Antiques & Collecting: Reproduction table

Sometimes a reproduction of an antique is worth almost as much as the original antique. Wallace Nutting (1861-1941) was a collector, expert, photographer, furniture maker, author and an important part of the Colonial Revival in the United States. He went to Harvard, married and started taking photographs of the New England scenery.

Soon he furnished his home with authentic antique American furniture, using the furnishings as props in pictures he staged with men and women dressed in Colonial clothes. The pictures were black and white, but he hired colorists to turn the pictures into color photos. He sold millions of copies that soon hung in the average home.

The furniture was admired, and he soon made accurate copies to sell to the public. This, too, was a success. He also wrote books about New England, furniture and history.

A 20th-century reproduction Nutting tavern table was sold by Garths Auctioneers and Appraisers a few years ago for $469.

It is short, has an apron, turned legs and a box stretcher. This type of table was used as a serving table in the tap room of Colonial taverns.

Q: Are old milk bottles worth much? I have a half-pint glass milk bottle from Kinnett’s Dairies in Columbus, Georgia. It’s embossed “sealed 01-11-14,” which is Jan. 11, 1914, and means it’s 107 years old. I’ve had it about 20 years, and it’s in very good condition. What do you think it’s worth?

The numbers on your milk bottle aren’t the date it was made. Kinnett’s Dairies was not founded until the 1920s. However, the numbers identify the manufacturer of the bottle, Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Co. of Elmira, New York.

States required milk bottles to be labeled with the manufacturer’s name, trademark or an identifying number. Numbers were assigned by the states, but not all states used the same numbers.

Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Co. was given the number “1″ in Wisconsin, “11″ in Maine, and “14″ in Michigan. The company used “1-11-14″ on its milk bottles so it would meet the requirements of all three states. The word “sealed” guarantees the bottle holds the volume of liquid listed on it.

Most embossed bottles were made before the 1930s, when pyro glazed labels became common. Kinnett’s was sold to Parmalat in 1998.

Embossed half-pint milk bottles sell for $10 to $15. Some pyro glazed bottles sell for higher prices. Clever logos or sayings add value.

Current Prices

Cut glass perfume bottle, double miter and hobnail pattern, cylindrical shape, hinged gilt silver cap, engraved crown over GW monogram, Brilliant Period, c. 1885, F. Purnell, London, 11 inches, $65.

Clothing, sneakers, Dolce & Gabbana, red leather, red lace inset on top, black leather band around heel, black cord trim, woman’s size 8 1/2, $215.

Paper dolls set, Lilly Beers, two Victorian girl dolls in petticoats, 10 dresses, two hats, stand, McLoughlin Series, 1859, dolls 4-inches, $360.

Folk art table, ship’s hatch top, wood, three boards, metal ends, iron legs, curled feet, 17 1/2 x 59 1/2 x 27 inches, $525.

Tip: If your heavy cast-iron toy has rubber tires, display it on a partial stand so there is no pressure on the tires.