Value of folk art is defined by collectors
It is sometimes the unique collectible at a show or sale that turns into a “must have” for a collector.
Folk-art collectors often see “one-offs” that are too expensive, too large or too outrageous to fit into a house.
Recently, James Julia auctions had a “late-19th-century American ... unique spool art chair.” It was too big, too unfamiliar, too gawdy and too uncomfortable-looking for most collectors. The frame was made with spool-turned legs, and other parts of the frame looked like real spools.
There was more — the chair featured gilt metal scrolling, cast metal serpents and brass rosettes, and its back was 53 inches high. It sold for $968. Folk-art collecting started in the 20th century, and there are few rules about what is considered “good.” Collectors are writing these rules with their purchases.
Q: What is the value of a ticket with Amelia Earhart’s signature on it? The ticket was for the dedication of the Canastota Municipal Airport in Canastota, New York, on Aug. 28, 1928. We lived a few miles from there and my parents gave me the ticket.
A: Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas, in 1897. She took her first flying lesson in 1921 and bought her first plane later that year.
In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were attempting to fly around the world in 1937 when their plane was lost. The plane is believed to have crashed on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but the wreckage has never been found.
The value of an autograph depends on the importance of the person who signed it, its rarity and what it’s on. Signatures on important documents or letters are worth more than an autograph by itself. The dedication of the airport may add some interest.
The autograph, not a photograph of it, must be seen by an expert to authenticate it. You should contact an auction house or gallery that deals in autographs to see what it is worth.
Current prices
Current prices are recorded from throughout the United States.
■ Sweetmeat jar, white iridescent glass, gold speckles and green drip design, silver-tone lid and handle, Kralik, Art Nouveau, 4 inches, $145
■ Omega wristwatch, 14-karat gold, oval face, brushed gold band, felt case, Swiss, woman’s, late 1900s, $375
■ Coffee table, walnut, surfboard shape, tapered square legs, c. 1950, 16 x 67 inches, $430
■ Vase, glass, green iridescent, flaring rim, Orient & Flume, Dan Shura, 1982, 5 ¼ x
3 ½ inches, $385
■ Candlestick, brass, bulbous stem, dome base, mid-drip pan, Spain, 1600s, 10 inches, pair, $660
■ Weathervane, silhouette of St. Florian, patron saint of firefighters, black metal, stand with arched base, Austria, 1700s, 30 x 15 inches, $1,500
■ Letter box receptacle, U.S. mail, eagle and shield front, brass, Cutler Mfg. Co., 21 x 36 inches, $4,350