WHAT'S IT WORTH

What's it Worth - A Specialist's Opinion

Each issue our panel of specialists assess the value of readers' items. The service is free and can be accessed via email: info@speediegraphics.com.au

Experts include Keitth McDonald, Stan Prickett and Damien Kalmar.

Recently I have found a hand painted, Royal Doulton Reynard the Fox coffee set piece signed by J. Pier'point. It was described at a recent auction as 'another dish' and is very similar to the sugar bowl. It has a single handle and is roughly the same size as the sugar bowl, but the rim has a lip that is curved inwards. It is hand painted and depicts a crouching fox. Could you enlighten me on its period of production, shape and who J.Pier'point was? It is stamped Royal Doulton with the following pattern number: Rd No. 744193. Phaedra P., Tahmoor, New South Wales..

Your Royal Doulton broth cup is in the earthenware version of Reynard the Fox, Phaedra, which was introduced around 1935. It was designed for use with hot liquids such as soup or broth and has the whip handle to hold when the cup itself is hot; the rim curved inwards to prevent spilling. The number you quoted is the patent office number when Doulton registered the design. J. Pier'Point sounds French and I'm assuming he must have been the author of the Reynard the Fox stories, as Reynard is the French word for fox. A bone china version of the design was introduced around 1953, carrying the pattern number H4927. It has the same whip handle as yours, but the fox images are in very low relief and then painted by hand. Reynard the Fox Doulton wares are very collectable, and your broth/soup cup could be worth up to $300.
KEITH McDONALD

I am hoping you can give me some information and an approximate value of two pieces of Murano glass. The bird is an impressive 53cm high, with the stem and base featuring very fine gold dust. It was brought out to Australia by a South African couple more than fifty years ago, and the base has been polished flat. The figurine is 35cm high, and because of its distinctive style and colour I am hoping you may have an idea of the artist or factory. Again, there is a lot of fine gold dust in this piece. The pontil has been snapped off and not polished.
Thank you, Brian C., Devonport, Tasmania.

Thank you Brian, for the excellent photos of your Murano glass. The figural candelabra and the exotic bird figure were probably made by Vetreria Archimede Seguso in Murano, Italy, which was founded in 1946 but the family can trace its glassmaking heritage back to 1575. The gold flecks in the glass mix is called aventurine, and the technique dates back to the early 17th century when it was first developed by Venetian glassmakers using metallic copper flakes added in solution to the glass mix. It is often difficult to identify the maker of a particular item of Venetian glass because the majority only had a paper label as a means of identification when it left the factory, and this is usually removed when put on display or in use. As styles evolve and become popular similar products are made by other factories, and in the absence of a maker’s mark it is often difficult to distinguish between them. Both pieces would date to the 1950s, and assuming both pieces are in good condition, at 53cm the bird is impressive in size and would have a value of around $1200. The candelabra is also highly collectable, and although values vary widely within the antiques and collectables trade, it is valued at $1500.
STAN PRICKETT

I have attached a photo of two gold rings that were found with a metal detector in the Melbourne metropolitan area. Both the rings appear to be from the ‘romantic jewellery’ era, and are obviously very old as both were completely black with oxidisadation when recovered, and took many hours to clean. The MIZPAH ring has some hallmarks (see attached diagram) which don’t appear to be English, but the other ‘knot’ type ring has no visible marks at all and appears to be fairly crudely made. Both rings are also a very small size and each weighs about 3.7gms. Any information you can provide on either ring would be very gratefully appreciated.
Thank you, Gary R., Melbourne, Victoria..

What a great find, Gary! Mizpah is an old Hebrew term, meaning ‘May God watch over me and thee while we are absent from one another’, and it dates back as far as 1800BC. Over the years the true meaning has changed somewhat, and when your ring was made around 1910 it was often given to loved ones when they were going away from one another, including to war. You’ve done a great job in cleaning it up, as well as writing down the marks, and from them I can tell you that it is the early form of hallmarking from Australian jewellers. I can’t find an exact reference to the ‘bird’ mark, which could tell us who made it, however this won’t affect the price a great deal unless it was from a well-known and sought after early Australian jeweller. For insurance, I would value it at around $350 to $400. The ‘knot’ ring you have already described as crude, and assuming there are no hallmarks of any sought I would assume that it was made by a small worker and would give it a conservative value of around $150. Happy hunting!
DAMIEN KALMAR

This information first appeared in Issue 26 of Antiques and Collectables for Pleasure & Profit.