Familiarity equals popularity in doll world

Children have played with dolls for thousands of years. The most popular, from a child's point of view, is the most familiar -- a doll representing a baby, a teenager, a cartoon character, an activity or a mother or father.

If Dad is a golfer, what better present than a golfer doll? One of the earliest was a cloth doll dressed in plaid knickers, sweater and cap. The doll, made in the early 1900s, was labeled "Babyland Rag Golfer," so we are sure it really represented the look of a golfer in those days.

The 14-inch Horsman doll has a printed face, blond hair and mittlike hands. Edward Imeson Horsman started his doll company in New York City in 1865. Horsman's Babyland cloth dolls were made from 1895 to 1912. Faces were painted on at first, but in 1907 Horsman started printing the faces on the fabric.

The dolls originally sold for 24 cents to $2. Today the golfer is worth $550.

Q: I have a 42-inch round oak table with the original label still intact. It reads, "No. 1545-6, M.W. Savage Facts., Inc., Minneapolis, Minn." Age?

A: M.W. Savage Factories was one of the first mail-order furniture houses. The Minneapolis firm was incorporated in 1912 by Eric B. Savage. There were few furniture stores, so Savage decided to offer his furniture to distant customers who mailed back orders. By 1923 it had hundreds of thousands of customers and several hundred employees.

Like Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward, its two competitors, M.W. Savage supplied not only furniture, but also machinery and all kinds of merchandise to farmers and homeowners by mail.

Q: My friend has a large planter decorated with mermaids. It was made by the American Terra Cotta Co. I'd like any information you have on the company.

A: The American Terra Cotta and Ceramic Co. was founded in Terra Cotta, Ill., by William D. Gates in 1887. It was sometimes called Gates Potteries. In addition to architectural terra-cotta bricks, drain tile and plain terra-cotta vases, the company made art pottery, including the Teco line introduced in 1902.

The company was sold in 1930 and renamed American Terra-Cotta Co. It produced architectural terra-cotta, ceramic wares and some ornamental pottery until it closed in 1966.

Q: My large collection of depression glass includes some hard-to-find ashtrays. One of my rarest pieces is a Hazel Atlas black glass ashtray with gold-highlighted clover leafs on the rim. Were these made in other colors? Also, did they make other items in this pattern?

A: Hazel Atlas Glass Co. was in business from 1902 to 1964 and had factories in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. The Cloverleaf-pattern dishes were made during the Depression, from 1930 to 1936. The dishes, all with rims or bands of three-leaf clovers, were made in pink, green, yellow, clear or black glass.

But the ashtrays, which came in diameters of 4 or 5 3/4 inches, were made only in black. Some black dishes, like your ashtray, were highlighted with gold clovers. The smaller ashtray sells today for about $65 and the larger for $85.

Q: I have two polished pewter goblets that were given to me in the 1980s. They have a rectangular mark showing a man hammering and the words: "Porter Blanchard, Hand Made, Colonial Pewter." What can you tell me about my goblets?

A: Porter Blanchard (1886-1973) was a Massachusetts silversmith who moved to Burbank, Calif., in 1923. He opened a studio that employed eight men by 1925.

Blanchard was part of the Arts and Crafts movement in California. His work in silver and pewter had little ornamentation, relying on hammer marks and satin finish for decoration. Colonial Pewter was a Porter Blanchard pewter line.

He had a shop on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles that catered to film stars. Blanchard's pieces also were sold in department stores like Gump's of San Francisco. The business, Porter Blanchard Silversmiths, continued after Blanchard's death in 1973.

Your goblets are worth about $55 each.

Q: I have a small, white stone statue of a wolf and a girl sitting face to face. It has been in my mother's family forever. Several years ago, my father gave it to me because he thought it was shrinking. I thought he was nuts at first, but had to agree when I noticed that the wolf's legs and the girl's arms had gotten thinner. I placed the statue under a glass dome and wonder if there's more I can do to preserve it.

A: Your statue might be made of plaster of Paris (also called chalkware), alabaster or salt. All of these materials react badly to moisture. Keep the statue away from humidity and heat. The dome might help, but be sure that no moisture gathers inside it. You might want to talk to a professional conservator, who could take a look at your statue and determine the best way to preserve it.

Q: About 25 years ago my aunt, who was from Germany, gave us a graniteware kitchen container with a wooden, hinged top. The back of the container is flat and has a hole so it can be hung on the wall. The stenciled color decorations on the container include the word "Mehl." What was this container for?

A: We checked our German dictionary and discovered "mehl" means "flour." Your container, a flour canister, was designed to be hung over a kitchen counter.

Tip: If your iron cookware becomes rusty, clean it with a scouring pad, wash it in soapy water and season it again. Do not store food in a cast-iron pot in the refrigerator. The pot's seasoning will be harmed by food or moisture.

Ralph and Terry Kovel's column is syndicated by King Features. Write to: Kovels, (Las Vegas Review-Journal and Sun), King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.