September 2003 News from Readers

From a New York reader who read our tip warning about the dangers of dishwashers: Where were you when I put my old flour sifter in the dishwasher? It looked brand new with beautiful paint, but alas, it all came off! Lesson learned.

A reader in Wiscasset, Maine, wrote us about his job with Wallace Nutting during the 1930s: I started out as a colorist of his well-known prints. We had a copy to go by, so all prints were uniform in their coloring. They were checked out and corrected, if necessary, by Mary Gage, who then had the job of signing Wallace Nutting’s name. At that time, Mr. and Mrs. Nutting lived in Framingham Center, Massachusetts, with his studio on Park Street in Framingham proper. The studio contained the picture business, complete with the colorists. Pictures were printed there, framed, and shipped. Also in the same building was his cabinet and furniture shop, where finished pieces were displayed, sold off the floor, and crated for shipment…. I was able to save up $50 in order to buy one of his four-drawer maple chests of drawers.

A reader in Altamonte Springs, Florida, wrote to tell us she is downsizing and wants to sell some belongings, including Shelley china, a Minton dinner set, Royal Doulton figurines, Lladro figurines, and Czechoslovakian collectibles from the 1990s. She asks, What are my chances of getting market value? If you are not a dealer, you cannot expect the prices seen at shops or in price books. These are retail prices. You will get wholesale prices, because you are selling to a dealer. That is probably 50% of shop price-or less. Shelley china will sell for a high price. The Royal Doulton figurines, if out of production, are popular now. Dinner sets are hard to sell and will bring less than half the price of a Minton set at a department store. Pieces made since 1990 are priced for decorative value and will sell for less than you paid.