Unusual chair with an ominous past
Cockfighting is not a legal sport in the U.S. today, but in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was a favored event among all social classes in England. They were high-stakes betting games at the “cockpits” from Shrove Tuesday, in February or March. Cockfights were sometimes held in the drawing rooms of country estates and while the informal city fights were held on the floor in a circle and watched from seats on the floor, the rich estate owners wanted to sit in a chair.
A cockfighting chair has a rounded back and broad curved armrests that are often padded. The chair seat is also padded and many are covered in leather. The sitter straddled the chair’s back and leaned on the arms. Some think today that these were really reading chairs to be used in a library. A reading desk was attached to the curved back to hold a book. Since there are many drawings that show these chairs at cockfights and many are known to be used in libraries, which came into use first is an unsolved question.
There were complicated rules for cockfights. The cocks were matched by weight and there was even a count to 10 to interrupt or stop the fight. The cocks were trained to fight and often wore metal spurs to inflict larger wounds. It was a fight to the death. Legal cockfighting in England ended after the 1835 Cruelty to Animals Act was passed, but the popularity of the cockfighting chair remained until Victorian times.
Q. I just paid $65 for a Wild Bill Hickok lunch box with matching thermos. It has some scratching but only on the edges. What do you think about the price I paid?
A. The television series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok ran for eight seasons from 1951 through 1958. It also was a radio show. The lunch box that pictures Wild Bill Hickok and Jingles, his horse, was made by Aladdin Industries in 1956. They sell from $50 to $225, depending on condition, so you be the judge.
Q. I have owned a beautiful bronze and gold statue for 30 years. It’s 26 inches tall and depicts a standing female figure in a long gown with her arm draped over her head. It is engraved on the side of the base, “Sorensen Ringi, Paris, 1899.” Please give me your opinion of its value.
A. Your statue sounds like the bronze and partially gilt Sarah Bernhardt figure by Swedish sculptor Harald Sorensen-Ringi (1872-1912), made at Loucet Ciseleur, Paris, France. Sarah Bernhardt statues signed by Ringi have sold from $4,500 to $6,900. Other Ringi statues can be found from about $600 to a few thousand dollars.
Q. I have a pair of salt and pepper shakers shaped like bears. The two bears are interlocking like they are hugging, but can be separated to use. The words “Van Tellingen,” the letter “C” in a circle and “Bear Hug” are impressed under the tail, and “Pat. Pend.” is impressed on the bottom. Who made them and how old are they?
A. Your salt and pepper shakers were designed by Ruth Van Tellingen Bendel, an artist and illustrator of children’s books who was granted a patent for interlocking “condiments dispenser compressing interlocking figurines” in 1949. The shakers were made by Regal China Co., part of Royal China and Novelty Co. The interlocking bears were first advertised as “snuggle hugs,” but collectors call them “huggers.” Huggers in other shapes were made, but the bears are the most popular. Your shakers were made before 1958, when “Bendel” was added to the mark. The molds were destroyed in 1963 when the plant burned down. The bear huggers were made in different colors and in two sizes. The price depends on rarity. Huggers sell for $20 a pair, or more if rare.
Q. My mother gave me two blue and white Wedgwood plates decorated with a castle, a hill, river and bridge. The mark on the back of the plates is the head of a unicorn with the words “Countryside” and “Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd” above it. It also reads “Founded in 1835.” Can you tell how old the plates are and what they are worth?
A. Your plates are not very old. Enoch Wedgwood Ltd. was in business from 1965 to 1980. The 1835 date is the date its predecessor, Podmore, Walker & Co., was founded. Enoch Wedgwood was a partner in Podmore, Walker & Co. He took over the business in 1860 and the name became Wedgwood & Co. In 1965 it became Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd. and was in business under that name until 1980. The company is not related to the famous Wedgwood Co. started by Josiah Wedgwood. Plates like yours sell online for $8 to $12.
Tip: To dry a decanter or narrow-necked bottle or vase, try this method. Roll up a paper towel and insert it into the narrow neck until it is about an inch from the bottom of the bottle. The towel will absorb the moisture in the bottle in a day or so.
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
• Lunch box, cowboy, cowgirl, cow, basket style, tin lithograph, 1940s, 7 x 5 inches, $65.
• Hall Stand, twig frame, birch branches, plank seat, framed mirror back, c. 1900, 76 x 19 inches, $180.
• Silver plate, bun warmer, oval, dome lid, fluted, claw feet, liners, Harrison Bros. & Howson, 9 x 14 inches, $185.
• Cuff links and tie bar, rectangular, brushed 14K white gold, square sapphires, L. Piccard, $415.
• Czechoslovakia glass perfume bottle, amethyst, square, rounded corners, disc stopper, 7 1/4 inches, $420.
• Nautical river boat model, wood and paper, sternwheeler, bales of cotton, c.1900, 27 1/2 inches, $780.
• Doorstop, 3 Gypsy street singers, painted, cast iron, Hubley, c. 1900, 7 inches, $885.
• Bride’s basket, Webb Peachblow, flowers, silver plate frame, cherub medallions, 13 x 12 inches, $1,060.
• Bowling Bag, Stan Musial, leather, bird mowing down pins, Tooled Stan, handles, c. 1950s, $1,555.
• Doll, Kestner, Asian boy, bisque, brown sleep eyes, black human hair, silk costume, 16 inches, $2,245.
Write to Kovels, Observer-Reporter, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.