Bloods Patent Flour Sifter

8-1/2" tall (with the handle upright, nearly 13" tall), 10-3/4" wide, 9-1/8" deep, this is Abijah and Josiah Blood's patented Flour Sieve, a flour and meal sifter, in its earliest (1861 patent) form, and a sought-after kitchen collectible. This is a complete, original, and working example. There is only the ghost of its original label on one end, but that is the only thing to have been lost in the hundred and fifty years since it was introduced.

$375.

Pine Trade Sign

49-1/4 inches long and 11 inches wide, this could as easily have been a wagon sign as a store sign for F.K. Parkhurst. What sets it apart from the rest is that those letters were not cut out and applied to a back board. Instead, this sign was CARVED, by hand, out of a two inch thick White Pine plank.

I believe the paint surface is a first coat. It shows some weathering but is in a reasonably good state of preservation, indicating that the sign was protected from both weather and hard use. Three letters have small chips out of them, two of them fairly recent, the third apparently happening before the sign was painted, and there is no sign at all of the period following the F. That too apparently happened before the sign was painted. Note also that a missing piece in the lower right-hand corner has simply been replaced (not by me) but no attempt was made to restore it, per se. The screw hooks, obviously, are recent additions.

Although I found the sign in Connecticut, I've been unable to identify F.K. Parkhurst. Parkhurst is a fairly common name here in New England, and with enough research he (or she?) could probably be discovered. I thought I had a strong possibility in the person of Fannie Parkhurst, a woman storekeeper, but both the middile name and the period proved it unlikely. The use of a clear White Pine plank. however, makes it likely that the Parkhurst sought lived here in the northeast, and the style of the lettering strongly suggests the third quarter of the 19th century.

I've bought and sold many trade signs, but this is the first one I've owned that was carved. It can't be unique because, the missing period and one old chipped tip of a letter aside, the woodcarver's hand was far too confident, far too practiced... but it certainly is unusual.

$600.

Gothic Revival Wrought Iron Plant Stand or Torchiere

Gothic Revival is primarily an architectural style, one that surfaced in England as early as the mid-18th century but reached its zenith a hundred years later and was well documented by John Ruskin between 1855 and 1885. In the US, the style was taken up by Alexander Jackson Davis in the late 1830s, and quickly morphed in the hands of Andrew Jackson Downing into what we know as "Carpenter Gothic". It's in this spirit, a romanticized gothic inspiration, that I think this stand was created, probably between the 1860s and the 1880s, although wrought iron of this quality continued to be made by skillful craftsmen into the early 20th century.

The stand is 57 inches tall, 21 inches wide, and the base is about 12-3/4 inches front to back. Each of the three cups is about 4-3/4 inches inside diameter at the base and 3-3/4 inches deep. So which is it, a candle stand or a plant stand? I don't know. There is only a single coat of paint, not a lot of which is left, but no deep rust bite, so it was never outside and never wet for an extended period. If it was used for plants it must have been in a conservatory setting, but although the cups are big enough for a clay pot, there is no room for a saucer (of a standard modern size...) so I'd have expected to see more signs of rust, but those stylized leaves at the base lead me to think it was for plants. The cups are also of a size that would allow them to carry a pillar candle and help to create a very convincing, if romanticized, gothic atmosphere, but there is no sign of wax buildup anywhere, or of it having been cleaned, at least not in the last hundred years.

So it remains a mystery to me, but it's quite an impressive piece of iron work. Lots more pictures available if you would like to see details or other views.

Note, the picture here shows two views, but there is ONLY ONE stand. In fact, if you love it but you really need a pair, this is one of those antiques about which all I can say is, "Happy hunting and good luck!"

$850.

THREE Antique Brass Wall Hangers for Chargers

So why do we care? Well, you can spend thousands of dollars on an antique Delftware, Majolica, Japanese, or Chinese charger and if you want to display it on a wall you already know that you don't want to use one of those spring clip plate hangers, the ones almost guaranteed to chip the edge of your softer-bodied ceramics, Delftware and tin glazes faience.

