Easter Bunny collectibles in demand

Easter is a time for church services and prayers, but it is also a time for special activities for adults and for games and toys for children.

Many countries decorate eggs, but the Easter Bunny hiding eggs is a North American tradition. It is an idea that came from early Dutch settlers.

In England children decorate eggs, but they don’t hunt for them. Instead they exchange chocolate eggs. In the Netherlands, people celebrate by lighting fires at sunset on Easter Day. In some Scandinavian countries, children paint eggs. They also go door to door dressed as witches and decorate pussy-willow bushes or branches with feathers or small objects to bless the house. In exchange, they are given candy. But the strangest modern way to celebrate Easter belongs to Norway. It is a day to solve murder mysteries.

Television shows feature detective stories, magazines print mystery stories to be solved and new mystery books are put on sale. Collectors of Easter memorabilia in the United States want only the familiar Easter Bunny and eggs.

There are special candy containers, toys, stories, printed fabrics, Easter baskets, chocolate and ice-cream molds and other collectibles.

Collecting Easter items is a growing hobby. Most expensive are the candy containers and toys.

Q. I found a stoneware bottle at the old house where I grew up. The only words on it are “Knickerbocker Root Beer.” The bottle is light gray and about 91‚Ñ2 inches tall.

A. If your bottle is 12-sided, it’s probably an early root-beer bottle made in Ohio or New York. Durfee’s Knickerbocker root beer was an early brand, bottled in Rochester, N.Y., from about 1847 to 1852. Today the bottle is valued at about $125.

Q. I just got a very old silver wax holder. It is a very small box. What was it used for? There is still wax inside.

A. You have a sewing tool. Beeswax was used to strengthen thread and to keep it from knotting. Waxing the thread makes it easier to thread a needle. Wax is still used by some tailors. You can buy a modern wax holder today at a fabric or craft store. Be sure to keep the beeswax clean if you use it.

Q. My latest find in bookends is a pair that looks like a woodcarving of Scotties. It has a “Syrocowood” label. Do you know what it’s made of?

A. Syroco, spelled Syrocco by some collectors, is made of wood “flour” — waxes and resins that were molded to form many different types of decorative objects. Adolph Hostein, owner of the Syracuse Ornamental Co., created it in the 1890s. He was a woodcarver and sold his work, but needed a way to make more pieces. So he carved a figure from a block of wood, cast a mold, then made replicas. Finished pieces such as your bookends look like handmade wood carvings. The company name was changed to Syroco Inc. in the 1930s. Syrocowood was used to make radio-case parts, furniture trim, moldings in houses and many small gift wares, such as corkscrews, pen sets, picture frames, trays, coasters, humidors, napkin rings, pipe racks and more. Because they were well-designed and inexpensive, they were popular even in the 1930s Depression years. Other products were made as new plastics and new designs were developed. The company closed in June 2007.

Q. I just started following auctions and would like you to tell me why so many catalogs describe a small round-top table as a “gueridon.”

A. You will see that word in catalogs published by some of the upscale auctions. It is a French word for a small, round, ornate table with either a carved figural support or curved columns, and sometimes both. This style of table was introduced in France in the second half of the 17th century and was originally designed to hold a candelabrum. The word is derived from the name of a fictional character in popular songs and farces of the time.

XThe Kovels answer as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for 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, 300 W. 57th St., 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Visit www.Kovels.com for more information.

2008 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.