Collectors seek souvenir plates from White House

When Abraham Lincoln was president, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, bought a new set of dishes for the White House.

Although there was the threat of a civil war, Mrs. Lincoln realized a state dinner would require more dishes than were in the set bought during President Pierce’s administration.

Many of the set’s white dishes with gold-and-blue trim had been used and broken.

Mrs. Lincoln went to New York City and ordered a set from E.V. Haughwout & Co., the same company that had furnished the Pierce set. The center of the dishes is decorated with an eagle holding a red, white and blue shield and a banner saying “E Pluribus Unum.” The edge is gold-and-white twisted ropes surrounding a border of purplish-red called “Soliferno,” a fashionable new shade at the time.

The same pattern was ordered several times in later years as new dishes were needed. This explains why some of the dishes are unmarked, some are marked “Fabrique par Haviland & Co. pour J.W. Boteler & Bro., Washington” and some are marked “Theo Haviland, Limoges, France, J.W. Boteler & Son, Washington, D. C.”

All of these dishes were used in the White House. But later, some souvenir plates were made with a border in a different shade of purple. These are marked “Administration Abraham Lincoln.”

The souvenir plates sell for about $300 each. The authentic White House plates usually bring $4,000 to $6,000.

At a Cowan Historical Americana Auction in December, a chipped 91‚Ñ2-inch plate sold for $14,100.

Q. I recently purchased a buffet made by the Imperial Furniture Co. of Grand Rapids, Mich. It’s 5 feet wide by 4 feet high by 2 feet deep, and has five drawers with a door on each side. Any information would be great.

A. F. Stuart Foote founded the Imperial Furniture Co. in 1903. Foote was president of Imperial from 1904 to 1954, the year he died. Imperial primarily made tables. In fact, Foote claimed his company invented the “coffee table.” Buffets that matched Imperial’s dining-room tables are believed to have been made by the Grand Rapids Chair Co., a firm owned by Foote’s father.

Q. My “Gone-With-the-Wind” oil lamp is marked “B & H.” It has a metal bottom and a glass shade. When was this type of lamp made?

A. “B & H” is the trademark of the Bradley and Hubbard Co. of Meriden, Conn. It made cast-iron clocks, tables, frames, andirons, lamps, chandeliers, sconces, sewing birds, bookends, banks and other pieces. The company was founded in 1854 and became Bradley and Hubbard Manufacturing Co. in 1875. It was bought by Charles Parker Co. in 1940. “Gone-With-the-Wind” is used to describe lamps like yours because they were used as props in the famous 1939 movie. The correct name is “vase lamp.” If the shade is decorated, the lamp sells for about $500 today. A plain shade lowers the value to $300.

Q. I collect doorknockers. How long have the decorative center-of-the-door knockers been used?

A. Door knockers have been used for more than 2,000 years. The ring knocker was one of the first and was often found on churches. By the 18th century, elaborate knockers were made of iron, bronze or brass. They have been used ever since on front doors, even bedroom doors. There seems no end to the variety of shapes. Faces, animals, bouquets of flowers, pineapples, birds and geometric designs seem to be the most popular.

Q. I am looking for information on Speas Apple Cider Vinegar U-Savit jars.

A. John W. Speas and two partners founded what became the Speas Vinegar Co. in 1888 in Kansas City, Mo. The jars marked “U-Savit” (a company trademark) were made by the Owens-Illinois Glass Co. from 1928 until World War II. Speas Vinegar Co. was sold to Pillsbury in 1978. There’s a whole Web site devoted to information about Speas vinegar jars and bottles. Visit www.SpeasVinegar.com.

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