Antique market analyst: Pez dispensers in, old furniture out

Aug. 19—POTTSVILLE — When John and Ellen Finn married in Girardville in 1915, they received a large blue-and-white jardiniere as a wedding gift.

Noreen O'Boyle, their granddaughter, brought the treasured family heirloom to the Schuylkill County Historical Society on Wednesday for perusal by George Blum, a well-known Schuylkill County antique dealer.

O'Boyle was interested in knowing more about the jardiniere — a French word for a large ornamental vase for plants or flowers — rather than its actual value.

Still, Blum said, if she chose to put it up for sale it would range from $60 to $110 — about half of what it was worth in the 1960s or 1970s.

Though unintended, Blum's assessment of the jardiniere set the theme for his 90-minute appraisal of antiques.

His basic message: The market for traditionally sought-after items like antique furniture, cut glass and china is at a standstill.

"I was at an auction in New England recently, and a beautiful antique secretary desk sold for $1," said Blum, who's been in the antique business since 1963. "Three Pez candy containers sold for $130."

Emphasizing fluctuations in the market, Blum advised participants to hold on to their traditional antiques until trends change.

About 25 people sought Blum's opinion on family heirlooms, antiques and items bought at flea markets or yard sales. They paid $5 for Blum's evaluation of up to three items.

"George Blum has been here before," said Diana Prosymchak, executive director. "He's very knowledgeable, and a lot of people enjoy having him."

Barbara Conage brought two pieces of jewelry — a sea shell cameo with matching earrings and a gold pin watch — handed down through the family.

Blum said both are valuable, but Conage has no plans to sell. Their real value is as family heirlooms, and she wants to pass them on to her granddaughters.

"My aunt Emily Kull, who was a nurse in World War II, wore the pin watch," said Conage, a Schuylkill Haven resident who volunteers at the historical society. "It means a lot because she was not wealthy, and for her to have jewelry of this quality is impressive."

In the current market, Blum said pre-1980 toys, slot cars, paper mache Halloween decorations and aluminum Christmas trees are hot items. Old items with advertising on them are also sought after.

Blum appraised an old tin tray with a depiction of President Theodore Roosevelt's charge up San Juan Hill on it at $70 to $80. Turning it over to the backside, he said if it had a Kaier's Brewery ad on it, the value would jump to $450.

Though he has seen countless items in his 59 years in the antique business, Blum confided there are still some items he's never come across.

One such item is a series of Yuengling Ice Cream baseball cards from 1920, the only year they were produced. There were 60 cards in the collection.

"I've never found one to this day," Blum said.

Bob Dayson, a Schuylkill Haven sports cards collector, said anyone who turned in the Babe Ruth card from the collection would receive a free pint of Yuengling ice cream.

Dayson, 73, a retired Alcoa Aluminum worker, brought an old trophy from the 1930s he bought years ago. It's heavily tarnished, but what intrigued him was that he could make out the words Cressona and 1936 and 1937 on it.

Apparently, from the inscription, it was a trophy from a competition between teams from Cressona and Gloucester, New Jersey. The Jersey team won in 1935, but Cressona won in 1936 and 1937, giving it the right to keep the trophy.

What's eluded Dayson, though, is what sport the teams engaged in. His only clues are the words "flint" and "cote," which he does not understand. Blum was of little help in resolving the mystery.

Items Blum appraised included a diamond ring in a 14-carat setting valued at "a couple thousand dollars"; a reverse painting lamp assessed at $250 to $350; and a framed color print of a Victorian woman in England that's worth about $35.

One of the most intriguing items was a lithophane German beer stein brought by attorney Jay Zane, historical society president.

When the stein is held up to the light, empty of course, the image of a soldier in uniform talking to a woman can be seen at the bottom of the vessel.

Zane said his wife, Ellen, was intrigued with the images inside the stein as a child. It belonged to her parents.

"It appears that the soldier is bidding the woman farewell because there's a train in the background," said Zane, a partner in Zane, Rossi, Conville and Harley in Schuylkill Haven.

Shirley Smith brought in a large framed print entitled "The Surrender of Gen. Lee," a depiction of Robert E. Lee's capitulation to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.

Smith, a former waitress at Boscov's in Fairlane Village mall, bought the print about 15 years ago when her son was interested in the Civil War. She paid $15 for it in a thrift shop in Pottstown.

Blum did not place a dollar figure on its value, which he said is more of a historical nature.

"It's the kind of thing," he said, "that its value is determined by what it represents."

Contact the writer: rdevlin@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6007