These are antique hangers, no springs, all brass, flexible enough to easily bend around the back of any charger and adjustable to carry pieces from 14 to 20 inches in diameter. Even the picture wire attached to the old picture rail hangers is brass. Obviously, they haven't been polished in decades, and on one you can easily see the heat scar where apparently a repair was made. There is no evidence of solder, so I have to assume that if there was a repair involved it was a hammer-brazed repair, the two pieces heated until soft, then hammered together to fuse them. Imagine trying to find someone to do that today.

Note, the two lower legs, the vee-shaped legs, are fixed, both angle and length. Only the top leg, the one that is parallel to and slides on the hanger strap, is adjustable via a brass wing nut on the back side. There's no point trying to get these hangers to carry a more modern 12 inch chop plate; that's not what they are for.

$50 each for choice, or $100 for all three.

3/$100.

Finnish-American Flat Woven Rag Runner

We are fortunate to have an enclave of Finnish-American families in the surrounding towns, and any opportunity I have to get someone to let go of a vintage Finnish-American rag rug I'll take it.

It hasn't happened all that often in the twenty-plus years we've been here, but the most recent prize is this runner, hand-woven on a tabletop loom 80-100 years ago by the grandmother of a Finnish-American woman my age (60-something...). The runner is 27 inches wide and 11 feet 6 inches long. I was told that it had been on the floor, but that during the most recent owner's lifetime it had been well protected from both wear and light. Consequently it's in great shape, strong color, and no evidence of damage, repairs or restorations. The weaving is fairly straightforward, none of the fancy patterns that can sometimes be found in these rugs, but the size and condition of this rug, woven for use in the house, not for show, speaks for itself.

$375.

Chest of Drawers, Tiger Maple and Cherry

42-3/4 inches wide, 41-1/8 inches tall, 20-1/8 inches deep, Upper Canada (Ontario), c. 1825, cherry, tiger maple, and walnut primary woods, white pine secondary, two over three drawers, graduated. Stripped at some point of an early 20th century coat of paint, the top was saw-kerfed to flatten it, minor cosmetic repairs made, and the feet replaced with the present ogee feet.

More images can be found at http://CharlesGardinerAntiques.com/Stock/TgMplChst.html

Priced for pick up in Ashburnham, MA, although I can arrange blanket wrap shipping anywhere in the lower 48 states.

$2200.

Sheraton Period Corner Wash Stand, Tiger Maple and Cherry

27 inches wide, 36 inches tall, 19-1/2 inches deep, 19-1/2 inches into the corner, c. 1820-40, cherry and tiger maple. The bottom shelf is made of two pieces; shrinkage has produced a void between them. There are two diamond-shaped plugs on the upper side of the lower shelf, and two corresponding plugs on the underside of the upper facia. Perhaps there were supports at one time, probably not original, since removed. The middle front leg was damaged and repaired at some point, resulting in a scar on the lower facia, below the drawer.

More images can be found at http://CharlesGardinerAntiques.com/Stock/TgMpWshStnd.html

Priced for pick up in Ashburnham, MA, although I can arrange blanket wrap shipping anywhere in the lower 48 states.

$1150.

Grandpa-Made Penny Bank

7-1/8" long, 6" deep, and 6-5/8" tall, this hand-made tin penny bank was probably made no later than the 1920s or 30s. The damage is obvious: both chimneys are bent, one front porch column and the railing next to it are missing, the eaves overhang on the back right-hand corner of the roof (you can't see it in this image) is pushed in, and there is similar light damage there on the front right-hand corner of the brick porch. The hand-painted surface is equally well-worn.

So why keep it? Because whomever's grandpa made it was a skilled metal worker, evidenced by the careful bends and the dovetailed joints visible inside, and a good painter to boot. There is no direct evidence, but there's at least a chance that it was a copy of a specific house... the house the "keeper" grew up in? We don't know, we won't know; we only know that it was kept there in the attic until the story was lost to successive generations.

A slot is built into one of the chimneys, just large enough to accept a 50¢ piece, and when you are ready to withdraw the money saved, a tray pulls out from the back to allow access.

Even in the condition it is in, you'll still be able to save your pennies here.

$375.

And now for something completely different...

If Shaker simplicity is what you like, then these things aren't likely to appeal to you. This is Victorian excess if ever there were such.

