Ornamental Artifacts Made Of Many Materials

BOOK REVIEW

Lar Hothem has authored numerous  books on Native Ameri­can artifacts. Most recently, Ornamental Indian Artifacts has been released by Collector Books.

The first portion of the book groups objects by the material from which they were made - hematite, slate, hardstone (a generic term used by collectors for any artifact that is made of a hard rock material,) pipestone, copper, steatite, quartz and quartzite, pottery, beads and organic material.

A section on historic artifacts includes a variety of other materials, including brass, silver,  coins, leather, wood, glass and fabric.

One special section deals with Eskimo artifacts, most of which have been made of bone or ivory. Most of the ivory comes from walrus tusks, although some old mammoth tusk ivory pieces have been found.

Another special section deals with items from Latin America. In some ways, these are similar to North American pieces, but among the differences are the materials used, including jade, gold and obsidian.

Ornamental Indian Artifacts includes a value guide. It is priced at $34.95.

Indian Artifacts, the Best of the Midwest, covers a wide range of items, grouped alphabetically from adzes to Woodland points & blades. It includes such items as birdstones (carved pieces that resemble the side profile of a bird at rest,) gorgets (stone pieces with two holes drilled in them, which are assumed to have been used as weights attached to the underside of throwing sticks,) and plummets (stone pieces with holes, whose exact purpose is not known, but may have been used like bolas in bird hunting.)

In general, the factors taken into account by the author in determining what makes an object “best” are the class of piece (there aren’t very many birdstones to be found,) size, material, workstyle, finish and condition.

Indian Artifacts, the Best of the Midwest, also contains a value guide and is priced at $29.95.

Paleo-Indian Artifacts, released in 2005,  is about those items that are really old. The Paleo­lithic period in North America was from 15,000 to 8,000 BC. These were the first people in America, and understandably, there are not too many of their artifacts to be found. They consist primarily of stone points and blades.

Unfortunately, an experienced collector today knows that fake Paleo artifacts are common, and according to the author, they have been made correctly and aged and weathered almost to perfection. So a buyer needs to be careful in his purchasing. This appears to me to be a  category for an advanced collector, as many of these seemingly simple looking stone spear points are valued at several thousand dollars.

Paleo-Indian Artifacts, with a value guide, is priced at $29.95.

These three books, all by Lar Hothem, are available from Collector Books, P.O. Box 3009, Paducah, KY 42002 or online at www.collectorbooks.com.

Donna Miller 

Return to Index

‘What Is It Worth?’ Defined

NEWS RELEASE

From the magazine Country Living and the co-hosts of the popular television series Treasures in Your Attic comes a brand-new book illuminating the world of American glassware. Country Living: American Glassware – What Is It? What Is It Worth?, by Helaine Fendelman and Joe L. Rosson,  showcases the fascinating histories and market values of Tiffany, Steuben, Fostoria, and more.

The book offers glassware fans a full-color view of more than 100 rare and unique pieces.  In more than 240 pages and 100 photos, Fendelman and Rosson introduce the history of American glassware, provide a unique and useful glossary of terms, describe the most important styles and manufacturers, and answer the questions – What is it? What is it worth?

Each item is described in great detail, showcased with a photograph, its provenance explained, and its value appraised. Related items and distinguishing marks are shown where appropriate.

It is important to recognize which answer to the What is it worth? question is being answered. The authors explain two possible answers to this question in the introductory material, and there is a distinct difference between the two.

“As for what an item is worth, it must be understood that antiques and collectibles have more than one price or value. Among others, there is the price for which items can be sold and there is a somewhat higher price at which the same items should be insured. The latter is called the “insurance replacement value,” and it can be defined as the amount of money it would take to replace an item if it were lost, stolen, or destroyed.

“This is what it would cost for an owner to go out, find a comparable replacement item, and purchase it from a retail source in an appropriate marketplace, within a reasonable amount of time.  In other words, this is a retail value, and these sums are not the amount that private individuals can normally expect to receive for similar objects if they decided to sell.

“Sellers can expect to receive what is called ‘fair market value.’ This is defined by the Internal Revenue Service as ‘the price that property would sell for on the open market between a willing buyer and a willing seller, with neither being required to act, and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts.’ Fair market value is the amount of money that a private individual can usually expect to receive when selling an object; that amount can be thought of as being ‘wholesale.’ As a general rule, the ‘fair market value’ is 30 to 60 percent less than the ‘insurance replacement value.’”

In this book, the insurance replacement value is the one used to answer the “What is it worth?” question.

The book is published by House of Collectibles and is priced at $19.95. (ISBN 13:978-0-375-72117-5.)

Return to Index

Before There Were Labels On The Fruit, There Were Labels On The Box

BOOK REVIEW

The Ultimate Fruit Label Book, by John A. Baule, has over 1700 photographs of the wonderful, colorful fruit labels that were used by fruit growers from the late 1800s to the early 1960s to identify and advertise their product. Today, they are a popular collectible and are often found as framed art.

“Where ten acres will make you rich” was one of the advertising slogans used to attract settlers to the Pacific Northwest, especially that area between the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains. And those who responded to the lure soon turned the area into the fruit bowl of the nation.

While there were a few private orchards earlier, it is believed that the one planted by Rawson Clark in Walla Walla, Wash­ington, was the first commercial venture.

There were problems that needed to be overcome in this inter-mountain area, however. One of the biggest was rainfall. East of the Cascades, about 8 inches of rainfall a year is all that is received; this is not enough for fruit trees.

A second problem for the beginning orchardist was transportation. They did not have access to the railway systems and ocean shipping that was available on the west side of the Cascades.

And finally, it just takes several years for fruit trees to mature to the point where they produce marketable fruit.

However, on the positive side, there was the proper type of soil, a generally mild climate usually free from extreme weather events, and an average growing season of 195 days, perfect conditions for apples, peaches, cherries, apricots and other similar fruits.

The problems were solved by the end of the 1800s, with irrigation systems and railroad transportation established. And from that time on, the orchards were plentiful on the east side of the Cascades, as well as those which were already established in other parts of Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

The growers were slow to recognize the importance of brand name recognition as a marketing tool, but when they did, the colorful fruit labels affixed to the ends of the packing boxes became essential.

Fruit labels fall into two categories: private and stock. Private labels were custom designed and printed for an individual grower, packer or marketing association. Stock labels were mass-produced and generic; they could be used by many different growers, with overprinting to give the specific growers name. These were used by small growers or by a private grower if for some reason he needed some labels quickly.

Eventually, some standardization in background color developed. For instance, a blue background corresponded to the grade of apple known as extra fancy; red for fancy; and green, white or yellow for the C grade.

The text of this book includes histories of the major fruit companies, useful collecting hints and a value code for each label.

The author, John Baule, is Director of the Yakima Valley Museum.

The Ultimate Fruit Label Book (ISBN: 0-7643-2442-X) is priced at $69.95.  Check with your local bookseller or contact Schiffer Publishing, 4880 Lower Valley Rd., Atglen, PA 19310; or online at www.schifferbooks.com.

Return to Index