Salt Cellars & Spoons

Please Pass the Salt Cellar 
and Spoon

                          Black-glaze salt cellar. Terracotta, 5th century BC, Athens.

Benvenuto Cellini's Salt Cellar, made in Paris for Francis I of France, 1540-1543; 

Gold, partly covered in enamel, with an ebony base.

     A salt cellar (also called salt or standing salt) is a vessel, usually small and made of glass or silver, used on the table for holding salt. An individual salt dish or squat open salt cellar placed near a trencher was called a trencher salt. The use of salt cellars continued through the 1940s but has been in decline since, gradually replaced by salt shakers.
The exterior surfaces of modern cellars are frequently decorated with birds, lemons or other designs, and may have the word "salt" or "S" on them in various languages. A salt cellar often has a lid to protect the contents and keep it dry. The lid may be made of the same material as the cellar, or a different one (for example, a porcelain cellar with a wooden lid). Some salt cellars, also known as salt dips, open salts, and salt dishes, are not true cellars at all, but open dishes, without lids. These were used by wealthy families from the Middle Ages until World War II. The bowl, along with a miniature salt spoon, was passed to guests by the head of the household for individual service. It is still possible to find salt cellars today, but they are not used as table decorations. They have lids and are used near the stove so the cook has easy access to salt while preparing meals. These are less likely to be elaborately decorated, and may have a range of designs for ease of use. For example, a salt cellar with a high back containing a hole allows the cellar to be mounted to a wall. Another style is a container shaped like a curved tube. The curvature protects the salt a little, but the cellar is open allowing the cook to reach in and take salt. Salt cellars used to be made of glass, but in recent times can be found in many different media, including porcelain, pewter, silver and wood. Sometime after 1950, salt cellars became a coveted collectible.
     In ancient times salt was a precious commodity. In Tibet, according to Marco Polo, cakes of salt displayed a likeness of the ruler and were used as money.  In Ancient Greece, slaves were traded for salt; and around 2000BCE the Chinese emperor levied a salt tax. 

An English glass salt cellar, circa 1720

     During the Middle Ages, when salt was a valuable commodity, salt would be kept on the table in elaborate metal or glass dishes as a status symbol. Being granted the favor of guest was often measured simply by judging the distance at which the person sat from the master's large salt cellar placed near the middle of a long table: the phrases above the salt and below the salt alluded to the former custom of seating persons of higher rank above and those of lower rank below that container. In the more recent past, salt was still very costly and precious. For example, before refrigeration salt was the main ingredient for preserving food.
     In the early 20th century, moisture absorbing agents (such as magnesium carbonate) were added to salt and it was no longer sold in blocks, but was finely ground. Salt cellars were replaced with salt shakers somewhere around 1950.

 Salt Spoons

     A salt spoon is a miniature utensil used with an open salt cellar for individual service. It is an historical and nostalgic item from a time before table salt was free-flowing, as it is today. The spoon itself ranges from 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) long and has a circular bowl measuring approximately 0.5 to 0.75 inches (1.25 to 2 cm). They can be found in a wide range of materials including glass, Sterling silver, plastic, wood, ivory, bone and shell. Sterling Silver Salt Spoons are an elegant addition to any table and a popular collector's item. Salt Spoons, popularized in 1810, were used when individual servings of salt (served in salt cellars) were needed during Victorian dinner parties. These miniature spoons, which usually measured no longer than two to three inches, were traditionally made from sterling silver and had highly ornate patterns.
     Silver Salt Spoons are now a timeless and sought after addition to many collections. Salt spoons, both antique and reproduction, exemplify beauty and detail. Although traditionally cast in sterling silver they can also be found in glass and wood. Salt spoons typically have a small spoon bowl measuring no more than ½ to 3/4 inches and an ornate handle featuring flowers, swirl designs or geometric patterns. The range in patterns varies from very simple to extremely decorative.

