High end Pottery

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.

¢ Benjamin Harrison song booklet, "True Blue Republican Campaign Songs for 1892, " published by S. Brainard's Sons Co., 32 pages, price 10 cents, $110.

¢ Harvard football-player doll, stuffed cloth body, celluloid head, crimson uniform, 14 1/2 inches, $175.

¢ Laurel and Hardy pendant watch on chain, face has one smiling, one frowning, gold luster finish, Dirty Time Co., 1970, 24-inch chain, $335.

¢ Hereke silk rug, center medallion with floral design on pink ground, corner dated 1950, signature in fringe, 2 x 3 feet, $405.

¢ Chippendale-style game table, mahogany, skirt, acanthus-carved knees, green felt-lined playing surface, 1930s, 30-by-36-by-18 inches, $460.

¢ Franklin stove, iron, fitted with eight figural tile medallions in skirt, "Franklin Anchor No. 216, " patented Sept. 18, 1888, 42-by-34-by-26 inches, $535.

¢ Russian silver belt buckle, interlocking cartouche, niello design, sword-form latch, fabric strip with applied bar and buttons, 1880s, 28 inches, $690.

¢ Luster mantel decoration, cut glass, diamond and oval pattern, 7 inches, prisms, 12 1/2 inches, $920.

¢ A.P.W. Satin Tissue toilet-paper sign, stand-up easel back, cardboard, maid stocking cupboard with tissue rolls, 1920s, 38-by-21 inches, $1, 155.

"The Kovels' Collectors Guide to American Art Pottery" was one of two books published in 1974 that explained art pottery. Organized information about factories, marks and artists was included, as well as pictures of the best pottery. Rookwood, Roseville, Weller, Grueby, Ohr and other potteries were soon "discovered" by collectors, and prices began to rise. Collectors with limited budgets searched for works by some of the smaller, lesser-known potteries. Today, because the best of early 20th-century art pottery is in museums or private collections, prices are very high. A $25 vase in 1974 could be worth $2, 000 today. So collectors have turned to English, French or German art pottery. It is surprising how similar some of the techniques, shapes and designs appear when you compare American with European art pottery. One easy-to-trace technique is iridescent glazing. Jacques Sicard made an iridescent glaze for his pottery in France and later for Weller Pottery in Ohio. The metallic luster was so successful that Sicard was determined not to give away his secret. He is said to have worked in a secret room with no peepholes at Weller. But other potteries in both the United States and France were able to make a similar metallic luster. Today all pre-1930 luster-glazed art pottery from France or the United States is very collectible.