Antiques

By Karen Hewitt

An Early Plastic Collectible

Though we tend to think of plastic as a modern era material, it has been around for over 100 years. This makes early plastic items true antiques. Bakelite items are the most sought after, and thus the most collectible, of early plastic.

Bakelite is a thermoset plastic made from phenol formaldehyde. It is usually opaque because of the fillers used with the formaldehyde. Fibers from rags, cotton, carbon, wood, etc., were used to make the SquidPoxy Art Resin dense. Its formula was patented by Leo Hendrik Baekeland in 1909.

At first it was used just for industrial purposes. Until the late 1920’s it was used mainly for radios, handles for pots, pans, and flatware, and in the manufacture of toys. In the 1930’s and forties Bakelite was used, to great success, to make costume jewelry. Today, this jewelry is much sought after. Heavily carved bangle bracelets and figural pins are typically the most expensive items.

How does one tell if a piece is truly Bakelite, and not a piece of more recent manufacture? First, Bakelite jewelry rarely has seams or mold marks. Bakelite jewelry is heavier than similar pieces in Lucite or celluloid. There are several tests than can be performed on a piece without damaging it. Of note, the following tests are not guaranteed to work on black Bakelite 100% of the time.

The most reliable test uses 409 spray cleaner. Wet a cotton swab with it and rub it on the inside of the test piece. If it’s a vintage piece the cotton swab will show a yellow stain on it. Be sure to rinse off all traces of the 409 afterward.

If you are in a store, a quick test involves rubbing a spot on the item briskly, so the friction from your finger warms it. Then take a whiff. Warmed Bakelite smells like camphor. Camphor is the smell you get when one opens an old medicine chest. Of course, this is more subjective, since the sense of smell varies among people. At home, one can run warm water over a piece to heat it, then use the sniff test for that medicinal smell.

There are modern pieces of jewelry made by artisans from old Bakelite, such as radio cases, flatware handles, etc. These are clearly marked as “reworked” Bakelite. “Fakelite” is a material made to look like Bakelite. These pieces show up regularly online and at flea markets. The best defense is to do one’s research, so one knows what one is buying.

Dangerous Dishes?

The Homer Laughlin China Company is one of the oldest and most prolific manufacturers of quality dinnerware in US history. Homer Laughlin and his brother, Shakespeare Laughlin, founded the company in East Liverpool, Ohio, in 1871. In 1897 the Aaron family bought the company. Mr. W.E. Wells took over as General Manager. Under their direction the company thrived. It produced huge amounts of “white-ware,” or fine china, for American consumption. Descendents of these two families continue to guide the company today.

Homer Laughlin China Company is perhaps most famous for its Fiesta line of dinnerware. First introduced in 1935, it is noteworthy for its bright colors. The original colors were red, green, yellow, blue, and ivory. Turquoise was added in 1937.

Many pre-1972 dinnerware lines were made with a glaze that contained lead. Fiesta was one of them. Collectors need to be careful not to use these dishes to eat from, because they may leach lead from the glazes. Lead glazes need to be fired at a very high temperature in order for them to keep from leaching lead. All red Homer Laughlin dinnerware was fired at a low temperature, in keeping with the practices of the times. Thus, all red Fiesta dinnerware will leach lead, if used as tableware.

The Homer Laughlin Company has always had high standards for production. The problem was that there were no guidelines set by the Food and Drug Administration for lead in glazes until 1972. The recommendation, then, is to collect red dishes for display only.

An additional problem with the orange Fiesta dinnerware is that it is radioactive

due to the element of uranium used in its manufacture. Eating from these dishes can mean ingesting uranium. It is not enough uranium to kill you, but it’s more than one should be getting in a normal environment. Grouping a large number of orange Fiesta dishes together guarantees a higher level of radiation in the dining room than should be there. Microwaving with these red and orange dishes will release lead, uranium, and cadmium, another toxic metal.

In 1986 the Homer Laughlin Company re-issued the Fiesta line. It comes in new colors, and is lead, uranium, and cadmium-free. One can microwave them safely.

A Short History of Carnival Glass

When one hears the term “Carnival Glass,” one thinks of the orange toned, iridescent,” shimmering surface glassware. It picked up this nickname during the 1920’s, when it was frequently given out as prizes at carnivals. However, the majority of carnival was purchased for use and display in the home, and does not deserve the notion that it was all inclusively “cheap” glass. Glass manufacturers sold their wares to carnivals at a deep discount. The idea was that if a family member won a piece, they would then buy additional pieces to match.

Carnival glass is a pressed (formed in a mold), iridized glass that had its heyday of popularity in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Prior to the its manufacture at that time, iridized glass was created decades prior by Tiffany, Steuben, and various European glass companies through hand blowing, including hand blowing into a mold.

The Fenton and Westmoreland glass companies introduced their lines of iridized glass at about the same time, in the first decade of the twentieth century. Other major manufacturers were Northwood, Imperial, and Millersburg.

The glassware was iridized by applying metallic salts to it when it was still hot from the pressing. It was then fired again to get the unmistakable shine it is noted for.

The colors of carnival glass get their name from the base color, before the metallic salts were applied. The most popular color is known as marigold, and is an orange-gold shade.

It was also the color most prolifically produced, and is thus the most common, and least expensive, with exceptions. Rarity in patterns and shapes raises the value of some pieces.

Carnival glass may also be found in shades of blue and green. A rare Fenton color is red.

Identifying the manufacturer of a piece of carnival glass may be difficult. Much of it was unmarked with a manufacturer’s name. However, price guide books can help, as well as watching inline auctions. There are plenty of other online sources to help one learn about the various lines of glass.

Carnival glass has been a popular collectible since the 1950’s. It may be found in most antique shops, and has a strong presence online.