824-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 22, 2003
O THE ANTIQUE
DETECTIVE
Anne Gilbert
Sevres Porcelain,
Its Look-A-Likes
How many times have you or a
friend said, “I saw a vase just like
mine on Antiques Road Show
and it was worth thousands of
dollars?”
This probably happens with
porcelain items more than any
other category. My reader mail
often has letters from people who
Sevres vase made in Vincennes, 1755. Signed and
marked by Charles Nicolas Dodin. Photo credit: Louvre
Museum, France.
COMING IN LIKE A LION!
A PAIR OF TAIL TWISTERS
10 A.M. SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2003
RIDGE FIRE COMPANY
ALONG RT. 23, BETWEEN
PHOENIXVILLE, PA & RT. 100
EXHIBITION: 7-9 FRIDAY EVENING
AND 8-10 AUCTION DAY
The Pavilion will be forced to display 640 lots of trains that should
be good enough to pry you out of the sofa cushions and propel you
into our auction rooms. Expect excellent post war Lionel, 50 lots of
fine flyer “S” gauge, super selection of standard gauge locos and
cars, prime pre-war Lionel “O” gauge.
The Blue Room will hold table after table of high-quality
hardbound books, framed RR art & advertising, station signs, RR
china, lights, lamps & lanterns. Badges, uniform buttons, photos &
slides, calendars, Conrail uniforms, stock certificates, memorabilia
& souvenirs.
have just discovered a piece that
looks like valuable French Sevres
porcelain...even the marks are
similar. Unfortunately “similar”
doesn’t mean “is.”
With prices for an 18th cen
tury plate sometimes worth more
than $lO,OOO it pays to do some
research.
CLUES: Since the factory
opened, originally in Vincinnes,
No buyer’s premium in the Blue Room.
TED MAURER (AU-000593-L)
Successful Auction Management
1003 BROOKWOOD DRIVE
POTTSTOWN, PA 19464
PHONES: 610-323-1573 OR 610-367-5024
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS AT 610-495-5504
, Visit our website at wwwjnaureraihcom... „ .
France in 1738, the porcelain has
been seriously collected. It has
also been copied by other French
factories as well as by other coun
tries. Would-be collectors not
only have to study Sevres marks
but learn to distinguish between a
hand-painted motif and a 19th
and 20th-century transfer print.
The marks also include a code
system that identifies when they
were made and who the painters
and gilders were.
If it is authentic and made at
the factory, it doesn’t matter
whether it dates 18th, 19th or
even 20th century. Prices are still
high for the finest examples. The
problem is that in America sev
res-style vases were made into
lamps in the early part of the
20th century.
They still are. It is these
pieces, with their bases
mounted, hiding any
marks, that lead many as
tray.
During its long, distin
guished history, Sevres
porcelain has come to be
known not only for the
quality of the porcelain but
also the color of the deco
ration. Once you have seen
an 18th century piece with
the distinctive ground col
ors such as the brilliant
pink, known as “Rose
Pompadour” and “blue ce
leste” (turquoise) you can
see why.
One of the Sevres tech
niques was to use several
shades of one color on a
single piece.
A clue to fakery would
be a lid with a Sevres
mark. They weren’t
marked. Many Sevres-type
pieces were made by Emile
Samson, beginning in 1871.
He covered his own factory
mark with an overglazed
interlaced L mark thqt
gave a raised look to it. If a
piece of Sevres has two
marks, that means that it
was refired. Prices on such
items have a fraction of the
value.
Historically, King Louis XV
kept the Sevres factory in Vin
cennes busy creating pieces for
his mistress, Madame de Pompa
dour. It moved to Sevres in 1756.
During that time a variety of
table services and decorative ob
jects were made not only for roy
ally but private individuals, in
cluding clocks.
Hand painited scenes, flowers
and birds decorate the white
areas(reserves). But, it is the flo
ral painting that was their speci
ality. Another characteristic of
Sevres was the use of much gil
ding; often quite heavy. During
the reign of Louis XVI another
technique was developed in the
1780 s. Known as “jewelled,”
small drops of enamels were dot
ted over the gilding, or bits of
RESCHEDULED
(From President’s Day)
PUBLIC AUCTION
ANTIQUES, TOYS
FURNITURE
MON. FEB. 24, 2003, 2:00 P.M.
Blizzard date Sat. March 1,9 AM
Located at Shaffner Auction Gallery, 977 West Main Street, (Route
#230) Mount Joy, PA 3 Miles from either Rheems or Manheim/Mount
Joy exits of Route #283 midway between Lancaster & Harrisburg PA
Excelsior Mason mechanical bank, #l4 cast iron Drummerboy bell toy
w/ongmal wooden box, Kenton cast iron log wagon w/Black rider, Hubley
cast iron Santa & sleigh w/2 reindeer. Snow White composition doll,
Schoenhut piano & xylophone, I cent “Brownie Pool” table top arcade
game, Gibbs horse drawn cart, Marx vehicles. Lone Ranger guitar, tin litho
windmill, Doepke pumper, Structo vehicles, Hubley dog base lamp, Hubley
Wimpie paperweight, Roy Rogers lantern, Fisher Price toys, lunch boxes,
Mrs. Beasley doll, building blocks. Buck Jones BB gun, Lionel #203 loco
motive w/whisthng tender, other toys & games. Imperial phonograph
w/mommg glory horn, ornate oak gingerbread clock, Bitters bottles,
GOOD’S DAIRY ROHRERSTOWN embossed milk bottle, other bot
tles, sm wallpaper box, Cinco cigar tin, unusual wooden apple peeler, Harry
Book oil on canvas, wicker child’s rocker, cast iron footstool, quilts,
German books, Bibles, Parrish print, Victorian prints, miniature Steiff-type
bear, early tin fat lamp, oil lamps, early sled, cuckoo clock, unusual veg
sheer. Keen Kutter food chopper, signed post hole axe, old radios, costume
jewelry, 45+ pieces pink & green depression glass, Fire-King nesting bowls.
