Tag Archives: Chase

Weekend Finds – A Close to 2022

Every year, there is a point where outdoor flea-marketing for our weekend finds is just not comfortable. So as a close to 2022 antiquing, at least outside, I present our collection of recent treasures. Outside and in.

The Golden Nugget Flea-market Finds:

The first of our first weekend finds? A Rebajes Ubangi Woman pin at the Golden Nugget Flea Market. It needs to have the pin replaced, but it was a bargain at $3.00.

Rebajes

Rebajes African Woman Pin – circa 1940

On an unusual outing to the Golden Nugget on a Wednesday, (ok, not the weekend but…) this dealer sure had a bunch of pretty items. I would have bought up the lot of it. But through prudence, and discussion with Anthony, I managed to relieve the vendor of only a few items.

One of our finds? This is a copper letter holder made by Revere. We haven’t found anything about it – yet!  And no, I didn’t pay $25.00,

Revere copper

Vintage letter holder by Revere

Here’s a chrome Art Deco Samson Egg cooker. Ironically, it was made in Rochester, NY – where Anthony lives.

This unusual weekend find is a car flashlight. It plugs into a car’s cigarette lighter. I did try it but the plug is just a tad big for the modern plug. And I didn’t want to force it in.

Art Deco Plug-in Flashlight

Art Deco Plug-in Car Flashlight

Art Deco Flashlight

An inside look – the cord is about 3′ long.

A nice little glass and chrome powder box.  It’s unmarked but in mint condition.

Deco powder / trinket box

Chrome glass and bakelite powder / trinket box

A different vendor had a section dedicated to 1939-1940’s World’s Fair memorabilia.  I sent Anthony this picture. And, while there were pieces he liked, he decided to pass.

1939-1940's World's Fair memorabilia

1939-1940’s World’s Fair collection

I also passed on this lovely Whiting & Davis handbag.  Our friend Nancy liked it, but it was not the right time for her. I should have gotten it. But at $100.00, I wasn’t sure it was worth the money. It is, and more.  I kick myself over this one.

I wish we had a place for this beauty. But we don’t. And so it stayed.

Art Deco lighting

Brass and polychrome chandelier I wish we had room for it

This collection of Chase is a real and reasonably priced find.  The Sparta pitcher, designed by Walter Von Nessen and a sugar & creamer set with matching tray was originally priced at over $95.00. The dealer didn’t want to take it home and offered it all to me for $30.00. Cha-ching!

Chase Copper and Brass

Chase chrome collection

This Manning Bowman Thermos and Tray has issues.  We always caution you NOT to purchase a rattling thermos unless it is just for display. This thermos rattled.  And the stopper is badly chipped. However, the tray is an extremely difficult piece to find so after a little bargaining, both home it came for $25.00.

Manning Bowman thermos and tray

1930’s Manning Bowman thermos and tray

A bit of déjà vu and another of our finds? This is another Manning Bowman thermos, sans tray.  It doesn’t rattle and is in good condition.  This was from another dealer who just wanted everything gone. And for $10.00 I was happy to take it off her hands.

Manning Bowman thermos

Manning Bowman thermos – this one doesn’t rattle!

I loved these ceramic puppy extension cords. But at $125.00 each, with damaged cords imbedded into the ceramic bodies, I couldn’t justify the price. Had the cords not been imbedded or at least accessible for repair, I may have been persuaded.

Art Deco extension cord

Art Deco extension cord

Can you guess what it is? The dealer didn’t know. I didn’t know either. But with some intuitive thinking, I figured it out. I think.

Deco Optical instrument

Deco Optical instrument

See how well you do with these clues:

            Bakelite handle

            Non-prescription glass

            Total length about 8 inches long by 4 inches wide

            Marked Bausch and Lomb on the handle

Good Stuff Thrift Store Finds:

We’ve had good luck at the Good Stuff Thrift Store.  No brand silver-plate cocktail shaker purchased for $4.50.  This unusual item dates to the 1930s. The cork stopper both in the lid and also in the pour spout cap are more common features at that time.  It’s amazing what a little elbow grease (and a good polish compound) can do.