Pie Birds

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     A pie bird, pie vent, pie whistle, pie funnel, or pie chimney is a hollow ceramic device, originating in Europe, shaped like a funnel, chimney, or upstretched bird with open beak. Funnel-style steam vents have been placed in the center of fruit and meat pies during cooking since Victorian times; the bird shapes came a little later.  
      Pie funnels were used to keep pie filling from boiling up and leaking through the crust by allowing steam to escape from inside the pie. They also supported the pastry crust in the center of the pie, so that it did not sag in the middle, and are occasionally known as "crust-holders". Older ovens had more problems with uniform heating, and the pie bird prevented boil over in pie cooking.
     The traditional inverted funnels with arches on the bottom for steam to enter were followed by ceramic birds, and from the 1940s they have been produced in a multitude of designs. This trend has been particularly noticeable in recent times, due to their increasing popularity as gifts and collectors' items rather than simply utilitarian kitchen tools.
     The nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence" refers to "Four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie; when the pie was opened, the birds began to sing" but it is uncertain whether pie vents were designed to look like birds because of this song. The Oxford English Dictionary comments that the word pie itself (in the culinary sense) may be connected with 'pie' as the name of a variety of birds, in particular the magpie.
     Pie birds are somewhat hard to find and highly sought after by collectors today. Despite being three birds short of a complete set, this extremely rare flock shown below -made by the Camark pottery company in the 1940s - still carries an impressive value of $8,000.

Wagner Cast Iron Cookware

Wagner Cast Iron Cookware

  Cast iron cookware was especially popular among homemakers and housekeepers during the first half of the 20th century. One of the most popular brands and the most collectible today is Wagner. On July 21, 1891, Milton and Bernard Wagner organized a partnership, and formed the Wagner Manufacturing Company in Sidney, Ohio. They started with cast iron hollow ware and added nickel-plated ware in 1892.  Wagner purchased the Sidney Hollow Ware Foundry around 1897. They realized the Sidney Hollow Ware line was hurting the Wagner Hollow Ware Sales around 1903 and sold the company back to Philip Smith.
      Look for the oldest Wagner items by name and patent dates. Wagner Manufacturing was the original company, and it used "Wagner Ware" in some markings by 1902. It also had Wagner Hollow Ware and had purchased the Sidney Hollow Ware Foundry in 1897. Many items have patent dates in the mold, and this helps identify Wagner markings. It may have "Sidney, Ohio" on the bottom or just "Sidney O." This indicates that the piece was made by Wagner Ware before 1922.   Many early pieces are labeled as “Wagner" with the name in quotation marks. The company used this early marking prior to 1922, sometimes in combination with the Sidney name. This indicates that the piece is an authentic Wagner.
      Wagner made molded cast iron with a polished exterior and interior, and the best production was from 1920 to 1940. An article in "The Kansan" reports that manufacturers of cast iron during that period polished it in a drum or turned it on a lathe to make cooking surfaces smooth.
      The Randall Company of Cincinnati, Ohio acquired Wagner Manufacturing Company in 1953.
In October of 1957, the Wagner Division of Randall Company purchased the Griswold Cookware Line from McGraw Edison. In 1959, Textron Inc acquired the Randall Company.
In September of 1969, General Housewares Corp. bought Textron Inc., which included all Wagner and Griswold lines. In the spring of 1997, The Wagner Corporation (a group of investors) bought from General Housewares Corp. the Wagner factory.
      In 1999, the Wagner Corporation closed for a break and never reopened its doors. The Wagner Plant reopened its doors last half of 2003. They are starting to produce iron cooking items.
      Cast iron fell out of favor in the 1960s and 1970s, as teflon-coated non-stick cookware was introduced to the public and quickly became the item of choice in many kitchens. Today, a large selection of cookware can be purchased from kitchen suppliers, of which cast iron comprises only a small fraction. However, the durability and reliability of cast iron as a cooking tool has ensured its survival, and cast iron cookware is still recommended by most cooks and chefs as an essential part of any kitchen.

Cranberry Glass

      Cranberry glass (or 'Gold Ruby' glass as it is known in Europe, or 'Rubino Oro' as it is known by glass workers) is a red glass made by adding gold(III) chloride to molten glass. Tin, in the form of stannous chloride, is sometimes added in tiny amounts as a reducing agent. The glass is used primarily in expensive decorations.
      Cranberry glass is made in craft production rather than in large quantities, due to the high cost of the gold and the delicate mixing process required. The gold chloride is made by dissolving gold in a solution of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid (aqua regia). The glass is typically hand blown or molded. The finished, hardened glass is a type of colloid, a solid phase (gold) dispersed inside another solid phase (glass).
     The origins of cranberry glass making are murky. Some historians believe a form of this glass was first made in the late Roman Empire. The craft was then lost and rediscovered in the 17th century by either Johann Kunckel in Potsdam or by the Florentine glassmaker Antonio Neri in Italy. But neither of them knew the mechanism which yielded the colour. Chemist and winner of the 1925 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Richard Adolf Zsigmondy was able to understand and explain that small colloids of gold were responsible for the red color.
     The most famous period of cranberry glass production was in 19th century Britain during the Victorian Era. Legend holds that cranberry glass was first discovered when a noble tossed a gold coin into a mixture of molten glass. This legend is almost certainly not true, as the gold must be dissolved in aqua regia before being added to the molten glass.  Cranberry glass creations were most popular as a table display, often holding confectioneries or flowers. Cranberry glass was also frequently used for wine glasses, decanters, and finger bowls. Cranberry glass was also well-known for its use in "Mary Gregory" glass. This glass had a white enamel fired onto the glass in a design, usually of romantic variety.