German nesting bowls, Fiesta disk pitcher, Majolica creamer. Royal Vienna
portrait bowl, Zippo lighters, old photos, ironstone tea set, Ig. ironstone plat
ter, Vaseline tumbler, carnival, pattern glass, crystal stemware, Lenox,
German & Bavarian china, ruby souvenir glass, Stormy Weather Hummel
figunne, Jadite bowls, Ttitanic books, metal Indian lamp. Cherry Boy &
Girl figurines, Ig. plaster figurine “Le Vin”, early stuffed Scottie, Aunt
Jemima pencil & paper holder, string holder, carnival chalk figures. Blue
Willow, dec ironstone plates, opera glasses, PRR oil can, cast iron items,
linens, MORE!! FURNITURE (7-PM): Walnut Victorian hall rack w/mar
ble insert & double umbrella holder, unusual Victrola VVB-30, grained blan
ket chest, spinning wheel, marble top table, Victorian medallion back love
seat, oak ext table w/5 boards, oak library table, spinet desk, Ig gilt mirror,
cedar chests, 3 pc twig set, bamboo/oak shelf, child’s roll top desk, platform
rocker, wicker fernery, iron bed & crib, saw buck table, depression china &
buffet, high chest w/mirror, oak stands, walnut Eastlake mirror, 4 spindle
back chairs, oak treadle sewing machine, other chairs, stands, etc Call 717-
492-0004 or WWW.SHAFFNERAUCTIQN.COM
PUBLIC AUCTION
HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
COLLECTIBLES, FURNITURE
SAT. MARCH. 1, 2003, 9:00 A.M.
Blizzard Date Mon. March 3, 2 PM
Located at Shaffner Auction Gallery, 977 West Main Street, (Route
#230) Mount Joy, PA, 3 Miles from either Rheems or Manheim/Mount
Joy exits of Route #283 midway between Lancaster & Harrisburg PA
Starting at 9 AM with 50+ table lots to include: glassware, china, kitchen &
housewares, linens, prints & frames, tools, etc MAIN SALES ROOM:
Packard Bell desk top computer w/prmter, scanner, & software, Sharp copi
er, power & hand tools, collection of Cherished Teddies, 50+ pieces Ricker
pewter. Fire-king, cookie jars, floor & table lamps. Large amount Fisher
Price, Barbie, board games, & other toys & games (LIKE NEW), glassware,
sets of china, variety of small antiques & collectibles, collector plates, cos
tume jewelry, figurines, die cast cars & trucks, decorator items, paintings,
prints & frames, linens, vacuums, MORE!! FURNITURE (3PM): 9 pc cus
tom made whitewash dining room set w/inlaid ceramic tile table, PA House
lighted curio, 4 pc PA House bedroom set, 5 pc bedroom set, sofas, Ig oak
platform rocker, wrought iron patio set, single & queen box spring & mat
tresses, bookcases, knee hole desks, color TV’s, VCR’s, kitchen & dinette
sets, clean upholstered furniture, small safe, sm tables, lift-top chest, trunk,
unfinished furniture, piano & bench, chifferobe, desk chairs, 4 drawer file,
MORE!!
Preview 7:00 AM, 10% Buyers Premium, Visa/MC. GOOD FOOD
Can we work for you? At our location or yours?
Receiving hours at the Gallery are
Wed 2PM - 7 PM & Sat 9AM - Noon or call for a free confidential
appointment to discuss how to get the most for your collection.
UPCOMING - See WWW.SHAFFNERAUCTIQN.COM for auction
calendar & details.
Shaffner Auction Co. 717-492-0004
Mark Diffenderfer AU-2897-L
Marty Fleck 717-413-6238
“We Treat Your Property As If It Were Our Own”
www.shaffnerauction.com
glass simulating precious stones
were embedded in the painting.
These are among the costliest
and rarest pieces of Sevres.
A late 19th century Sevres
style vase with a pseudo Sevres
mark could still fetch $2,000 or
more at auction. A Sevres-style
vase made by another porcelain
factory could sell at auction for
$1,500.
In the late 19th century when
cabinet plates, made for display,
were popular, many were made
and hand painted. They can cost
$5OO or more at auction.
If you like the look but can’t
afford the real thing, there are
plenty of 19th century look-a
likes waiting to be discovered at
estate sales. Don’t pay too much.