numerals on the dial.    

1935 to 1937 — The Ingersoll watch had the second type of dial with the numerals 7 and 5 under his feet. The words “made in u.s.a.” were printed on the dial.

1937 — A rectangular case with plain sides was used and the three tiny Mickey Mouse figures chasing in the circle second-hands were changed to one hand.

1938 to 1942 — The case was rectangular with five decorative notches in each long side.

1942 — U.S. Time bought Ingersoll but still used the Ingersoll trademark. Some cases were gold plated until the 1960s.

1948 — A luminous dial was used.

1950 — Red numbers were used. The printed word Ingersoll was on the face.

1960s — You wouldn’t recognize a Mickey Mouse watch made in the 1960s. It had a plain round case and Mickey is not pictured on the dial.

So check your old Mickey Mouse watch, even if it isn’t working. It could be worth a lot of money and it is always fun to own one. There have been many kinds. An expensive watch with sparkling rhinestones, an underwater version, and a new version for those who exercise. It tells you how well you are doing and reminds you to work out every day.

A recent reproduction of the 1934 Mickey Mouse watch as a pocket watch with the 1934 wristwatch face and chain. Notice the 7 and 5 are missing and Mickey has white gloves.
Photo: Hammacher Schlemmer

 

 

Marcasite Jewelry

Marcasite is a semi-precious, opaque stone related to pyrite. It was cut into tiny faceted pieces and mounted in bezels for expensive jewelry, glued in place for inexpensive pieces. Marcasite jewelry had been made since ancient times and then forgotten by the Middle Ages. But when Prince Albert died, his wife, Queen Victoria, didn’t see diamonds and bright stones as appropriate jewelry. They were not to be worn until the mourning period ended. Instead the Queen and all others wore pearls or black stones like jet, often with marcasite trim. 
 
A less expensive look-alike jewelry was created from small faceted pieces of steel, and cut-steel jewelry became a popular fake. It lost popularity by the early 1900s, but marcasite and cut steel came back again for short periods in the 1960s and 1990s.  
 
Beware. New marcasite jewelry is being made in the same styles as the old and it is hard to tell the repros. Look at the back of the jewelry. There should be a stamp, “925,” on the solid sterling silver backing. Antique pieces show hammer marks. Newer pieces have smother backing and the stones may be glued in place, not set in a bezel. Vintage pins have a long straight pin attached to the back. It shows a little in from the front. The catch is often just a C-shaped bent wire. New pins have a safety catch that locks. 

Pictures are from a 1990s catalog by Herzog & Adams Antique Jewelry Reproductions, New York City.

 

 

 

Wells Fargo Buckles

Old fakes never die. They just hide for a few years and reappear after they are forgotten. Carl Wilhelm Becker (1772-1830) is still probably the most successful antique coin forger and his coins are a puzzle even for modern collectors.

The largest fake scam of the 1970s was the Wells Fargo Belt Buckle exploit. Large brass buckles marked Tiffany & Co. were sold by a London company to American dealers. Since belts with buckles were in style, many were bought as vintage pieces by the famous Tiffany store (who insisted they never made a Wells Fargo buckle). Soon a fake book with doctored old catalog pages “proved” the buckles were real and prices rose to over $800 for “rare” examples. We traced the book “Tiffany & Gaylord Express & Exhibition Belt Plates” to a company that did school yearbooks and noticed the vintage order pages had been altered to include pictures of the buckles. There was a long fictitious history of the makers, designs and sales. They even quoted a fakes expert, Percy Seibert, who claimed to have known Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Thousands (the book says millions) of buckles were sold for up to $800 before the buckle fakes were exposed.

But it didn’t end there. Today there are cheap, lightweight copies of the original Wells Fargo fakes. Even new Wells Fargo designs are sometimes thought to be old. And impossible designs like Mickey Mouse, Coca-Cola, Southern Comfort Whiskey, Levi Strauss & Co., Kansas State Penitentiary, Alcatraz, Remington, Winchester, Texas Rangers, Buffalo Jubilee and many different patterns of belt plates in the style of Wells Fargo buckles were made. Watch out. We see them at many flea markets, some being sold as new fantasy buckles and some still thought to be antiques.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phrenology Head

We all know palm readers can tell you if you are intelligent, how many children you will have, or if you will live to a ripe old age from the lines in your hand. At least that is what palm readers say, even today. Phrenology was a medical theory promoted by a German doctor, Franz Josef Gall, in 1796. It stayed popular from 1810 to 1840 and is still accepted by some today. The bumps on your head could be read by a phrenologist and he would identify your intelligence, self esteem, character, and personality traits. The doctors demonstrated with a phrenology head, a pottery or porcelain model marked to show the regions of the brain that controlled your actions, thoughts or even health. It is amazing that modern brain scans prove there really are areas in our brains that control processing of information, anger, sadness, fear or other emotions. The phrenology theory was right, but the mapping of the head was wrong.

Antique phrenology heads, sometimes part of an inkwell for a doctor’s desk, sell today from $500 to thousands of dollars. But in the 1960s and ’70s, many fakes were made and are still in collections and sales. There are recent copies for sale for $30 to $150. Reproductions usually have a large (about a two-inch diameter) hole in the base; antiques have no hole. Originals usually have glazed bases. Newer heads, copies of originals, picture a man about 30 years old, bald, of course, with the map of the bumps printed on it. There are also a small number of old ones that picture a baby’s head or that of an old man.

A copy of a phrenology inkwell made in the 1970s. The inkwell base has a matching stopper in front of the head.

 

 

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