Although missing the chrome lid, I picked up this cute divided dish for $3.99. It is by Farber Brothers / Krome Kraft.

Deco divided dish

Farber Bros. divided dish – circa 1930

This 1930s Hall ball jug in the Crocus pattern is in mint condition. It is also the only time I got into an argument with another customer.  The short version; I put it down in front of me to look at another pitcher. A woman walks up, asks me if I was buying it to which I responded, “Yes”. She proceeds to pick it up and walk away!??? I again told her I was buying it and she responded, “Well, you didn’t have your hand on it. It’s mine now.” Details are so messy.  Let’s just say – I won!

1930's Hall ball jug - crocus

1930s Hall ball jug – Crocus

2nd Avenue Thrift Store:

This pair of silver-plate candle holders is designed by Carl Deffner, They could be anywhere from the 1930 to the 1960s. And they have a no-polish finish. The pair cost $2.50.

Carl Deffner candle holders

Carl Deffner candle holders

Savers:

Here is a Chase bon-bon / nut dish. Chase appears to be getting harder to find in the wild. Anthony picked this up  at Savers for $3.99.

Chase chrome dish

Chase dish – perfect for serving afterdinner mints or nuts

GoodWill Finds:

I love the GoodWill! This little fellow is an example of ceramics Made in Occupied Japan. While we don’t know a great deal about this category, I do know items like this were massed produced between 1945 through 1951.  Though difficult to find, these are not generally worth a great deal. This would be a good collection for someone on a budget.

I wasn’t able to find an exact match to this in my research. I did find that the more and better the details, the better quality. And therefore more desirable. Compared to the one found online, this is a better-quality piece.  Why? The hand by the hat is separated from the hat and is well defined.  Cost – $3.99.

Occupied Japan Statue

Occupied Japan Statue

This little lady is another example of Made in Occupied Japan. She’s a cutie and cost 2.99.

Occupied Japan Statue

Miniature Occupied Japan Statue

It’s time to say goodbye 2022 and our weekend finds. But I can hardly wait to see what we’ll find in 2023!

So, did you figure out the mystery item? It’s a Pince-nez sizer. It is used to measure the width of the bridge of the nose to assure your armless glasses stayed put! I think!

You just never know what you’ll find when Driving for Deco!

Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’, Tiquen Guys)

Chase Blue Moon and Doric Cocktail Sets

The Blue Moon and Doric Cocktail Sets

1935 – 1941

The Chase Blue Moon Cocktail set.

Blue Moon Cocktail set, with shaker, cups and Ring Tray. From the collection of the author.

The Blue Moon and Doric Cocktail Shaker are some of the most desirable shakers for collectors of Chase or cocktail enthusiasts. These shakers and sets are not easy to find and do not show up at antique malls or flea markets often. It is online or at higher end antique shows where one will come across them.

 

 

Reichenbach's patent drawing for the Chase Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker.

Howard Reichenbach’s patent for the Chase Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker. Image from Google Patents.

 

Like the Chase Gaiety Cocktail shaker, the Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker is another Howard F. Reichenbach (American, 1902 – 1959) design. Hitting stores in late 1935, the shaker shows how much the streamline esthetic started to influence design by mid-decade. This is emphasized by the rows of speedlines at the shaker’s base and around the cap. The two steps of the cap culminated in a blue ball stopper. Very early models of the shaker had a blue glass stopper. Shortly, a blue Catalin stopper replaced the glass one. These two original stoppers also doubled as a jigger for making mixed drinks.

 

Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker stopper detail.

Detail: Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker Catalin stopper / jigger. Image from cocktailshakers.com.

 

With an original price of $4.00 ($85.25 in 2022) the Blue Moon shaker would have been in the higher price range for many consumers. This might explain the relative rarity of the shaker today. Before the end of 1935 Reichenbach’s shaker was paired with Harry Laylon’s  (American, 1911 – 1997) Blue Moon Cocktail Cups.

