For those of you who don't know what a US dime looks like, take it from me that it is a nice enough, ordinary silver coin. If you were to put an 1873 dime into a pile of coins, nothing about it would shout out "I am special". Despite this, an 1873 dime sold at auction this week for $1.84 million. Apparently this result was not just two crazy bidders going at it. There was a lot of interest at over the $1 million mark.
At the same time, many of the rarest pottery figures are also the cheapest. We collectors just don't value rarity. So very many of the sweetest figures in my next book are also the rarest--yet they fall into the very lowest price bracket. Why? You need demand to push up price, and if collectors aren't demanding these little rarities, their prices will lag. What does this say about us? Are we only buying the Big and Beautiful? I have seen lots of costly collections of Big and Beautiful items--and they can be boring. Usually, I have seen it all before. On the other hand, modest collections accumulated on a limited budget are frequently a lot more interesting. Typically, the figures are battered little gems bought at modest prices. That's not to say you can't find a costly little gem--my blog posting of two weeks ago (Teeny Treasures) showed just that. But if you want an interesting collection, and if you want to experience the thrill of true collecting, learn what is rare.
Two unusual figures came on the market this week. Martyn Edgell added this bird spill vase to his stock. I have seen several vases of this sort over the years. It is far from common, but it also is not super-rare. But Martyn's vase has a quirky variation that is almost too good to be true.
At the same time, many of the rarest pottery figures are also the cheapest. We collectors just don't value rarity. So very many of the sweetest figures in my next book are also the rarest--yet they fall into the very lowest price bracket. Why? You need demand to push up price, and if collectors aren't demanding these little rarities, their prices will lag. What does this say about us? Are we only buying the Big and Beautiful? I have seen lots of costly collections of Big and Beautiful items--and they can be boring. Usually, I have seen it all before. On the other hand, modest collections accumulated on a limited budget are frequently a lot more interesting. Typically, the figures are battered little gems bought at modest prices. That's not to say you can't find a costly little gem--my blog posting of two weeks ago (Teeny Treasures) showed just that. But if you want an interesting collection, and if you want to experience the thrill of true collecting, learn what is rare.
Two unusual figures came on the market this week. Martyn Edgell added this bird spill vase to his stock. I have seen several vases of this sort over the years. It is far from common, but it also is not super-rare. But Martyn's vase has a quirky variation that is almost too good to be true.
Look again at the teeny sheep standing on the left.
A little ball of clay, painted red, has been added to its back. In my long-gone cookie-baking days, I was often left with a tiny ball of cookie dough, which I popped into my mouth. After he had assembled this vase, the potter was left with a small ball of clay. What to do with it? Why waste it if he could pop it onto the sheep's back? And that's just what happened. This peculiar feature is a connection with the past--and it makes this vase particularly endearing.
Have you noticed this fascinating figure recently added to Madelena's stock?
Have you noticed this fascinating figure recently added to Madelena's stock?
This figure of a monk was made by Enoch Wood. We know this because a matching figure, unpainted, was among the Enoch Wood figures excavated from the Burslem Old Town Hall site . Madelena's figure is especially attractive. Note the gorgeous gilding still on the clothing. The hole atop the book exists to accommodate a metal cross, and the hole atop the monk's head probably once held a metal halo. The excavated figure is impressed "24" beneath, and impressed numbers (usually in a fairly low range) are sometimes found on Enoch Wood figures. Interesting is it not?
Two figures of monks were among the excavated Enoch Wood figures. Both are impressed "24", but they are not the same size. Madelena's figure at 7.9" tall is the smaller. The taller figure alongside measures 10.2" and is in the stock of Elinor Penna.
Both figures of monks above can confidently be attributed to Enoch Wood because, as I said, both match excavated Enoch Wood figures. But the issue doesn't end there. What about the small figure below?
This figure measures only 4.8". Admittedly, it stands on a lower base than the first monk, but there are some other important differences. The head seems to be from a different mold, and the clothing under his right arm is different. The figure may or may not be of the same scale as Madelena's gilded beauty. And it may or may not have been made by Enoch Wood. I would bet yes, but there is no way of knowing for certain.
Enoch Wood produced a range of religious figures that would have been particularly appealing to Roman Catholics. Because some of the figures are titled in a continental tongue, the figures are all thought to have been made for Catholics on the continent (remember that Catholicism was barely tolerated in England in the 1820s). Our three monks are very much in the style of other figures with a Catholic flavor.
Add to your collection, please. And if you don't find something that presses your button this week, open a book and add to your mental collection. Target something rare you wished you could own, and if you think about it enough, it invariably comes your way.
Enoch Wood produced a range of religious figures that would have been particularly appealing to Roman Catholics. Because some of the figures are titled in a continental tongue, the figures are all thought to have been made for Catholics on the continent (remember that Catholicism was barely tolerated in England in the 1820s). Our three monks are very much in the style of other figures with a Catholic flavor.
Add to your collection, please. And if you don't find something that presses your button this week, open a book and add to your mental collection. Target something rare you wished you could own, and if you think about it enough, it invariably comes your way.