Trench Art

Earlier this summer, one of our dealers sold a fantastic metal decanter and cup set that was surprisingly heavy.  I hadn’t seen it out on the floor before the customer brought it up and thought it was one of the best finds of the day.  Our fearless leader (a.k.a. the owner of our store) quickly pointed out what a truly great find that it was because it was a real life example of TRENCH ART.  Having graduated with a degree in history (with a professor who was obsessed with military history) and currently pursuing a graduate degree in history, I was immediately intrigued and set out to learn more.

Trench art is defined as any decorative item that is made by soldiers, Prisoners of War, or civilians where the manufacture of said item is directly linked to an armed conflict and its participants.  Sounds boring, right?  Nope!  Although the term initially came from the extensive use of trenches during the Great War (World War I), it has eventually come to encompass items from all of the armed conflicts throughout history. 

Although most items are not actually made “in the trenches” and instead were made in safer “behind the lines” locations, it is still a fascinating type of art.  Soldiers sometimes made trench art to pass the time or when they were recuperating in hospitals to stimulate their recovery and civilians often collected forgotten and foraged war materials to create items to sell for a little money as they struggled to recover from the conflict.  Also, most items are not signed, since it was technically illegal for soldiers to keep shell casings (they were supposed to be sent home for recycling).  As a result, trench art from modern conflicts is even harder to find because today’s soldiers are held to much stricter standards regarding keeping shell casings and other souvenirs.

It is commonly divided in 4 categories: soldier-made, POW- and internee-made, civilian-made, and commercially manufactured items.  The most common type of trench art is that made from some sort of decorated artillery shell casing (1857 was the first time that projectiles with brass casings replaced cannon balls and other artillery.  The Spanish-American War and the Boer War were the 1st conflicts to use the new type of artillery).  However, other early examples are wood boxes made by French prisoners captured by the English during the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815).  During the Civil War (1960-1865), soldiers sent home decorated powder horns, canteens, and snuff boxes with personal and patriotic engravings.  Game pieces made from bones and bullets were also popular.  World War I saw prolific engraving and decorating of shell casings and bones.  Turkish soldiers were also known for their colorful bead-work.  Other items include casings that were brought home to be fluted and flared (this was the kind of set that we sold in the store), engraved and painted helmets and mess kits, letter openers, knives from bullets and shells, lighters, and inkwells.

As you move forward in your antique and thrift store explorations, keep your eyes open for these unusual pieces.  You never know what kind of story they will tell!

"Man, those are some Hot Wheels!"

Welcome to our second post about the exciting world of die cast cars!  Here's the scoop on those hot rods we all know and love - Hot Wheels!



Elliot and Ruth Handler



Hot Wheels were the brainchild of Elliot and Ruth Handler (co-founders of Mattel). They wanted to develop a die-cast car for their Hawthorne, California plant that would also capitalize on the success of Matchbox cars. When Elliot saw designer Harry Bradley’s classic Southern California Hot Rod in the parking lot he said, “Man, those are some hot wheels!” - the rest, as they say, is history. The hot rod theme with new suspension and wheel designs along with exciting paint jobs, body detailing, and “mag” wheels became the hallmark of the Hot Wheels brand. They were an instant success.



Original 16

Mattel introduced the first 16 cars in 1968 for 59 cents each! They had redline tires (the older models are called red lines because they had red sidewall tires - they were replaced with black wall tires by 1977), spectra flame paint, a metal collector button, and some had black painted roofs to resemble vinyl. The Chevrolet Camero was the first car and it was quickly followed by the Corvette (the most popular car in the history of Hot Wheels sales). Fun fact: the Hot Wheels Corvette was actually released before GM released the actual car!



Real Riders





1970 was also an important year for Hot Wheels. It saw the introduction of the Snake and Mongoose cars as well as Mattel’s first promotional cars for Jack in the Box restaurants. The Hot Wheels Saturday morning show premiered as well. The Chopcycles were featured in 1973 with the Mighty Zork, Blown Torch, Speed Steed, and Bruiser Cruiser ($35 loose, $75 MIB). The 2^nd series was introduced in 1974 with the Ghost Rider, Rage Coach, Riptide Sourkraut and Triking Viking - this series is harder to find and worth more ($400-$900 MIB). Hot Wheels started putting the name of the car on car bottoms in 1980 and from 1983-1987 a special line of cars was introduced that featured Goodyear tires call Real Riders. 1989-1990 saw the California Customs that had Real Rider tires but without the Goodyear lettering.

