Antiques & Collecting: Toothpick holders

Collectibles don’t need to be utilitarian. In fact, many of today’s collectibles have a purpose that has been lost to time.

Toothpick holders, especially from the 19th century, are miniature examples of the beauty of art glass, pottery, porcelain or silver. They often resemble tiny vases or figurines and may sell for lower prices than larger pieces by the same makers.

This porcelain toothpick holder sold at Woody Auction for $84. The auction describes it as “bag-shaped,” but it is an unusual example. Bag-shaped vessels tend to be shaped like upright bags with the opening as the neck.

This one is shaped like a bag lying on its side, tied closed, with a gilt-edged “hole” as the top opening. It is decorated with painted sprays of flowers and marked with the initials “J.P.L.,” the mark of Jean Pouyat, one of the many porcelain makers in Limoges, France.

There is also a complex signature of intertwined letters, likely the mark of the painter. Some porcelain factories in Limoges sold blanks, or undecorated pieces, to be painted by artists or hobbyists.

I follow your column regularly in the Sunday Republican and enjoy it very much. I own four bronze sculptures by Frederic Remington. They are all about 12 inches tall. They are in very good condition. Can you give me an idea of their value?

Frederic Remington (1861-1909) made 22 different sculptures beginning in 1895. The first four were cast in bronze at the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co. in New York.

Beginning in 1900, his sculptures were cast at the Roman Bronze Works in New York. All his original bronzes are marked with one of those two foundry names. His bronze sculptures are the most reproduced bronzes.

Most of the original sculptures are about 24 inches tall or larger. Original Remington bronzes sell at auctions for $75,000 or more.

The 32-inch bronze sculpture titled “The Broncho Buster” sold for over $600,000 a few years ago. Reproductions sell for under $500.

The website of the Frederic Remington Museum in Ogdensburg, New York — FredericRemington.org — has information and a form you can fill out if you think you have an original Remington sculpture.

Tip: Stains on porcelains can be removed by soaking them in a mixture of 2 tablespoons denture cleaner and 1 quart tepid water.

Current Prices

Painting, miniature, woman with hair tied back in a bun, blue background, oil on ivory, round gilt metal frame with bow detail, R. Hardedge, c. 1840, 2 x 2 inches, $115.

Weathervane, locomotive, sheet iron, cutout, black, silhouette of bearded engineer, smoke coming from smokestack, American, 20th century, 45 inches, $220.

Disneyana, figure, Mickey Mouse Fun-E-Flex, wood, painted, jointed, lollipop hands, 9 inches, $780.

Cigar cutter, figural, Otto von Bismarck, in uniform, standing, hand on small tower, cast iron, painted, rectangular base with egg and dart border, 9 inches, $1,920.