Tag Archives: Chase Copper and Brass Company

Weekend Finds – October 2021

With the crisp autumn weather, Anthony and I hit the road  hoping for some nice weekend finds.  Our first stop was the Golden Nugget Flea Market, Lambertville, NJ.

Now, a few weeks ago we saw a dealer with four intriguing copper plates. Unfortunately, he was selling them as a set and the price was more than we were willing to spend. Also, we didn’t know the artist, Rebajes, so we passed.  Once home, we researched this fascinating man.

Art Deco Rebajes

Rebajes (detail of signature)

Francisco Rebajes (1905-1990) emigrated to the US in 1922 from the Dominican Republic. 16 and knowing little English he supported himself as a cafeteria worker. In 1932 he married and they lived, by the kindness of a friend, in a basement apartment. Clever with his hands, Rebajes used old tools to recycle tin cans into animals. These he exhibited at the first Washington Square outdoor show. By chance, Juliana Force, then director of the Whitney Museum, bought all his work. From then on, well, that’s another post.

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This weekend, the vendor was back. And apparently, he was convinced to break up the set as he only had two available.  And anxious to sell, he dropped his price form $40 each to $40 for the pair! Needless to say, this desirable art was one of our purchases.

Art Deco Hazel Atlas

Sportsman Sailboat tray by Hazel Atlas

Our next buy was a Hazel Atlas Sportsman Sailboat tray for $10.00. And just for fun, a 1938 board game, Cabby, for $5.00.

Art Deco Board Game

1938 Cabby by Selchow & Righter

Then, we were off to Antique Haven.  This is a good size, but not large store and we rarely walk out empty handed.  Our first find was a set of hard-to-find Chase Doric cocktail cups. Then we saw and debated a #1 Fiesta mixing bowl and a Fiesta footed salad bowl. In the end, our only purchase was the Chase cups.

Art Deco Chase Chrome

1930’s Chase Doric Cocktail Cups

Hungry, we hoped to eat at Someday Café and Roastery just one driveway down. The last time we were in the area, they were closed due to the pandemic.  But today they were open! Under new management and a new name, Hungry Locktender. We ate a delicious (and bigger than expected) Crepe Florentine; a crepe stuffed with spinach, cheese, and mushrooms.

Art Deco Freakin Tiquen 2021

Hungry Locktender, Riegelsville, Pa.

Satisfied, we headed off to Easton, Pa.  By luck, we passed a new antique store (for us) Allen’s Antiques.  This is a smallish store chocked full of mostly small items from colonial to mid-century and with fair to better than fair prices. While we looked at some interesting items we didn’t find anything in the main store. However, there is a barn in the back and there we saw several interesting items, Anthony picked up a Chase binnacle lamp for $5.00.

Art Deco Weekend Finds

Allen’s Antiques, Riegelsville, Pa.

Back on the road, we drove to Easton Antique Emporium. Anthony purchased a 1930’s ruby glass recipe cocktail shaker. And it was time to start heading home.

Art Deco Cocktail Shaker

1930’s Ruby Recipe Cocktail Shaker

We stopped at Restore in Washington, NJ. This is a great place to find odds and ends at bargain basement prices.  I found a nice platinum trim bowl, perfect for popcorn for $1.00.

Art Deco China

Canonsburg Pottery hand painted by Pacific China

And then, closer to home, we stopped off at the Tomato Factory Antique and Design Center, Hopewell, NJ.  This is another place where we seldom walk out empty handed. And today was no exception.

Tomato Factory and Design Center (photo from website)

Anthony found an original 10-inch ivory Fiesta vase. Though expensive, it was more than fairly priced. And then discounted, too!

Art Deco Fiesta

1936-1942 10 inch Fiesta vase

In all, a successful day of antiquing!

Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’ ‘tiquen Guys)

Weekend Find – Chase Ring Tray

Chase Ring Tray

The Ring Tray by the Chase Copper and Brass Company’s specialty line. A recent weekend find.

It’s been a while since I had such good luck at a thrift store. But that changed over a recent weekend. Chris and I feel that the best strategy for thrift store finds is to go often. Their stock is always changing so the opportunity for a find is good. I’ve been on the hunt for a Chase Ring Tray for several years. I last came across a one in a Massachusetts antique store in 2015. The condition was poor and it even had a crack in the rim and with a price of $40.00 I passed on it. Finally one turned up at my local Savers thrift store for only $2.99. This tray is not in perfect condition, it has a lot of surface scratches. But it is in better shape than the one I didn’t buy in Massachusetts.

 

 

The Chase Ring Tray, designed by Harry Laylon (1911 – 1997), was introduced in 1936. It stayed in production until the discontinuation of the entire Chase Speciality line in 1942, when the civilian use metals started to be requisitioned for the war effort. The tray had a retail price of $2.50, which is the equivalent of $45.00 in 2018, which seems pretty hefty.

 

The Chase Ring tray.

It is easy to see how the ring tray got its name.

 

The 1942 Chase Specialty catalog described the 12 inch diameter tray this way:

This round tray is a happy medium in size, neither too large nor too small for general use. The high rim keeps things from sliding off,  and the flanged edge is a continuous handle. The bottom has an etched design. 

 

Underside of the Chase Ring Tray.

The underside of the Chase Ring Tray. This shows the flanged edge that made for easy griping.

 

Originally Chase sold the tray on its own. Then from 1937 – 1941 it was paired it up with the Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker (Howard Reichenbach, Designer) and the Laylon  designed Blue Moon Cocktail Cups. I bought my first ring tray about a decade ago from Pine Hills Antique Mall in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. I used that tray to completed my Blue Moon Cocktail set.

 

Blue Moon Cocktail Set

The Chase Blue Moon Cocktail set 1937 – 1941.

 

In the years between my first ring tray and my next, I started acquiring the pieces of the Chase Comet Coffee service. At the March, 2015 Pier Antique Show in Manhattan, I picked up the Comet Coffee pot. Designed by Walter Von Nessen (1899 – 1943) in 1938, he also designed the Kent Sugar and Creamer, which I picked up the next year. Now the ring tray completed the set.

 

Chase Comet Coffee Set.

My now complete Chase Comet Coffee Set.

 

Originally retailing for $14.50 ($261.50 in today’s dollars) the coffee set now sells between $200.00 to over $1,000.00 (which in my opinion is way, way too high). And just last year one set  sold, in an online auction, to the one and only (and lucky) bidder for $35.00.

 

Chase Chrome

The Chase Comet Coffee set, 1938 – 1942.

 

Personally I like going out into the field and searching for Art Deco, rather than buying online. It’s finds like the ring tray that keeps me going back to thrift stores again and again. Bargains are still out there, so happy Deco hunting.

 

Anthony (A Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guy)

 

If you like this post check out these earlier ones:

Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Hunting Deco in thrift stores and junk barns