THE KOVELS | Antiques and collecting 'Married' antiques have added usefulness, which adds to value

"Married" antiques are those that have two parts. One example might be a chest of drawers with a bookshelf top that looks like one piece but started out as two separate units. Or the top of a soup tureen might break, and a new top that is similar might be found to fit. The result is a "marriage."
A married antique is not as valuable as one that is all original and looks as the maker intended. But sometimes a marriage enhances the usefulness of a piece, which adds to its value.
In the mid-18th century, English butlers used large trays, often with pierced galleries that helped keep dishes from sliding off. The trays were rectangular or oval and sometimes had handles. A folding stand, about 20 inches high, was in the tea or dining room so the heavy tray could be put down. Food was served from what was now a low table.
By 1810, it was not uncommon to see a stand with a silver, porcelain or wooden tray on top placed near the guests at tea. It held the diner's cup and plate, and perhaps a small plate of cookies.
Large Staffordshire or Chinese Export porcelain trays or antique tole trays are often married to new stands to make them more useful. The tradition has continued, and reproductions are still being made.
Q. I recently bought a two-piece wooden highchair for $15 at a tag sale. The chair can be detached from its stand, which can then be used as a child's desk with the chair. What interests me most is the typewritten paper label glued to the underside of the stand. It reads "Thomas A. Edison, Factory Made, New Jersey, 1905." Did the great inventor make baby furniture?
A. Yes. Thomas Edison's prodigious mind led him to invent all sorts of things. One of his less-publicized creative activities was designing children's furniture. The furniture was distributed by the Edison Little Folks Furniture Co. Some pieces are on display at the Edison-Ford Winter Estates museum in Fort Myers, Fla.
Q. I have an old cup and saucer. There is an odd porcelain ledge across the inside of the cup. I was told that it was a drinking cup for a man with a mustache. When was this style of cup used?
A. The mustache cup was invented about 1830. Men were very concerned about the appearance of their mustaches. They waxed, dyed, combed and curled them. The mustache guard, or ledge, held the mustache above hot liquid so the wax would not melt. The cups went out of style about 1900. Today a mustache cup by a known maker or one with an elaborate design sells for $125 to $800.
Q. My father bought me a building set in the 1920s that I still have. The box reads "Brik-tor, The Little Brother of Erector." Can you tell me anything about the toy?
A. Alfred Carlton Gilbert (1884-1961), a graduate of Yale Medical School and a 1908 Olympic gold medalist in pole vaulting, founded the Mysto Manufacturing Co. in 1909. At first, Mysto made magic sets, but it soon expanded into the production of construction, scientific and educational toys. The firm's name was changed to A.C. Gilbert Co., and its best-known product, introduced at the 1913 Toy Fair in New York City, was the Erector Set. The Brik-tor set was introduced in 1916 as a construction set for younger children. The construction material was a set of sheet-metal "bricks." The toy did not sell well and was taken off the market in 1922.
Q. For years, my family has had a painting of a young blond girl and her black nanny putting strawberries on a dessert. I was told it was an advertisement sent for by my grandmother. My grandfather framed it and pasted a picture of a filled teacup over whatever was advertised. The lower right corner is signed "Harry Roseland 1901." What can you tell me about the picture?
A. Your canvaslike paper print was an advertising premium distributed by Knox Gelatine Co. about 1901. The company was founded by Charles Knox in Johnstown, N.Y., in 1890. Knox became noted for creative advertising techniques, including the use of premiums people could request by mailing in box tops. Harry Roseland (1868-1950) was a well-known commercial artist. If your ad were in excellent condition, with no teacup pasted over the box of Knox gelatin in the picture, it could sell for more than $1,000. Perhaps the teacup can be carefully removed to show the box.
Q. I have a comic figure with a tasseled hat, shorts, a jacket and a small nose. I'm told its name is Noddy, who was a comic character. Can you tell me about him?
A. Noddy is a character from a series of English books from 1949 and after. They were illustrated by Enid Blyton. Noddy had his adventures in Toyland. Hundreds of toys, dolls and games, as well as watches, bedspreads, tiles, buttons, badges, records, books, egg cups and dishes were made.
Tip
Pet doors should be less than 6 inches across to keep out small children, who might then open a regular door for a burglar.
XThe Kovels answer as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for its use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names and addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, The Vindicator, King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.
& copy; 2002 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.