Starting with the parlor table, underneath, it's a simple enough three-legged, trefoil top stand, ca. 1885, with "ebonized" stylized bamboo legs, approximately 24 inches in diameter and 27-1/2 inches tall-- a pretty typical Aesthetic Period stand. And then the seamstress, probably a home seamstress, took over... First a padded fabric top using a gold colored fabric, I think a fabric with a polished finish to give it a metallic look, was added, and then a fringed, embroidered skirt, 20 inches deep, held on with 5/8 inch square-head brass tacks. If that weren't enough, the embroidery was laced with strips of ribbon, 1-1/2 inches wide, in gold, red, and violet.

In its day it must have lit up the room.

But that was a bit more than hundred years ago... Now the gold fabric top has lost its luster; dirt, one small hole, and a few drips of paint have fixed that. The ribbon has deteriorated to the point that just shreds remain. And one brass tack is gone. But the embroidery itself is still there, still strong, and, at least to my untutored eye, just as it was the day it was made. The stand beneath has been well protected over the years, and remains strong and uncompromised. $400.

For the photo I've paired it with a ca. 1895 wicker side chair made by the Whitney Reed Company, just down the road in Leominster, MA, originally painted a gold color, then refreshed with a single thin coat of a less metallic yellow. It needs its seat replaced, but otherwise is whole and strong, all 75 curlicues intact, and the chair is ready to be used once that seat has been attended to. $295.

A second piece of wicker, a rare small etagère, remains in its original natural surface, but it would actually need a little wicker repair to bring it back to its "as new" state, although structurally it is still strong. $250.

All of these pieces are "attic fresh," unrestored, in need of little if anything (except for that seat) should you wish to actually use them as they are, leaving intact the history of their use.

I don't use them in my home. Although I live in a house built by one of the Whitney family, it dates to the first quarter of the 19th century, and most of what I use is appropriate to that period. All the same, I do like this extravagant Victorian stuff, so I nearly always have some tucked away, waiting to be discovered by someone else who likes it, someone who might actually use it.

Cast Iron Spider Pan

These spiders, of course, were made for hearth cooking, before the advent of the kitchen stove, so they will each date from the mid 18th to the early 19th centuries. In general, the higher the leg the earlier the pot. They were called spiders because to some eyes the rounded pans with the tall legs were reminiscent of the insect.

#1 is an extraordinarily rare Spider Griddle that I found on the Eastern Shore in Maryland, and which probably originated there. 12" in diameter, 21" long from the far edge of the body to the tip of the handle, and standing a little over 3" tall, the plate of the griddle is less than perfectly flat, the handle overly heavy, and the legs somewhat spindly in proportion to the rest. Still and all, it has worked and it has survived. Lacking a sprue, or gate mark, it was apparently puddle cast in sand, and the legs, previously cast, put into place while the iron was still molten. $325.

#2 is an example of the relatively more common (nonetheless rarely encountered in this day and age) rounded Spider Pan, 8" in diameter, 14" long to the tip of the handle, standing 4" tall, and with a 2" deep pan. This one has far more substantial legs and a prominent sprue indicating that it was cast in a mold. $275.

#3 is a very similar example, only somewhat larger, 10-1/4" in diameter, 19-7/8" long to the tip of the handle, 4-1/2" tall, and with a 2-1/4" deep pan. Both pans were found about an hour north of the Massachusetts line in locations within 25 miles of the Connecticut River, one on the New Hampshire side and the other on the Vermont side. Although the casting technique is more advanced than that seen on the griddle, I think it's safe to say that both pans date to the last quarter of the 18th century. $275.

#4 is somewhat later, probably made in the early 19th century. It's a bit more versatile, in that it can either stand on the hearth or be hung (on a hearth hook) from a fireplace crane. The pan diameter is 9-1/2" and the depth 2-1/2", but the legs are somewhat shorter, giving the pan a total height of only 3-3/4" without the handle (9-1/2" with the handle). The handle appears to be a "make-do" hand-wrought piece intended to extend the useful life of the pan. All the same, in its final stages of useful life it apparently was either used to hold a flowerpot or else simply left outside, because the surface of the pan is deeply bitten by rust. $135.

Of the four pans, only this last pan is not ready to be seasoned and actually used for food preparation, should that be your intention. Even #4 might be brought back, but I think its bottom plate would end up quite thin in spots, and how well it would spread heat, and for how long before it cracked, is open to question.

Prices for the individual pieces are included above. The price for all four pieces together is below.

$800.