More August 2012 Hotlines

Correction: This silver piece, featured in our June Collector’s Gallery, is a “butter curler,” not a floral centerpiece bowl. A New York City reader recognized the piece because of the cutout shapes on its cover. The reader who sent in the original question had not supplied the dimensions of the piece. Floral centerpieces are about 12 inches in diameter, but our original questioner has verified that her piece measures only 6 inches. So it’s a butter curler. They were popular in the middle decades of the 20th century. A slab of partially softened butter was placed on the base and the top was pressed down to create pretty shapes for serving. A silver-plated butter curler sells for about $50.

 

This Baccarat perfume bottle was the star of the auction held this spring at the annual convention of the International Perfume Bottle Association. The figural bottle, in the form of an Indian diety, sold with its original presentation box for $63,600. The bottle held Bhagwan perfume by Patanwalla. Until it appeared at the convention, held in Jacksonville, Fla., the bottle was known to exist only because of drawings in the Baccarat archives.

Ever go to a show or flea market, buy something heavy, but not want to carry it around with you all day. Worried you will have trouble finding your way back to the booth? No problem. Pay for the piece, then ask the dealer to hold it for you. Take a picture with your phone of both the item and the number sign on the booth. That way, you’ll have a way to find the booth again when it’s time to pick up your purchase. Be sure the dealer’s name is on your receipt as an added precaution.

Want a hot collectible? Try pepper sauce bottles. The old ones are found at bottle shows; new ones are available at grocery stores.

If you’re looking for collectibles in old warehouses, abandoned houses or other old and dirty buildings, wear long pants, long sleeves, sturdy shoes, gloves and a face mask. Old chemicals, animal droppings and rusty nails can hurt you. If you are cut during a foraging trip, call your doctor.

The “church key” can opener was used to open beer cans before the pull-tap can came out in about 1962. A new brand of beer from the Churchkey Can Co. is available now in Seattle. The cans are “flat tops” that require the old style of opener that makes triangular holes in the top of the can. The beer is sold in six-packs with an attached church key opener. It is an oddity worth saving if you’re interested in packaging. The beer is available now in Seattle and Portland, Ore.

A dealer who specializes in cast-iron kitchen utensils explained that iron was used for kitchenware for three reasons: to put heat in (skillets), to take heat out (molds) and to apply pressure (for example, to compress crushed nuts or candy).