Today, several of the original 16 are considered very collectible and very rare - valued at almost $1000.00! Since 1968, over 2 billion Hot Wheels cars have been sold and every model has had little variations and kept up with trends in the car industry, including: futuristic cars, muscle cars, trucks, racers, and even military vehicles. In general, if you find cars in near mint condition (no package) they are worth 50%-60% less than mint/in box. Excellent condition are worth 65%-75% less.

The above information was compiled from the following sources:

Huxford, Sharon and Bob, eds. Shroeder's Collectible Toys: Antique to Modern Price Guide. 7th ed. Paducah: Collector Books, 2001.

www.hot-wheels.mlmoments.com/History.htm

Matchbox Cars: Diecast Toys with a Long History

You might think that Matchbox cars and Hot Wheels are interchangeable, but you would be sorely mistaken. Both lines of diecast toy cars have very different histories and paths to greatness. It’s a long story - so hang in there and enjoy !

Matchbox cars grew out of a company that began in 1947 by two former Navy friends in London - Leslie and Rodney Smith (no relation). They combined their names to form "Lesney Products" and decided to start die-casting from a vacant pub that had been burned out during World War II.  After they purchased the building, the two friends began making die cast zinc alloy components for the industry and military uses.



Lesney "Rag and Bone" Cart



 However, they soon joined the die cast toy craze. The tin wind-up “Jumbo the Elephant” and the marionette “Muffin the Mule” were some of their first toys. They also created a hard-to-find “rag and bone” cart - essentially a junk cart that came with a driver, bike frame, washtub, part of a bed frame, a bucket, a crate, and kitchen sink accessories.

Aveling Barford Road Roller

The first Lesney diecut vehicle was released in 1948 - a 4 ½ inch Aveling Barford Road Roller. It was so popular that they introduced 3 new pieces later that year with a Caterpillar Bulldozer, Tractor, and a Cement Mixer. The toys were packaged in a “matchbox-type” box and became known as Matchbox cars. Lesney first marketed its cars in the United States in 1958.

The first cars had metal wheels but were quickly changed to plastic (known as “regular wheels”). Slight color and style variations are common due to paint or part shortages - these cars with the slight differences are now highly collectible. Matchbox cars continued to grow in popularity with the 1956 release of the “Models of Yesteryear” series and the Kingsize line (1957 - marketed as “Major Packs”).

SuperFast

In the 1970s, Matchbox was producing 5 million cars a week (today, its dropped to about 75 million a year). This was also when they started putting dates on the bottom of the cars. To compete with the popularity of the flashy Hot Wheels by Mattel (to be discussed later, keep reading!), Matchbox converted most of its models to a line called SuperFast (introduced in 1969) with thinner, low-friction axels and wheels (these are much easier to find than those produced prior to 1969). In 1998, Matchbox issued a 40^th Anniversary set of 5 models that were replicas of the 5 originals. This set was repackaged in 1991 as the Matchbox Originals (a 2^nd series was released in 1993).

40th Anniversary Collection

The last Matchbox car to carry the “Lesney” mark was produced in 1982 when Lesney sold the Matchbox line to Universal Holding Co. of Hong Kong, headed by David Yeh. In 1987, Yeh purchased the Dinky brand of England and incorporated the 2 lines into “Matchbox Toys International” (this mark replaced “Lesney” on the bottom of the cars). In 1992, the Matchbox line was again sold - this time to Tyco Toys. Then, during the Fall of 1996 through May 1997 Matchbox and Tyco Toys was sold to its former die-cast car rival - Mattel. The new Mattel Matchbox toys started appearing on the market after the New York Toy Fair in February 1998.

The average mint price of a Matchbox car is $33.46 (as of 1997).

Our next post will give you the low-down on Hot Wheels - so sit back, buckle up, and stay tuned!


The above information was compiled from the following sources:

Huxford, Sharon and Bob, eds. Shroeder's Collectible Toys: Antique to Modern Price Guide. 7th ed. Paducah: Collector Books, 2001.

Johnson, Dana. Matchbox Toys 1947-1998: Identification and Value Guide. 3rd ed. Paducah: Collector Books, 1999.

McManus, Mark. "The Making of a Household Name" in Collecting Toys: Identification and Value Guide by Richard O'Brien. 8th ed. Iola: Krause Publications, 1997.