By Terry Kovel

Sewing was as important as cooking in centuries past.

The most valuable things in an 18th-century American home were linens, bedcovers and drapes.

The wealthy could import fabrics from Europe.

The average family made their own fabric. They raised sheep or plants, sheared the sheep or harvested the plants, and went through many steps to make thread, color it and weave it into cloth. Then the cloth had to be cut and sewn into clothing or household items.


Most sewing stands looked like small tables and stood about 28 inches high, the height of a desk. There was a drawer to hold sewing tools, needles, thread, scissors and measuring tape. Many were made with a large fabric bag hanging below the drawer, accessible when the top of the table was lifted. It is a form not seen in the average 20th-century home, so when the bag is missing from a table, collectors may not realize they're looking at a sewing table with a missing part.

An October 2013 Skinner auction offered an early 19th-century sewing table missing its original bag. The maple and mahogany worktable with an attractive patterned top sold for $3,900.


A: The mother-of-pearl glaze on your set was popular in the 1920s. Sets like yours sell for about $200 to $400. The pottery where your set was made was founded in 1882 as Brothers Urbach in Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia, Austria (now Trnovany, Czech Republic). In 1919 it merged with Ditmar and became Ditmar-Urbach. It was taken over by the Nazis in 1938 and became Ostmark-Ceramics AG

Q: My mother bought a beautiful American Character doll for my 9th birthday in 1932. The doll's eyes open and close and her mouth is open in a smile that shows her teeth. She can't say “Mama” anymore, but other than that she is in fine shape. Can you tell me her present value?

A: The American Character Doll Co. was founded in New York City in 1919. The company made baby dolls, toddler dolls, mama dolls and other dolls in several sizes. The dolls were made of composition, rubber or hard plastic. American Character dolls were high-end dolls with well-made clothes. Although they sold for only a few dollars in the 1920s and '30s, they were expensive at the time. The company's best years were in the 1950s and early '60s when its Betsy McCall and Tiny Tears dolls were so popular. American Character Doll Co. went out of business in 1968 and its molds were sold to Ideal. It's impossible to suggest a value for your doll without knowing exactly which American Character doll you have. But the loss of its voice lowers the value. American Character dolls sell for prices from under $100 to a high of a few hundred dollars.


A: Most telephone insulators, the glass pieces at the top of telephone poles that hold the wires, have rounded tops. A few varieties have protruding pieces that make the insulator look like a silhouette of Mickey Mouse's head. The protruding pieces look like large ears. Because the name and shape are unusual, these insulators are popular with collectors.





Tip: Put ceramic saucers or glass or plastic plant holders under vases of flowers or potted plants to protect your furniture. You can buy inexpensive throwaway plastic dishes that have a rim and are exactly the right size and shape for a planter.




Clifton Pottery teapot, Indian Ware, low lines, 2 7/8 x 8 1/2 inches, $25.

Spool holder, tiger maple, carved, cutouts, cast iron, 7 1/2 x 9 inches, $120.

Sterling-silver dish, Windsor pattern, lobed body, Reed & Barton, c. 1940, 8 1/2 inches, $215.

Whirligig, wooden, painted, man, green jacket, metal rod, c. 1905, 18 inches, $250.

Toy Heinz truck, pressed steel, white paint, Metal Craft, 12 inches, $300.

Peachblow rose bowl, trifold, Mt. Washington Art Glass Society sticker, 3 1/2 inches, $375.

Tin shield, stars, stripes, red, white & blue paint, scalloped top, 17 1/2 x 14 inches, $600.

Synagogue wall hanging, Ten Commandments in Hebrew & English, silk embroidery, c. 1920, 24 x 34 inches, $625.

Corner cupboard, walnut, glass door, 2 panel doors, Pennsylvania, c. 1800, 82 x 41 inches, $650.

Store sign, top hat, sheet tin, red paint, silvered buckle and band, c. 1820, 12 x 19 inches, $1,185.

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