Few people stayed up at night in the years before 1800 because there were so few sources of light. An open fire, a candle or a rush dipped in oil could be lit.
Then whale-oil lamps became popular. Whaling was an important industry in New England in the early 1800s. Whale oil was used to light streets in Europe and America. It was the fuel for lighthouse beacons and the headlights of locomotives. Homes were also lit with lamps that burned whale oil. A whaler could collect up to 2,000 30-gallon barrels of oil on a voyage. In 1844, the oil sold for about 80 cents a gallon, and a voyage could be worth almost $50,000. In 2003 dollars, that would be almost $1-million.
The demand for whale oil as a fuel declined in the 1840s because it was so expensive, and newer lamps were able to burn lard oil. Whale-oil lamps had a font to hold the oil and a tube that held the wick. The font could be plain or made of fancy colored glass. Most also had a stem that held the light high on the table to give better light. Today we would find the light too dim to use while reading, but these lamps made it possible to do a few chores in the evening in the 19th century.
Organ dates to 1800s
Question: My wife's antique reed organ belonged to her mother. The wood is ornately carved, with a round candle platform on each side. There is one five-octave keyboard with nine stops above it. The label on the organ is "Peloubet & Co., New York." Can you give us any information?
Answer: Louis Chabrier Peloubet was manufacturing wind instruments, including flutes, piccolos and clarinets, by 1836. In 1849, his company started making small reed organs, called melodeons. Peloubet's firm merged with Pelton Standard Organ Co. in 1873, but the partnership broke up in 1882, the year Peloubet & Co. was formed. Your organ was made sometime between 1882 and 1890, the year the business was sold to Lyon & Healy of Chicago. The value of your organ depends on its condition, but its smaller size helps its popularity with collectors and musicians.
Fingers point to quality
Question: I found an old wooden box in my attic. It is oval, with a fitted lid that lifts off. The box is well-made. The tacked side seam has four pointed, extended joints. The lid has one of these joints. Inside the lid, in faded handwriting, is the date Aug. 1, 1862.
Answer: Your description leads us to believe you found a "Shaker box." The pointed joints are called "swallowtails" or "fingers." Several Shaker religious communities were established in the United States beginning in the late 18th century. The furniture and other household objects made by the communities were of simple design and high quality. Oval boxes constructed with finger joints were not invented by the Shakers, but they did refine the design. Shaker oval boxes are made of uniformly slender pieces of wood and have symmetrical joints and tight-fitting lids. The boxes had many uses. They were used in homes and workshops to store everything from herbs and spices to buttons and thread. In any case, your box is at least as old as the date inside the lid. Have an expert look at it. It could be worth hundreds of dollars.
Current prices
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
+ Pressed-glass bread tray, Washington Centennial, embossed "First in War, First in Peace," 8 x 12 inches, $85.
+ State of California hunting license, "Remember the Buffalo," 1916, 4{ x 2} inches, $110.
+ Game of Forbidden Fruit, Parker Bros., 1800s, $220.
+ Doll bed, blue paint, tapering octagonal head and foot posts, pierced heart, mattress and doll quilt, 8 x 10 x 14 inches, $240.
+ Brass chamberstick, push-up, loop handle, embossed "London 1836 B" in shield crest, 5{ inches, $260.
+ Terri Lee doll, Jerri Lee, hard plastic, fleeced hair, brown painted eyes, 1957, 16 inches, $355.
+ Cheese dish, Staffordshire figural cow's-head covered plate, polychrome glaze, c. 1860, 8\ x 10\ x 7{ inches, $575.
+ Miles City Saddlery Co. calendar, "The Wagon Train," by Frank Hoffmann, 1948, 17{ x 27{ inches, $745.
+ Frem Rojle dining table and chairs, round, expandable, tapered legs, crest rail, black vinyl seats, Denmark, 29 inches, six chairs, $1,410.
+ Copper "Patchen" running-horse weather vane, black rod, Harris & Co., Boston, 1868, 20 by 32 inches, $3,055.
+ Kathe Kruse doll, cloth, brown hair, green eyes, closed mouth, pouty lips, 1915, 17 inches, $3,550.
+ Carrie Nation hatchet, cast iron, inscribed "All Nations Welcome but Carrie," portrait of Carrie on blade, 11 inches, $460.
Send questions to Antiques, Ralph and Terry Kovel, c/o the St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122. Questions of general interest will be answered in the column.
2003 Cowles Syndicate Inc.