iPenfimenfal c fJafue (taunts , c /t'e//ef*
Although many people tend to collect what others want, Harold and Helen Keller,
Mount Joy, said that as they grow older, pieces that attract them are those that hold
nostalgia, such as Helen’s great grandmother’s coin purse made with a metal chain, a
coal oil light from the church she attended as a child, a Little Jack Horner baby dish,
and Minnie Mouse aluminum cookie cutters from her home.
Keller also collects sale
bills, such as this one
dated 1887 (right). When
translated from Pennsylva
nia Dutch, it reads “Look
here. It you come early
Pickard china was made
in Edgerton, Wis. Estab- enough, we can start early,
lished in 1893, Pickard then Perhaps we can send
specialized in hand-painted t* lo stock home the same
art pieces. day....”
If only this chest could tell of its travels. It crossed the
Atlantic Ocean on a sailing vessel in the 1700 s. In Sep
tember 1865, as the Rebel Army marched north during
the Civil War, the chest was filled with valuables such as
cloth, coffee, money, sugar, flour, and legal documents,
and buried beneath a wood shed in Center Square. The
handwrought nails, bindings, and lock have never rusted
evidence of fine workmanship, according to Harold
Keller.
Lancaster FjM^mg
These spoons were used to extract the cream from
cream-top milk bottles.
Roseville china from Ohio, strawberry creamers by
Royal Bayruth-Bavaria, a chintz-patterned creamer, Pick
ard etched china, and an Italian vase are among some of
the different items the Kellers have attained.
LOU ANN GOOD
Food And Family
Features Editor
MOUNT JOY (Lancaster Co.)
Those who spend time with
Auctioneer Harold Keller and his
wife Helen are more likely to
hear about the couple’s eight
children, spouses, and 17 grand
children than the antiques they
have collected over the years.
But after 42 years as an auc
tioneer, Keller knows quite a bit
about the antiques that people
collect and the importance of
documentation. For this reason,
the Kellers try to compile a bit of
“life” history on the pieces they
collect.
One of their most cherished
pieces is a large chest purchased
from a retired school teacher.
Keller requested that the teacher
write the history of the family
heirloom to document the piece.
The strong wooden chest with
metal bindings and hand
wrought lock was filled with ne
cessities to help the owners estab
lish life in a new land.
The chest crossed the Atlantic
Ocean on a sailing vessel. In Sep
tember 1865, the chest was again
filled with useful and precious ar
ticles such as cloth, coffee,
money, sugar, flour, legal docu
ments, and other items.
During the Civil War, the
Rebel Army marched northward,
and its owners feared the Mount
Joy and Marietta area would be
destroyed. The chest was buried
beneath a woodshed at the north
east comer of Center Square.
Several cords of wood were
stacked on top of the earth to
conceal the stash.
Although the bridge at Colum
bia was burned by the Rebels, the
Reddy Kilowatt, corpo
rate symbol of electrical
power, was a promotional
giveaway in the early
19305. Sometime during
the 19505-19605, electrical
companies stopped using
him, but his collectability
continues to increase.
army advanced no farther. The
chest, property of Joseph and
Anna Mary Shaeffer Strauss, was
given a place of honor in their
home until their death.
The most satisfying experience
in his 42 years as an auctioneer,
Keller said, “is discovering good
ies that the owners didn’t know
they had and getting a fair price
for them.”
A discerning eye is needed to
differentiate between “the real
thing” and the reproductions that
come up for bid.
Handling the “real thing”
helps Keller spot a reproduction
that doesn’t quite have the same
feel or look. He holds up a hand
painted plate and pointed out
that it is translucent, evidenced
by the slight shadow when a
hand held in back of the plate is
discernible.
“It’s a Pickard,” Keller said
Pickard China was established
in Edgerton, Wis. in 1893 by
Wilder Austin Pickard. The com
pany moved to Chicago in 1897.
The decorating company special
ized in hand-painted pieces by re
nowned artists from Europe and
America. Dessert, tea sets, and
occasional pieces are highly col
lectible especially if signed by an
artist.
Keller grew up in Lebanon
County and lived in Lancaster
County most of his life. For this
reason, he has a fondness tor col
lecting items from both counties.
These indued a half-pint milk
bottle from Spicklers Dairy, Eliz
abethtown, and a spoon used for
pouring off cream in a cream-top
bottle.
Keller said that he was in
spired to become an auctioneer
when he was nine years old and
attended a Lebanon County sale.
The auctioneer-pilot flew into the
site and purchased lunch for the
young boys who hovered around
his plane.
“But I wa» very shy and ner
vous. A lot of calamities hap
pened in my family, and I was
too scared to tell anyone that I
wanted to become an auctioned
until after I was married and we
had three childien," Kellci said.
His wife encouraged him to at
tend auctioneer school. She
served as clerk and headed the
food stand until recently when
her daughters took ovei.