 

Harry Laylon's Blue Moon Cocktail Cups.

Harry Laylon’s Blue Moon Cocktail Cups for Chase. From the collection of the author.

Detail of the Centaur logo  on the Blue Moon cocktail cup.

Detail of Chase’s Centaur logo on the bottom of the Blue Moon cocktail cup. From the collection of the author.

These cocktail cups are classic Art Deco. The cobalt glass cup tops a polished chrome, conical base and the combination is striking. These cocktail cups are among the most popular collectible of the Chase specialty line.  Originally selling for $0.50 in the 1930s (equivalent to $10.66 in 2022) the reasonable price might explain why they are easily found at flea markets and antique stores today.

On one of his many thrift store outings, Chris found a bag of them at his local GoodWill. Six in all, he only paid a few dollars.

Completing the Blue Moon set was Laylon’s Ring Tray.

 

Chase Ring Tray.

Chase Ring Tray, 1936 -1942, designed by Harry Laylon. From the collection of the author.

This tray is not all that easy to find. And it is especially hard to find one that does not have a fair amount of surface scratching. Originally selling for $2.50 ($53.29 in 2022) this versatile tray it was used  with the Comet Coffee service and with a glass insert and the jam jar.

 

1930s Chase advertisement featuring the Doric Cocktail set.

Late 1930s Chase magazine advertisement featuring the Doric Cocktail set in the upper left corner. Image from ebay.com.

Sometime in late 1936 or early 1937 the Blue Moon set became the Doric Cocktail set. A ribbed, plastic stopper replaced the ball one. New cups were designed for the set and the color white was offered along with blue on the stopper and cup bases. By the late 1930s the price of the shaker had risen to $5.00 ($105.06 in 2022) and the new cups were selling for $0.75 each ($15.76 in 2022). And the entire set sold for a hefty $12.50 ($262.66 in 2022).

 

These new cocktail cups match the Doric Shaker very well. Encircling the bottom of the chrome up are the same style speed lines that are on the shaker. And the plastic bases have ribbing that matches the shaker stopper.

 

Chase Doric Cocktail Cups, chrome with blue plastic base.

Chase Doric Cocktail Cups with blue plastic base. From the collection of the author.

At the beginning of this post, I said this is a hard to find set. And when you do find one, expect to pay a good deal for it. And whether it’s a Blue Moon or Doric set in white or blue, it doesn’t seem to affect the price on the collector’s market.

 

The complete Doric Cocktail set in blue.

Complete Doric Cocktail set in blue. Image from ebay.com.

 

The price of complete sets in good to excellent condition seem to fall in the $250.00 – $700.00 range. But I’ve seen some for sale that go much higher. One set, currently for sale online is asking $1,280.00. But it is in never-used, mint condition and with its original boxes. The shaker alone usually falls in the $75.00 – $400.00 price range. The prices for the Blue Moon cocktail cups are all over the place and they usually sell anywhere from $10.00 to $25.00 or $30.00 a cup. At the publishing time of this post, no Doric Cups are available on their own, only as part of a complete set or with a shaker. Within the last year I purchased a set of four for $40.00, but I realize now that is an unusual find.

 

The Chase Doric set in white.

A white Chase Doric Cocktail Set. Image from vintageswank.com.

Driving for Deco will continue with more Chase drinking and cocktail accessories in a future blogpost.

Happy Hunting,

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)

SOURCES

The Complete Chase – Donald-Brian Johnson & Leslie Piña

The Chase Era 1933 and 1942 Catalogs of the Chase Brass & Copper Co. – Donald-Brian Johnson & Leslie Piña

Chase Catalogs 1934 and 1935 Catalogs – Donald-Brian Johnson & Leslie Piña

Art Deco Chrome Book 2: A Collector’s Guide Industrial Design in the Chase Era – Richard J. Kilbride