Antiques Q&A
Our antiques expert hops down the bunny trail to investigate some Easter-themed items, including paper party decorations, a windup toy and a chocolate mold.
Our expert shares facts and figures about antiques.
QUESTION:
I found these 4-inch German eggs at an antiques shop; they appear to be from the same company, but one is stamped “Made in Germany” and the other has “Made in German Democratic Republic” worked into the interior paper’s design. Are they from different time periods? How much are they worth?
ANSWER:
Cardboard eggs of this design were intended to be candy containers and have been made since the turn of the 20th century. However, these two are a late-20th-century version of the form, as evidenced by the stamp “Made in German Democratic Republic,” commonly referred to as East Germany, which was often described as a satellite state of the Soviet Union. Germany was reunited in 1990, ahead of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The egg marked “Made in Germany” was most likely produced after the German unification. Also, these eggs lack cut-paper lace that was attached to the interior edge of earlier versions. Prices of the recent versions range from $5 to $15 each.
RESOURCE: A Guide to Easter Collectibles by Juanita Burnett (1992: Collector Books, out of print).
QUESTION:
I can just picture these 8-inch-high honeycombstyle Easter decorations adorning a home decades ago. I’m impressed that the tissue paper has stood the test of time. Can you tell me how old they are and their current value?
ANSWER:
The Beistle Company of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, famous for its Halloween decorations, has long been one of the world’s leading makers of meshed or honeycomb tissue, which forms the Easter eggs on these vintage Easter decorations. Beistle began producing Easter decorations in 1921, and the first was a similar form but with a more traditional, realistic rabbit holding the honeycomb tissue egg. Some of the Beistle honeycomb Easter decorations remained in production, unchanged, for more than 40 years. Attributed to Beistle, this pair featuring cartoon-inspired Easter bunnies dates to the mid-20th century. They are valued at $15 to $25 each.
RESOURCE: Holiday Collectables by Pauline and Dan Campanelli (1997: L-W Books, out of print).
QUESTION:
How cute is this 1947 die-cut bunny greeting card from Hallmark! When did die-cut cards such as this become popular, and what is it worth?
ANSWER:
Die cutting is a manufacturing process used to generate large numbers of the same shape from a material such as wood, plastic, metal, fabric or paper. U.S. greeting card companies have used the process since the early days of the industry in the mid-19th century. J.C. Hall, who founded what would become Hallmark Cards Inc., began producing greeting cards in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1915. Hallmark was printing die-cut Easter cards as early as 1920. Classified as ephemera—something that was not intended to last long— vintage greeting cards have been considered collectible since the 1970s. Easter cards from the mid-20th century sell for less than $10.
RESOURCE: Hallmark Cards Inc., http://corporate.hallmark.com/Company/Company-History.
QUESTION:
I am used to seeing single metal molds as opposed to this bunny mold with five slots. What would a mold such as this have been used for? Does it have much value today?
ANSWER:
Chocolate molds originated in France in the 1820s and have been manufactured throughout the world. For instance, the German company of Anton Reiche, the leading maker of chocolate molds, produced more than 50,000 diverse designs while in operation from 1870 to 1972. A chocolatier in the 1930s would have used this 11-inch-long mold to make solid chocolate bunnies that filled children’s Easter baskets. This “8042” model is attributed to the Eppelsheimer company, which manufactured molds in New York from 1880 to 1947. It is pictured in a 1920s catalog published by T. C. Weygandt Company, a chocolate mold distributor based in New York. The price was $5 per mold. A price guide to chocolate molds values yours at $150.
RESOURCE: The Comprehensive Guide to Chocolate Molds by Wendy Mullen (2005: Schiffer Publishing, 610-593-1777, www.schifferbooks.com).
QUESTION:
I love the pink coloring and bird-themed graphics on this windup egg from Mattel, which is about 6 inches long. It appears to have been made in 1953. What can you tell me about the history and value of this toy?
ANSWER:
Elliot and Ruth Handler, an enterprising young couple, and Harold “Matt” Matson founded Mattel in Los Angeles, California, in 1945. Their first successful toy was the “Uke-A-Doodle” plastic ukulele, introduced in 1947. By the early 1950s, the company was creating various musical toys, notably its “Jack-in-the-Music-Box.” Turning the crank produced a tune generated by a studded rubber belt moving against a metal chime bar. Your tin lithographed musical egg contains a similar mechanism. Many of these toys no longer play music because the rubber belt has deteriorated. Such eggs that still play a tune and are in excellent cosmetic condition can sell for as much as $30. They are usually found with the music mechanism inoperable and priced around $10.
RESOURCE: Mattel Inc., http://corporate.mattel.com/about-us/history/ default.aspx.