It’s been a long time since I’ve gone through the mailbag, and the envelopes are piling up in my inbox and photos are jamming my e-mail server. But before we get started, I’d like to go over some points that will make the evaluation process easier.

First of all, I really have a hard time responding individually. If you do need a response by mail, however, you have to included a self-addressed stamped envelope.

You can send postal mail to me at: The August Farmhouse, 1759 Route 9 North, Swainton, NJ 08210, or send it to the Herald and they will forward it to me.

Send all email to the address below, and it will automatically be forwarded to me.

Secondly, I need to know as much as you can tell me about your piece, including measurements, and any artist’s or maker’s mark.

If you can’t photograph a mark, make a drawing or write a full description, including the color.

Third, the price I cite for an item is a showroom price, that is, the price I would not be surprised to see on that item’s price tag in an antique shop.

Don’t expect to receive that price from a dealer. Dealers offer something between a third and a half of showroom price, depending on a variety of factors.

Also, understand that the market is volatile. Things go up or down in value as they go in and out of fashion.

Now we can dip into the mailbag, and the first thing I notice is how many questions have to do with ceramics. Let’s get through some of those questions first.

1) Nippon Chocolate Set
And what a sweet set it is. In an e-mail, G.M. wants to know the value of a hand painted chocolate set with Nippon mark on the bottom.

The photo shows a chocolate pot with its spout way up top directly under the lid and a set of matching cups and saucers.
There are lots of hand painted pink flowers, green leaves and heavy gold swags and trim.

Nippon is the Japanese word for Japan, and appears on items imported from that country between 1891 and 1921.

The best Nippon pieces are well executed copies of European style decoration. This stately and elegant set could be the finest French Limoges.

Chocolate sets used to be more rabidly collected than they are now, but you might still find ones like this priced in the $250-$295 range

2) English Chamber Set

I am always thankful for indoor plumbing when I see one of these sets. J.S. sent me an e-mail picture of this one that includes a small pitcher and mug, a soap dish with a lid (it should also have a liner inside), a brush pot (looks like a small vase) and, of course, the potty, thankfully with a lid.

The mark reads “W.H. Grindley & Co. England Semi-Porcelain” and features a steamboat.

Most chamber sets were made by local potters, so this one is special. It is light blue and white with gold bordered medallions of pink flowers.

This Grindley mark was used between 1914 and 1925. Unfortunately, the set doesn’t include the most popular chamber items--the large pitcher and wash basin.

With those pieces, the set might be priced at $225-$250. The remaining pieces add up to about $80. (Potty ($30), brush pot ($15), soap dish ($15), small pitcher and mug ($20).

3) Limoges Porcelain Lamp
An e-mail from J. T. brings pictures of a 16" high, hand painted lamp. (See photo.)

The owner has done quite a bit of research and found out that the porcelain was made in France, painted in America, and signed by “Wenzel Pfohl” for a company in Chicago called the White Art Company.

White was started in 1912 by three artistic sisters--Ida, Sarah and Ellen-- along with their brother James, the salesman, who would eventually become the company president.

They hired freelance artists like Pfohl, an Eastern European immigrant. I think this was made around 1915, and made to be a lamp, not a vase converted to a lamp.

Any dealer buying it will have to factor in the cost of rewiring, new switch and bulb sockets and a shade worthy of the fine art work.

All spruced up it could fetch $1,500 to $1,800. As it is now, you could find it in a shop for about $500-600.

4) Delft Platter

From Avalon comes a note from R. S. along with a photo of a Delft platter. It’s a deep platter measuring 8" long and 4" wide.
The hand painted blue decoration features a wide border of stylized flowers and a center painting of a fish. The mark says “Delft Made in Holland.

This piece is both lovely and serviceable. The mark that was drawn for me indicates it was most likely made between 1930 and the 1950s.

The fish makes this a special piece, and if you could find one of these in a shop, it might be priced at $175-200.

Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send comments or questions to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.