The Hotpoint 129-T31 “Gazelle” Toaster

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Gazelle motif on the Edison General Electric 129-T31

Gazelle motif on the Edison General Electric 129-T31

I’m sorry to be doing another post on a toaster just a few months after the one on my Toastmaster 1A1, but I didn’t think I would be adding to the collection what I considered the “Holy Grail” of vintage toasters so soon. When Chris was visiting his family in Florida earlier this month he stopped in at the Wildwood Antique Mall in Ocala and stumbled across a toaster. He took a chance and picked it, hoping that it was the one that I have been searching for.

 

Designed by Raymond E. Patten in 1931 for the Hotpoint appliance division of the Edison General Electric Company, it was the most exuberant Art Deco design for toasters much in the same way that the Chrysler Building was in design for a skyscraper. After this, toasters became more streamlined and utilitarian. Because of its striking design, this toaster is a highly desirable addition to any toaster collection.

 

Introduced in the fall of 1931, it retailed for $7.95 the equivalent of $145.00 today. Chris purchased it for $62.00, which I feel is a good price. These toasters usually sell for around $150.00, before 2008 they sometimes sold for $500.00.

 

Here is a demonstration of the toaster in use –

 

Here are some detail photos of the toaster, including the original cloth cord and plug. Today many people are afraid of using this type of cord, but in my experience, I have not had any trouble using cords and plugs of this kind, as long as they are in excellent condition and they are not kept plugged in when the appliance is not in use.

 

 

This was one of the items to look for on my Brimfield list, now I’ll have more time and money to look for my chrome tube Art Deco chair.

 

Anthony and Chris (The “Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)

1932 Rookwood Vase

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Matt green Rookwood Vase. 1932

Matt green Rookwood Vase. 1932

I think I’ve started a new collecting quest (which is not something I need or should do). Recently, when I was at the Golden Nugget Flea Market, in Lambertville, New Jersey, I purchased my first piece of Rookwood Pottery. What attracted me to this vase was the soft green glaze (the pictures don’t do the color justice), and the leaping gazelles and stylized flora motifs, which are typical of the Art Deco esthetic.

 

The Rookwood mark, the year of manufacture, 1932 and shape number of the vase .

The Rookwood mark, the year of manufacture, 1932 and the number for the shape of the vase.

 

The Judith Miller Collector’s Guide to Art Deco, gives the best concise description of the background of the company, which I have excerpted below –

 

“The largest manufacturer of art pottery in the United States, Rookwood made its name with Arts and Crafts ware. Its Art Deco production, however, also presents interesting opportunities for the modern collector.

 

Maria Longworth Nichols, who grew up in a wealthy Cincinnati family, founded Rookwood in 1880. She was devoted to ceramics, Japonisme, and the Arts and Crafts ethic from an early age and employed the finest artists from Europe, the United States and Japan. By the start of World War I, Rookwood was thriving, with an extensive range of useful and ornamental ware, most made in the shiny Standard Glaze introduced in 1883.

 

Rookwood began to decline in both prosperity and output in the 1920’s – the firm suffered considerably during the depression years, eventually going into receuvership in 1941. As a result, Rookwood’s Art Deco was made during the company’s leanest years. Much of it is simple, economical design and manufacture. Typical examples include small slip-cast vases in pleasing shapes glazed in monochrome matt green, blue or pink, or cast bookends, paperweights and other desk accessories in similar glazes, which may be mottled by the late 1940s.”

 

* DK Collector’s Guides, Art Deco Judith Miller with Nicholas M. Dawes, 2005 DK and the Price Guide Company, Pg. 142.

 

More vase detail.

Vase detail, stylized flora.

Flora Detail

More vase detail.

 

This vase is typical of the production pieces that Rookwood was selling in the 1930’s and it is not considered “Art Pottery” by some ceramic and pottery experts and dealers, because it is not hand turned and hand painted. Even so, Rookwood’s “lesser” pieces are fine quality and were originally sold in the better department stores or specialty shops. Even though the date on this vase is 1932, this vase was in production until the mid-1940’s.

 

Rookwood shape 6214

Rookwood shape 6214

The dealer had a $75.00 price tag on this vase, but he came down to $60.00, which is a really good price, as I’ve seen this vase sell on line for more than $100.00.  Now I’m worried about how much Rookwood I’ll see up at Brimfield next month. I’ll keep you posted.

 

Anthony